Wow, looking good! You know how much it weighs? Looks heavy
Printable View
Wow, looking good! You know how much it weighs? Looks heavy
That looks awesome Mario really does do brilliant work and the quality of the welds will be second to none, that shell will stand up to just about everything
Thanks! It's all Mario's doing, absolutely brilliant job I think! And I'm not sure, though with the electronics and everything in there, it is in weight. I seem to recall a figure somewhere around the 10/11kg mark coming to mind, but I'm not entirely sure on that one. Will have to weigh it when it's here!
Definitely too, looks extremely tough - it's quite a relief actually, with my limited engineering knowledge something that won't require a load of fixing between rounds is ideal for me on my first event. Also quite glad looking at this years array of spinners and axes, the older version of HardWired II wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds!
Oh, and another thing too - HardWired II no longer has any weaponry (well, it is the weapon - full body hammer and all that) but I am working on a design for next year that does have a weapon and is a little bit out-there in terms of the design. When I get round to designing that properly, I'll post a few images, but I'm going to keep HardWired II running as long as possible as my more reliable machine. Going to have a look at upgrading where it's necessary over the years, the main one will probably be brushless drive if that proves a good enough option in the future. Would like some of those excessively powerful brushless motors that are 3000kw or something silly like that, but again it's the practicality - probably just going to cause more hassle in this setup with cooking ESCs from high amp draw, messing up batteries etc. The smaller-kw ones might be a lot more suitable, as have been used in Hannibalito and Liftoff (I think). Something for the future though! Course, I'm holding off for now until it gets a bit more use, since the tried and tested S900s will be more than powerful enough for this setup for the foreseeable future, I think.
Weight, the armor alone is less than 8 kg. Drives clock off around 2.2 kg.
Front plate is 6mm Hardox , sides and are layered 3.2mm hardox.
Hannibalito 3 or 4 doesn't use brushless drives. The first machine we're going to use those is Nebelwerfer2. That one uses a frankenstein combo of Gimson GR02 24/1 gearboxes and el cheapo HK 2850 KV inrunners.
Next try will be with NTM 28-36 outrunners.
That's the one, thanks Mario! I can't seem to keep numbers in my head for some reason...
And ahh that's it -Nebelwerfer, no idea where I got Hannibalito from... Me and my lack of sleep haha! Getting everything mixed up tonight
Still, looking forward to seeing how brushless gets on in full combat scenarios. Seems like it'd be a very viable option to run in theory, but I guess time will tell
So, I've been worrying about axes an awful lot and I'm actually toying with the idea of actually mounting an pair of bulkheads on the top of the machine with an axe on it. This would have a thicker (interchangeable) top plate, maybe out of the leftover HDPE I have with the bulkheads (also HDPE) mounted to that, using sprockets and chains and powered by a drill motor or something moderately compact and light. The axe design I'm thinking of would be an almost hook-like design to act as a way of gripping onto other machines, kind of like how Dominator II used to do, albeit with a spiky axe. Failing that, the standard bladed or spiked designs will do just fine.
I know it seems like a little bit of overkill for protecting against overhead weapons, but it serves a few purposes if I can get it to work, namely self-righting, but also helps me a) rack up points for damage and b) allows me to have a much thicker top plate should an axe hit it, since I'm very worried about my motors getting damaged - no spares and all that. Could also again help me to latch onto opponents and ram them into the wall.
This attachment probably won't be used against flippers since being invertible, I think, is much more beneficial in this case, since it'd take time to self right and that's a second or so more time they have to push me to the side and flip me out.
Going to be a VERY low budget job, too - I think I may have almost everything I need besides the sprockets and chain but I'm hoping I can super-bodge something if needs be. I've got a frankly ridiculous amount of bike chain and old sprockets in the shed, maybe a little rusty but I'll see how it works. Of course, the reliability of the drill motors is something that's definitely an issue, but it's light and something I have to hand - needs must!
