Wooden Robot Class

[Hoppy]

Having read all this thread, my understanding is that this class is primarily to give newcomers a chance to enter a very cheaply built robot with a weapon(s) that can at the same time entertain the audience by being fairly easy to destruct and inexpensive to repair for the builder. Any existing bot could be timber clad within the weight limit but this rather defeats the purpose and spirit of this class, especially if it has a really powerful weapon that can simply take-out cheaply built timber bots as soon as they move! IMO it would look rather stupid if all its tough metal or plastic under armour was revealed intact after all the wood was ripped-off. A wooden bot reduced to its chassis will look like a defeated bot.

Hoppy

[typhoon_driver]

The featherweights used to be touted as the best way to start up in the hobby, then the beetleweights were. Both classes have been taken to the extremes. There is no way that you can stop others from entering a weight class with more experience.

lets go with all woods with option on metal or plastic baseplate / chassis

IMO it would look rather stupid if all its tough metal or plastic under armour was revealed intact after all the wood was ripped-off

Contradiction much?

I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm playing devils advocate here to try and weed out the issues with the ruleset that has yet to be agreed. If you make wood the only build material then it's very easy to govern whereas if you specify that part of the robot can be metal then where does that stop? If you want to protect your motors and speed controllers then model RC cars might be a better hobby.

[razerdave]

I'd be quite happy having all my electronics in a wooden box because it would be far inside the robot.

In terms of any metal, I think we should. Stick with the original idea of metal for weapons only. I am considering a Rex's robot challenge machine but with wooden armour support blocks, but a metal flipper plate and a saw in the back. Objections?

BTW Gary, I maintain ants are the easiest way to get into robots, not feathers or beetles.

[Eventorizon]

lets go with all woods with option on metal or plastic baseplate / chassis

[quote:lsgurngt]IMO it would look rather stupid if all its tough metal or plastic under armour was revealed intact after all the wood was ripped-off

Contradiction much?
[/quote:lsgurngt]

No contradiction. Hoppy said metal or plastic 'base plate/chassis' not 'armour'. But you have a point there must be a clear destinction between the two.
You could have a metal base plate to mount all your parts on and then everything else as wood. And since a base plate's are normally 12-15mm HDPE or if you are lucky 5mm Ti it will offer no side protection that a dedicated internal metal chassis would.

[Hoppy]

As Eventorizon points out, I'm talking about an option for just a plastic or metal chassis / baseplate, not a metal framework / superstructure to which is affixed timber armouring, so not a contradiction as I see it. Having a tough and resilient chassis / base plate is helpful with a heavy bot, I cannot see how a quick pre-fight inspection cannot easily establish that a non wooden superstructure / framework is in place.

Hoppy

[typhoon_driver]

In that case I will just go and make a wooden box for 540. It has no substructure and everything is bolted to a 5mm ti plate.

[mattsdragons]

I've had a look at this and I personally would like too see metal chassis with wood armour as they will look fantastic once their destroyed but you can have panels cut ready too bolt on and go again were as a full wooden construction you would have too Basiclly build it again, makes it all a lot easier on the roboteers but if someone wants too enter a full wood bot then we shouldn't stop them

[ewan]

As an idea there could be both a percentage rule (e.g. only 30% by mass plastic and/or metal) and a power limit (say 400W, brushed only) which would have to be adhered to 'in good faith' but with voting carried out over permissibility of suspect machines. That may be a little tricky to implement but ought to cover more ground than the other suggestions so far.

[typhoon_driver]

30%? I'm still golden with 540. Doing a very rough back of the fag packet sum the base only weighs a couple kilo.

i'm using this as a point, ignore the metal, it's meant to be a WOODEN class.

[typhoon_driver]

why is f_a_g banned on here?!