first robot

yes they are allowed bit heavy but will do the job fine

ok thanks, just wanted to check. il proberly buy them to save me £30.

You can use SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries but I can't think of many if any current featherweights that do. They are heavy and in sizes suitable for featherweights can't deliver any decent amount of current.

I'd save your cash and go get some Nimh or Nicads. It might cost a little more but its well worth it.

thanks, i might get them just to get my robot going because i want to spend more on other parts of the robot and get the better ones later. if i did that i could always keep them as a backup incase anything goes wrong before an event.

I used to think in exactly the same way with robots. So you save 30 quid just now and get things moving and limit its performance. Or spend the 30 quid extra just now, wait a little longer and get a machine with a far higher spec and you will save a lot in the long run.

It's ultimately your own decision, I'm just trying to save you time and cash in the long run from my own experience and wallet.

nicad and nimh battery packs are very good for new comers i would say

i did start of with an sla but it didn't hold charge well and so i progressed to nicads

also a point to think about is sla's are very hard to sell on, where as i think i would fine it easy(ish) to sell so i could buy some a123 cells for example

for my very first bot i spent the smallest amount of money i could , all fo the aprts i bought have now been replaced, but i wouldnt of done it anyother way, i used 2 argos drills and used the batteries out of them and 2 wuper cheap rc car speed controllers. it was awfull but i gained experince no amount of asking questions could have got me, so for your first bot go cheap, itll be rubbish but you will get into the arena and have a bit of fun:).

thanks for the advice, i have already bought the cheaper batteries and im just waiting for them to come and il test my motors out then buy everything else.
for the wheels im thinking of buying 2 rear wheels from a scooter which has a gear thingy (duno what you call it :p) so i can attach a belt from my motor to it so i wont have to attatch them straight to the motor.

personally i think your over complicating thinks, get some bluie wheels from robo challenge staright onto drill and they are very grippy and i haven't had a fail from them yet

btw if it is a gear on the wheel a belt wont work


also if your looking for some more batteries in form of drill batts i hav taken delivery of some new drill motors and don't need the batteries come with chargers aswell 2x12v packs

????

thanks for the offer but im going to see how the motors i got work out.
the wheels are:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT
i was thinking of getting the belt for it and attaching it to the motor?