New Build/CAD Advice request.

[typhoon_driver]

Twin weapons rarely work. I'd stick to a single weapon especially for a first machine.

"Should be legal in all national/international events. If I'm building a war robot, I want to be able to use it."

Stick to FRA rules for the time being. These will see you good throughout Europe. There are some differences state side but I wouldn't worry about those for just now.

"Target budget £1k."

Doable but keep in mind most competitive machines in robots wars cost three times this at least. No machine in the final has cost less than this. Live events are a different kettle of fish.

"Where is the best place to find out component specifications that I can plug into a CAD package?"

From the manufacturer. Ask them for a data sheet. Should give you all the specs you need.

"Things like electric motor size, power/torque output and cost. Wheel sizes, battery pack sizes, what control hardware I need, etc, etc, etc?"

I'd recommend reading the various other threads on the forum. There are so many variables in this question I couldn't possibly begin to start answering it.

[Lostdreamer]

Thank you both for your quick replies.

Stick to FRA rules for the time being. These will see you good throughout Europe. There are some differences state side but I wouldn't worry about those for just now.

That seems sensible.

As I understand it this means that things like massive kinetic energy weapons a la Carbide arn't suitable. The smaller arenas simply can't contain them. One of the reasons for thinking along the 'armoured axebot' lines.

"Target budget £1k."

Doable but keep in mind most competitive machines in robots wars cost three times this at least. No machine in the final has cost less than this. Live events are a different kettle of fish.

Hence asking people who know more than me! To try and get a feel for what is sensible/doable and what isn't.
People on the show do keep saying about how they built theirs for only a few hundred, but I don't know how much of that is having lost track of how much they did actually spend when you added every up, how much is kinda circumstantial - "Yeah, we used these handy jet engines from a old fighter plane we just happened to have laying around...didn't cost us a penny!" and how much of that is that, yeah - you really can build something that will get you through the door for a few hundred quid. Split that with a teammate, and it's potentially quite an adventure for the cost of a weekend in a B&B. Even if you don't win.

I think they just meant it might look like a combination between Chaos 2 and Thor.

That's what I am thinking of at the moment, yes.
Form wise, something quite close to Thor. Lots of diagonal plates and an axe/pick type weapon.
But taking a lot of concept ideas from Chaos 2 and basically trying to build a 100kg bulldoser. Aim to have an advantage in speed and traction and just keep battering other robots around the ring.

I'm not thinking of building some form of uber weapon system that can tears my opponents apart and give me a quick victory. I'm thinking of building something quick enough to be able to relibly close with my opponents and tough enough that three minutes later I can take a judges decision due to having spent the entire match driving at them flat out and hitting them with an axe.

[katch]

I'm a skilled motorcycle mechanic,

I've come into this all blind, yeah i know how RC equipment works. I know how to build stuff, but there is a ton of stuff you overlook. So far i think i have spent dozens of hours touring the forum.

I have 2 prebuilt shells that i purchased from 2 very good members on the forum, to save me fabrication time.

Neither Shell lends itself to any one design so i have taken the best of both and merged. I currently have 4 different drive trains planned to try out.

Once i have hit it with a sledge hammer and dropped it rom 6 foot numerous times and it won't die, then i will consider it battle ready.

The rest is going to come from learning fixing and reading... Whilst CAD and fancy skills are fantastic i do think that it can limit you in otherways such as quick repairs.