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Hi,
Is there anyone who could possibly give me a list of everything id need to run a robot, just the motors by remote control. I.e. speed controllers, batteries, motors etc. Ill be running two motors, one per side and i need them run kinda independently forward and reverse on both sides.
Thanks in advance to any help.
HI mark,
What you need depends on design and money available.
Basically you need;
2x Motors
2x Speedcontrollers
1x Interface (you can get all in one units, but can be expensive).
Batteries (type and size will depend on motors, cost and voltage)
1x Receiver
1x Transmitter
Wiring + Link
Try;
http://www.technobots.co.ukwww.technobots.co.uk
and have a look around other teams sites for ideas and see how they did it.
Thanks alan
Well the budget is very low and i was wondering what sort of motors would be ideal for less than £100 and would u know of any cheap transmitters that have both joysticks as up and down not the one up and down and one left right.
Probably best with wheelchair motors, as you can get them cheap/free and they already have a gearbox. But you might have to speed them up. A Skysport 4 is probably the best RC setup to go for, cost about £100 new, with TX, RX, NiCad batteries, servos ect. Might be able to get a 2nd hand set.
Ok thanks. what kind of interface would you recommend. Would the 4QD analogue relay be any good because it has an option for tank steering?
Is there no transmitters cheaper with a similar setup? its just were running on a tight budget
If you decide to use wheelchair motors, it may be worth looking at some of the bigger featherweight speed controllers, which may be able to handle the current. These come as almost plug in and play boards all ready to run. (see http://www.stupoo2000.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/featherweights/ibc.htmhttp://www.stupoo2000.pwp.blueyonder...eights/ibc.htm)
You can get some heavyweight sized speed controllers like this but then you are looking at serious amounts of money.
Also, 100 pounds is the least youll be able to get a 4 channel transmitter kit (with Rx) new. Try Ebay though.
Daft question. do i need the servos with the transmitter?
Depends if you are going to use the servo-coupling versions of the 4QD controllers, but its most likely you wont need em
but an IBC is £180 and you will be pushing your luck running wheelchair motors with them. Might as well buy a second hand 4QD setup for about £100, at least these can take the current and have the option to use them in a heavyweight if you decide to go up a stage. I personally wouldnt use the analogue interfaces, much better to use a solid state system, even the cheap 4qd RX interfaces.
what kind of amp rating would my speed controller need to be if running wheelchair motors? Just a quick check what is the weight ranges for featherweight and middleweight robots?
feathers are 12kilo middles are 50kg. You would probably want a controller with at least 40amps, with some form of current limiting.
I would recomend some External Relay Modified Electronises, They can take more than an IBC and they will cost you around 80pounds for the pair.
Electronizes more than IBC??? The external relay mod only allows for about 40A I wouldve thought. But yeah, as Alan says, second hand 4QDs may be a cheaper option. Also you might be able to buy the interface with the 4QDs if someones got a whole driving set-up going.
The one everyone missed for those on a budget is to get the original wheelchair speedos and work them with servos. Its a bit rough and ready but the setup would be rock solid. The only thing you miss is running at 36v rather than 24v.
If you went mad and had the weight to play with, you could use a pair of CIM motors at 24v. There would be no shortage of power then. Thats what I use but Im at 36v with Robots R Us controllers.
in the original typhoon thats what we did julian, it worked fine and provided a good drive system, we took the gearboxes off and used bike chain and sprockets with 12cm wheels
Ewan said:
Electronizes more than IBC??? The external relay mod only allows for about 40A I wouldve thought. But yeah, as Alan says, second hand 4QDs may be a cheaper option. Also you might be able to buy the interface with the 4QDs if someones got a whole driving set-up going.
Depends on the relays you use. The fets can take in excess of 90amps compaired to the IBCs 50!
ok ok people. please dont get too technical here and remember when i see tight budget i mean tight. also we have an 80kg weight limit for the compeptition but we are aiming for 40-50kg. Could someone give me the easiest set-up for an r/c system
what competition are you entering?
the set-up will depend on what speedos you use, some are just a case of pluging the things in, other systems can require more.
Mark, can you give us some more details on the competition youre entering. Am not aware of anything running to an 80Kg limit in the UK at the moment... if if you can use 80Kg, why in the world would you aim to only use 40 ?
Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com
I am entering a British Nuclear group competition. I would prefer a servo where it was just a case of plugging things in. We also have to have a button wired in which will turn the robot completely off. Id like some speedo reccomendations please. One that i can get for as much under £100 as possible.
One other option Mark: get in touch with Roger Plant (http://www.bigcheeserobot.com/http://www.bigcheeserobot.com/) and see if he still sells the Curtis speed controllers. They were £50 each when I got mine (so £100 for both motors) and are easily powerful enough for wheelchair motors.
They take a 0-5V analogue input so youll still need an interface of some sort.
Ok ill consider that.
are these the kind of interfaces ill need?-
http://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_78.htmlhttp://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_78.html
http://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_518.htmlhttp://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_518.html
Try the MD22 rated @ 22 amps with a suitable heatsink NOT SUPPLIED .....plugs straight into your reciever and drives 2 motors.
Thats 500 watts of power @ 24 volts .....should be enough for your 50 kg bot.
The problem still is failsafeing and whether or not they are required by the competition.
A failsafe isnt required but a visible isolating switch is
Switch ...
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/VWPweb2000/battisol/battisol.htmlhttp://www.vehicle-wiring-products.c.../battisol.html
Note :- The 500watts mentioned in my previous post is I believe EACH motor WITH a suitable heatsink.
BTW ... What is the competion about?
Mark.I have a part built middle. Send me an e if your interested.
Ok thanks peeps.
Could someone please give me some tips for interfaces that work with these speedos. And whatis and how do i obtain a heatsink?
maybe i should say what our initial design is at the moment. We are going to use a flat cuboid type shape with bucket scoops on both ends, one inverted so we can allow for flipping and its also ideal for the obstacle which we must complete and for pushing people of the arena
Mark.
They DONT need an interface ....its as I said plug -n - play.
5. Control of the module can be any of;
a) I2C bus, up to 8 MD22 modules, switch selectable addresses and 4 modes of operation including steering..
b) 2 independent 0v-2.5v-5v analog inputs. 0v full reverse, 2.5v center stop, 5v full forward.
c) 0v-2.5v-5v analog input for speed ,with the other channel for steering.
d) independent channel RC mode. Motors are individually Controlled directly from the RC receiver output.
e) RC mode with steering, allows speed control with one stick of radio control, and steering with the other
Option e)
well ok listen
i will be running the motors independently for tank steering. the motors will be running at 24v at 300w. and do i need two speedos or just two heatsinks? can this speedo handle this?
The controller should handle BOTH your 300w motors IF you can add a suitable heatsink.
I believe option d) would give you tank style steering.
The parts of the controller that need this heatsink are the Mosfets ( they get hotter as the amps draw rises ) ... they have their own small built in heatsink that will handle getting rid of the small ammount of heat generated @ 5 amps ......but need an additional heatsink to reach their continuos rating of 22 amps.
A heatsink is usually a aluminium block and more often than not it is finned.
Its aluminium because this conducts heat away efficiently and finned to increase the surface area and thus the cooling.
Paul Copper @ Technobots was hoping to supply such an item for the MD22....try E-mailing him.
Link to a pic of the controller below the MD22 .....the MD03 single motor controller with a heatsink .... the black finned item .
http://www.technobots.co.uk/media/1502-010.jpghttp://www.technobots.co.uk/media/1502-010.jpg
Im NOT recommending the MD22 ....only showing you an option in your price bracket.
Id recommend buying a complete set up from one of the forum members IF you can find one on offer in your price range.
I think im gonna buy 75A 24V 4QD VTX speedos
http://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_518.htmlhttp://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_518.html
By which you mean these - http://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_475.htmlhttp://www.technobots.co.uk/en-gb/dept_475.html ?
Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com
I think youll find that you need 2 ..
£85 each ...thats £170 ....plus an interface board @ £70.
Seems a little over budget!
BTW Complete...ish robots are being sold on this forum for less than £250.
http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/discus/messages/89/4032.html?1109337255http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/disc....html?11093372 55
i suppose they are over budget. i dont think i can buy a complete one cos the building will also count to coursework
OK ......and good luck :)
couldnt you just buy one for the parts?
The best way is to get a complete wheelchair and use the two motor/gearbox set plus controllers.