Barróg - Featherweight Lifter Build Diary

[Shooty]

Well, I've been pretty negligent with updating this build diary, and as a result this has ended up being less of a description of my build methods along with asking for advice along the way, and more of something like this:



Nonetheless, I present Barróg Doom, now just a wedge and recharged battery away from completion!



As a result of this, for this post I'll be breaking down some of the key new areas of difference between both Barróg's, namely the new weapon system, as well as smaller differences in the general shape and construction of the machine.

THE WEAPONRY:

For this I'm just gonna rattle out a bunch of pictures with the important notes underneath them.


The new twin drill lifter setup. I had intended to run two 14.4V motors, but for Bolton I'll be running on two 10.8V motors instead. Probably the trickiest part of the bot to get right, as a single misalignment could strip everything and destroy the entire setup. It was managed in the end however, and both move as one when wired to the same ESC.

A shot of the new gears and sprockets. Some beautiful machining on display here, and most likely why this bot was significantly lighter than Barróg surprisingly. The drill press, as well as some new drill bits and spade bits meant that everything was in line, and it all fit together mercifully simply.


One of the earliest shots of the assembled weapon system. Many bolts had to be filed down so that everything fit together, and spacers were still required so that everything stayed in line. 3D printing to the rescue once more!


A good look at the chain in place within the robot. Placing the drill motors after everything else was in allowed the chain to be nicely in line and placed after any differences between CAD and real life (Thanks again for the mounts Roboteernat, incredibly accurate!). Also shows off just how surprisingly compact the entire system is; the main challenge left was how to wire the bot so the weaponry didn't chew the wires up in the process.


One noticeable change made between the CAD and real life was the widening of the radius on the claw mounting points. This allows the plates to sandwich between the main drive gear as well, reducing the risk of misalignment.


Locking bar setup for Barróg Doom. The bar prevents the gear from moving too far forward or reverse. Simple, but effective.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY:

Some of the main changes are already visible up top, such as the new rollcages on the side to prevent getting beached, as well as a bracer piece in the center of the machine to strengthen the green front piece at its weakest point. Smaller, more subtle changes have been made up front as well. The base has been recessed 20mm so that a hit bending it upwards won't jam on the front piece holding it up, and the holes have been kept to act as failure points so tears don't extend too far up the machine. The entire front plate is hinged, and bungee cords are being used for Bolton as an experiment to hold it down. My theory is that they will rob vertical spinners of much of their bite they usually transmit up to wedges, allowing it to stay viable for longer, while maintaining some downward force on my end. The theory could be complete pants, but hey, that's the scientific method for you.


The new base. The bungee cords will be mounted better than what they currently are, promise.

Barróg utilized the internal space within it to have loose wiring, which worked surprisingly well given that the bot could twist quite dramatically and not have cables come loose. Barróg Doom has nasty gears to chew things up however, and so the wiring has to be a lot tighter here. After some tinkering around everything was made to fit to the bulkheads, and the new link holsters used for Léim Thart were easily copied over to the new bot. Time will tell whether everything works in the end, or if something explodes. Plenty of fuses used at least!


The wiring on the left bulkhead. Somehow this is as simple as it will ever look, all the other connections plus the receiver cables turn it into a real junction.

Barróg Doom will make its debut at Extreme Robots Bolton along with a refurbished Barróg. I'm very excited to see how the improvements will play out, and will be doing plenty of research at the event to see if I can go any bigger than I have. To finish off the post, here's a general video of tests from Barróg Doom, including a drive test, a weapons test, as well as a self-righting test: