WhAt batterys and where to get metal

Hi a couple of Q

What r the best battery type to use in a conpetion???

And Where is the best place to get metal from (in Norfolk preferly if shop) and don't care where on the Internet????


Theo

What kind of batteries do you want? A123 are probably the best compromise of ease of use (not as finicky and, indeed, prone to blowing up if misused as lipo, and more energy density than nicad/nimh) and you can find them most commonly on ebay - you'll need to solder them up into packs though, have a look at http://www.terrorhurtz.com/a123/build.aspx for a vague overview of how to build up one style of battery pack. You'll need a suitable charger too.

What kind of metal are we talking about? Hardox? Metallica albums? 6-4 titanium? Mild steel? Bog standard (1000 series or whatever) aluminium? Engineering aluminium like 6061-t6 or even 7075? Tinfoil? You'll be getting different materials from different people probably - and then there's always the scrapyard :)

Hi I am prob going to build with almiunim :lol: (I probely spelt it wrong) And my robot is nearly ready to build (when I got the metal And batterys)

whats the best website to get metal :?: :?: :?:

There is usually a selection of Metal fabricators in the yellow pages, or indeed, you can google 'Metal suppliers in Norfolk'. If you want a reputable supplier in Norfolk, talk to Terry Miles (Toxic 2, http://www.toxicrobot.co.uk/).

As for batteries, I'd recommend Overlander (Google: Overlander batteries), you should be able to find a selection of NiMH batteries which are used most frequently in feathers. I use a set of 3000mAh batteries in my robots, they will suit for most FW's.

thank alot :proud:
just need metal to start building
i will be entering 2011 competions

:lol: SO WATCH OUT :lol:

THEO

Have you got a reasonably sized piece of wood around? I would suggest making a template for the body of your robot out of wood before cutting up metal. If you make a mistake on the template then it isn't as bad as a mistake on your armour.

thanks for the idea, i have some wood around somewhere :rofl:

What do people think i should use?
steel, aluminium, hardox, hdpe or what

It depends what your working conditions are. I would love to use thick aluminium for my chassis with hardox armour over it but the only way I could achieve that is if someone else built it for me, because I don't have good enough facilities to cut/drill those materials with any degree of alignment or precision. The cost of getting someone to do it would make for a very expensive build too.

So I opt a lot for plastics. They cost less, are easier to work with and are readily available from the likes of Direct Plastics in a range of thicknesses. And a well-built robot made from plastic can be just as good as any built from steel, aluminium or titanium. All you need is a jig-saw (but can also be cut with a hand-saw), a cordless drill and a workbench or unit to work on and you can build a robot quite easily out of the stuff.

Stiffer materials such as Nylon and UHMWPE can work well for chassis construction, while the likes of HDPE is a good source of cheap, thick armour that resists spinning blades quite effectively. You can also use HDPE for the main chassis construction but it is not as strong when it comes to load-bearing parts and can deform more easily.

And if you still wanted some metal on your robot, you can put sheets on top of HDPE that wouldn't need to be as thick since you have the plastic behind it as another layer.

What do u think is best

i was thinking to have a thick aluminum bottom and a plastic top armor with a plate of aluminum
so...

aluminum armor
plastic armor
electrics
electrics
electrics
thick aluminum armor

something like that
Is it good or bad?

theo

il going with hardox or aluminum

good idea or not?
8)
theo

is hardox and/or aluminum

a good idea or not

someone reply please :cry:

I'm not really a metal person but I think it is a good idea.

A piece of hardox covering the front of your robot and possibly the front corners and a bit of the sides should protect your robot from most spinners provided you can drive well enough to keep the front pointed at them.

You could try to get hold of some alluminium c channel / cut some big enough box section [most likely steel] down the middle to give you instant side walls and something to attach the top and bottom to if you want a box shaped robot.

thanks