I should mention that this all hinges on exactly how heavy the machine turns out to be once I've got everything in it, if I've only got a kilo or so left then it's definitely not possible!
I don't think a drill motor will have the torque to self right. I'd stick with your robot as is it's strong enough.
A drill motor has enough power to self right the machine as demonstrated by Bruiser it's just the reliability that can be a problem , is there no way for you to just increase the wheel diameter by a few mm so you can use a thicker top plate? surely that's easier and cheaper than changing your design.
I wandered around Halfords looking for a chunky mountain bike tyre to give more grip and increase diameter. Assistant in there came across asking if could help - it was tempting but I politely declined hehe
At a reduction and at 4S it might just get there, I do recall an axe bot running on one before and self-righting, though that could just be my bad memory! Really, it's just precautions just in case the worst should happen and Little Hitter or Grant's new hammer bot goes straight through and wrecks a motor or my battery. I'm really hoping that 2.5mm stainless should be alright, though I do remember hearing someone mention that there was a great big dent in their 3mm baseplate, but again that could just be me.
It might still be a project for the future and whiteboards though, quite like the idea of an optional axe...
And I could increase the wheel diameter, but the problem with that is that it actually increases the ground clearance on the bottom - I recall Mario mentioning that the wheels were about 1mm above the baseplate, so I'm going to increase the width through some thicker tyre which should leave me I think about 2-3mm above, which is plenty enough to stop me getting beached but then to add another 2mm of steel on top of that 2.5mm I already have, I'll be looking at adding probably about 3-4mm of tread onto the wheels, which might be a tad problematic in terms of the strength not to mention adding a lot more to the ground clearance which could throw things off... I'll give it a go and see how it fares though
I've got plenty of bike tyre too, got like 6 bike wheels spare in the shed from old bikes over the years! Might head down to halfords though and see if there's anything just a little more suitable...
Attachment 4438Attachment 4439Attachment 4440Attachment 4441
Assortment of photos from HardWired II's build - had a few issues to start with, but nothing major so far, I don't think. It's going well, other than that - mostly it's now just down to fitting everything in because the space is so insanely limited in there - enough and fantastically compact, but I'm having to cut down heavily on how much wiring I use which can't be a bad thing. Those connectors are temporary too, just whilst I sort positions of everything out.
Has a few problems with my OrangeRX R620 receiver, doesn't appear to fail safe properly, can't set it into the mode where it failsafes, when it does one esc doesn't work, sometimes it's the one with the SBec, sometimes it's the one without it... It's all a bit strange, and sometimes it doesn't even want to connect up. Going to just assume this is it being temperamental, and I'm working round it accordingly, but may need manual failsafes on standby... Managed to get things rolling with my old non-failsafing rx
The other thing is the pinion that's welded on to the motor shaft coming off, something only I could manage on a test drive but that's being sorted now, one less thing to worry about! Really, just need the LED wiring into my system (need to look that up to make sure I can do it without wrecking my setup) and then the link and also lipo fuse placing into position, then it's ready to go!
Also, as a side note, I've already started drafting the plans for next year's machine, to run alongside HardWired, would like the name Midas but I'm sure that's gone - let's just say it more than makes up for HardWired II's lack of an active weapon...
Sorry, didn't mean to thank the above post, iPod screen is basically dead. Bot looks good though :)
There is a way to make them failsafe, it doesn't so it straight out of the box.
Power up the RX with the bind plug in as you have before, but then take the bind plug out. The little light should flash weird. Turn on the TX in bind mode with all the positions set at the neutral position. They should bind together and the RX accepts the current TX settings as the 'default' setting when it loses the connection.
Great tip, thanks Dave
I'll try it again when I can Dave, problem when I last did it is that it simply wouldn't bind in that mode, I think I may be doing something wrong, probably will post a video tomorrow to troubleshoot... Thanks for the help there though!
