Flag Robotics' new [completely recycled] beetleweight!

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Got all the stuff together ready for this, though it's no longer a 'completely recycled' beetleweight - bought a pair of drives from Sam which are absolutely huge however they're surprisingly torquey from the tests I've run, so I'm building them into a machine with a large scoop at the front, and I've got a small stainless steel vertical bar (cut from HardWired's lid) driven by an old drill motor, relatively heavy but the bar's only light so it should even out. Other than that, I have no idea what I'm going to use to build it - just going to get started on it tomorrow and see where the build takes it!

Quite possibly one of the worst ideas you could have, but it'll be fun. Not meant to be the most serious of beetles, that one's coming up shortly - horizontal Last Rites-ey spinner type thing!

[mrsam]

Those drives are a little on the large side but i guarantee you won't be out pushed. I like your " i'm going to start building and see what happens" approach to building.

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Hopefully not! Just got to get the right wheel size and I'm good to go. Yeah, I quite like that, I've done it before with designing stuff, just see where it goes and work round it really, should be a laugh to see what it ends up like!

This isn't my 'serious' beetle, so it's more than likely it'll just be something to drive about and not be that competitive, but I'm going to make it look cool if I can!

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So, slight update on Abandon, my serious beetle - plan is at present to run a 180mm diameter bar, about 400g at 6000 rpm using an old motor from Harry's Eggbeater. 6-10mm aluminium chassis perhaps, depending what weight allows, just need something to keep it together. Should be a scary machine, when it's built but unfortunately won't make it to the AWS, nor will I... Turns out I have completely run out of funds and can't actually afford to get there, not would I be able to get there with an actual machine which wouldn't be the best of ideas. Eta for this one is now at the end of the year, unless I get a job or something, which is looking pretty unlikely so far... Still needs motors, ESC, material for the chassis and for me to actually buy the Bar, motor and ESC.

On a side note, the scrap robot is looking pretty decent, won't be finished for a while yet still (needs ESCs) but it's a lot closer to completion than Abandon. Still needs a pair of wheels on it, but it's just a generic pusher at the minute, will get some kind of weaponry eventually but should drive relatively well... Will get some photos of that when I've done a bit more later!

[mrsam]

That's a shame about Abandon i was looking forward to seeing it at AWS after you telling me about it, having said that i'm sure there will be another chance to wheel the beetles out at some point before the end of the year.

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It is a shame, but hopefully there'll be something else somewhere! Besides, gives me plenty of time to refine it, I'm not sure what sort of design I'm going with yet, it's stuck at the 'last rites Beetle' stage, but I'm not sure whether that's a good idea given the speed, size and weight of the bar. To make it stable, it'll have to be bigger than HardWired 2 was hahaha

[mrsam]

Aha who needs stable when you have UNLIMITED POWAHHHH!, seriously though just try and make the wheel base as wide as possible and you should be fine, besides i thought the whole point of a stupidly overpowered beetle is that it throws itself around in as uncontrolled manner as possible?.