(BW)TornBot - Team TornTech

[TornTech]

Hi all,

So i am not around here. well, newly registered. Been a stalker for a while!

Entering into the robot building world for the first time and am hoping this thread will aid on me explaining my plan. and being educated that my plan is flawed lol (Please do! i want to learn!!)

So first off i am going to attempt to create a Beetle Weight, i've been doing a considerable amount of research and am pretty confident on some things... But don't have a clue on some other... hopfully some of the big experienced people who have got it wrong before can correct me before i go down the wrong path also..

Before we go any further it should be noted that although i'm going to be building it to code.... Its 50/50 if im actully going to fight it or just use it as a challenge to learn from/build up a set of parts to use for prototyping future bots.... cost effective is my number one goal! reliable.. but cheap.

These are the things i am unsure about:

I am unsure if i should go with 2 Wheels, 4 wheels or 6 wheels.... and do I drive each of them, don't really fancy messing around with belts or chains on my first bot but i guess 4/6 motors and controlls will impact on weight and battery power...

I have selected the following motors: (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330751682081) Pretty standard 12v 100RPM motors used in this weight class. however are the eBay ones OK? or should i spend more on one from an offical site?

Speed controllers? Everyone i see is raving about the BitBots Motor controllers, however the price and availability are a bit of a problem for me... is there cheaper ones? are they worth it??

addionally. will this combination work:

These couplers
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331515531587?var=540681332212

used with these types of wheels:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122020936384

What is the usual size of beetleweight wheels?

Thanks for your help. there will be lots more questions as i contine my journey... hopfully i should have some CAD and build photos soon too!!

Tom.