I am sure the machine will still run at the end. Our main worry is you getting under Binky and pushing us around so we never hit you with the disc. If Ironside is the spinner then we are boh in trouble, if its just the pushing octagon then it will be a strange fight. Binky could OOTA both machines or it could get pitted and be left to watch the other 2 machines fight it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flag Captured
I'm sure Binky will, HardWired... Depends how well I manage to shock-mount everything, bike tire and bubble wrap!
Really, my main tactic with spinners is going to be to attack the spinning element as much as possible, since it'll do more damage to the other robot than it will do mine probably. Binky's probably the spinner I'm most afraid of simply because it's a vertical with the OOTA ability. If Ironside's the pusher too, that'll be quite interesting.
Since everyone else is doing it, here's HardWired's admittedly kind draw for the championships:
Binky vs Ironside vs HardWired
This is a funny one, for my first matchup. Starting with the unknown, Ironside, I can't seem to figure out whether it's the hexagonal pusher, the spinner or the bar spinner (most likely the bar, I think) really only poses a risk from battering my electronics out of their sockets, spinners won't do much at all to HardWired I don't think. Course, I don't know what it is, so this is one I'm being cautious of. Binky is the major threat here, mainly due to that spinning disc sending me potentially OOTA. Most likely going to use HardWired's speed to avoid that. Again, spinner - probably not going to do a whole lot to mine, but still a fun fight for my first ever venture into combat robotics.
HardWired vs Carcinus vs NST
Carcinus has the claws, and I think the grinder atop, which would be back for my wheels, but I hope I can take it on. Might not have to, since number 4 seed NST's reared it's (very well engineered) head. Again, a spinner won't be bothering HardWired too much, but need to be careful of the shocks to the electronics. Few good hits and it'll hopefully send itself out of the arena - despite it's pedigree, I'm quietly confident about this one. This will be swiftly deleted and henceforth forgotten if I'm sweeping HardWired out of the arena.
Joule vs Gianto vs HardWired
Just what I didn't want. Joule terrifies me, despite the obvious technical issues an electric hammer could pose to itself, this is a very well engineered machine and could absolutely murder HardWired. I don't have the advantage I'd have with Little Hitter either, being able to get it to waste CO2, electrically driven axes I'd assume are just consistently brutal. I'd guess that it'll jump a lot, and HardWired's low front will help considerably here, and the energy dissipated into the machine will be much less, I would guess. Really, I'm just praying that there's a bit too much power in the axe and it conks itself out, is that wrong? Gianto is an unknown here, going to take an educated guess and say it's not Gianto from Robot Wars but a featherweight Tanto, which is still something to be very cautious of. Assuming this, it poses less risk in the way of straight up tenderisation, but more in the way of brute force. If Joule goes, it's just a pushing match and driver skill will prevail, not something I'm all too confident on. I'm great with RC cars, just inexperienced in combat.
Beauty 8 vs Gianto vs HardWired
Over in ten seconds, if Beauty has it's way. I've seen Beauty 2, less of Beauty 3 through 7 so I really can't comment, but would assume it's just as dangerous. My planer blade on the front will be crucial here. Gianto's here again too, and I have no idea what it is or anything so again I can't really comment further than what I've already said. Hopefully I can get Beauty to waste those flips, since I can't keep it in the pit either whilst it still has them. Going to be a tough one again.
Pretty pleased overall, managed to miss the flippers and most of the ones that would give HardWired the hardest time. That's got to be a good thing!
All this said, I cannot wait to get there, it's going to be a ton of fun, and finally living that childhood dream! Albeit 17 years late, but I got there eventually!
HardWired II is finally running!
http://youtu.be/Bu6eIoPQxSY
Absolutely enormous thanks to Mario again for all the help with it!
I was running the robot at somewhere below full power with no mixing so my driving was well off, should be sorted for the championships. Do need to get an external mixer though, the mixing inbuilt to the DX5e is dreadful...
Just a short update, had a busy today and am tired, but I'm just showing that progress is happening!
That looks sleek....
This is the only mixer I can guarantee that failsafes:
http://www.rcmodelcentre.co.uk/V-TAI...prod_1054.html
It must be te gold one, the white version DOES NOT failsafe.
It does indeed Mario! Very much like this chassis, solid as anything!
Cheers Dave, shall have a look and see if I can get next day delivery on it anywhere, pressed for time haha! If not, I don't mind using dual sticks, just might mean I'm driving round like a headless chicken occasionally!
Still a quick update because the last few days have been utter chaos and HardWired still hasn't had a proper test drive,
the charging cradle - what does this have to be like? I've made a hdpe frame for it to stand on, wheels about 5cm off the ground - is this sufficient for the tech check? Does it have to actually secure the machine as in having it strapped down or anything?
Heres a picture of the robot as it is now too, finally got electronics in and it's got it's second coat of paint, nearly done if testing is all fine at full pelt, no reason it wouldn't be! http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/...ps842b46ef.jpg
That should be fine as a cradle.
Great, thanks
Going to post some photos tonight hopefully of everything it it's almost final form, don't think I'll fail the tech check but that's one of my biggest worries at the minute... The other one is getting down to Birmingham by myself in one piece!
Looks great, i think this is a dark horse
Thanks! Hope it makes an impression at least, if it's running properly on the day... Having some bother with the link haha!
HardWired II is now in Birmingham, ready for the championships - hopefully going to get something sorted tonight for securing the link tonight and then I'll be ready. Harry (Massacre) has got some deans links too he's very kindly offered to put in H2 if I continue having problems with the EC5...
Issue is with it that the EC5 itself is too tall to allow the robot to freely run upside down, which is a pretty major issue. The deans will probably solve this, but I still have no firm mounting to the robot for it, the epoxy broke free again in transit... Also, the front blade is slightly bent, so I need to hammer that out...
Day 1-ish at the champs has been great, nice meeting up with everyone and huge thanks to everyone who helped with sorting H2's link!
I got a bit of a shock when I realised how small my machine is compared to everything else, and underweight - it's just under 10kg so if anyone's got any ultra heavy steel for the top of bottom that'd be welcome! Joking aside, it's been a great first day and I can't wait to get into the combat tomorrow, hopefully it will go smoothly and HardWired won't get absolutely totalled... It's 7mm Hardox, but the electronics (the bits that Mario didn't do) are definitely the weak point. Mainly because I did them. I don't know how it handles under pressure either, so tomorrow will definitely be an interesting one, but I've done everything I can for now! Whatever happens, it will be tons of fun. Will be updating this when I can every night to just sum up how HardWired has done, just as a kind of event diary, so hopefully that'll be an interesting read!
Glad you got down here in one piece, can't wait for tomorrow should be an awesome day
Thanks! I'm amazed I ended up actually in Birmingham and not in Australia or something. Wouldn't put it past me...
EDIT: in fact, I did actually spend 2 and a bit hours getting to the NEC (was lost) before realising there was a shuttle straight to the NEC building that I can catch straight outside my hotel. First trip, 2 1/2 hours, second trip, 20 minutes.
It will be too, Already seen Little Spinner destroy a microwave, that's a sight to behold! Tomorrow will be truly epic, can't wait to see how the competition unfolds...
Hatchet looks brutal too, that'll be great to see in action, glad you got it sorted in the end!
AHH can't believe i missed that i bet it was awesome! Hatchet WILL WORK! not sure how well but it will, i'm bringing the old Nimhs i was using in it along with a spare 7.2v battery to use for spare cells if needed, although i've had a fair few offers fro other roboteers who say i can borrow theirs so hopefully all will be well
Don't worry, I'm just uploading it to the flagrobotics Facebook page (Facebook.com/flagrobotics) for you now!
I think it'll run better than you think, though I'm still in the dark entirely! I though HardWired was going to be mid sized, it's roughly half a Tormenta 2... Might well be the smallest bot at the champs! Definitely entering something weaponised next year though.
Everyone in the pits was great too, had a few great chats with people, and so many people helped get HardWired ready, seriously couldn't get a nicer group of people!
Hope it's all sorted tomorrow! You'll be fine, and do come and say hi if you spot me - I'll be wearing the hilariously cheesy 'HardWired II' shirt I had made!
First full day of competition, and I've already got a win under my belt, from fight 1 no less! Albeit it was one hit from Ironside that I think stopped it's bar and sheared it's mountings, and Binky had some issues which forced it to tap out... A win's a win, though, but all I will say is that it'd have been a very different story if Binky was working, and Ironside didn't damage itself on that first hit - would have been lucky to even come second!
NST and Carcinus was very different, I was enough of a nuisance to NST, running into that bar constantly seemed to slow it down in terms of actually going on the attack, though my own aggression was my downfall - turns out I'd not put the link properly in place, NST just it it right and well... Bye bye link! Came off very lightly though, the machine still works, no internal damage whatsoever!
So far I'm on 5 points after 2 points, if I can win one by KO and come second in the next, I'll be through to the next round, but that's very optimistic by this point, the only one I could win is Joule/Gianto - Beauty 8 will have me out of the arena, and it's got more push than me so I most certainly won't win against that, I can just hope I last long enough to come second...
Still, nothing's ever certain in this sport!
...aaaand I'm out, turns out I'd have only been able to qualify if I'd have actually won against Beauty 8, which would have been easy. Hahaha.
Still, I'm not really bothered, it's been so much fun getting here that I really don't care about being out! Besides, it's obvious that HardWired II needs some changes to not go all Tokyo Drift whenever it's driving. I just have way too much wheelspin! Maybe looking at a two-stage gearbox, and more hardox for next year because I think I'm slightly lacking in the hardox. Just a top and bottom plate though! It's only stainless so it could be a weak point. Upgrading will make that less of one! Probably looking into having it permanently shock mounted too if I can, bits of Carcinus work so I'll stick to something similar! After that, removable baseplate Scruffy-style will help wonders, since I'll be able to rearrange things a lot better, and then just bigger wheels and more weight, really. It seems to work so I don't want to mess with it too much.
The ideas I had for the disc mechanism, after some discussion, will be going on HardWired III which will, at the time of writing, look exactly like HardWired II but with a disc on it, but I'm thinking of making it into a bulkhead-construction with hardox bolted to it instead for a tougher foundation for the disc, which will be single -tooth and probably quite smallish in diameter, kind of like Rango's drum is. Don't know much more than that at the minute, going to (attempt to) cad it up sometime to get a good idea of how it will work. All going to plan, that'll be my entry for any further competitions, and someone else will drive HardWired II, but I'll be driving it at any non-spinner events.
As a side note, looking forward to today's battles, should be absolutely incredible with some of these matchups, don't know how to call it!
Good luck in the Gladiator event tomorrow; that 5AH battery will outlast all the other entrants.
Thanks! Am I definitely in it? Got a bit of work to do in the morning if so! Binky/DB10 have bent my planer blade out quite heavily, and my new motor needs testing - that should be incredibly fun though
Good luck in the remaining rounds of the annihilator too, Mr Mangle looked to be doing great so far -Bet it'll go far!
We'll ask James or Grant tomorrow about the gladiator as i'd like to know if i'm in it as well, i think Hardwired has a great chance of winning if that motor works because short of someone throwing you over the wall it's so tough to beat
I want to replace the planer blade with 6mm Hardox. So, come over and we'll adapt.
Thanks Sam! Maybe, see how it goes, law of probability says there'll be at least one flipper in there and most likely a drum, though the ones that can hit me are all still in the comp so I'm not so worried about those.
Definitely too Mario, more hardox is best hardox! Was tempted to suggest a slight redesign of it to see of o can get it either a little more ground scraping or removable, but I think 6mm of hardox will never need to be replaced, or adjusted. Ever. That's definitely the best idea
I mean, I've taken some nasty hits and still my hardox shell is holding up perfectly!