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Thread: Pride Fighter / Team Hunt - Build Diaries

  1. #1
    Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've been here haha!

    For those who may not remember me (if at all lol) my name is Matt Hunt, and a number of years ago I was one half of father-son team, Team Hunt.

    We dropped off the robot combat train for a while due to life getting in the way (Since the last event we competed in, I've finished school & college, graduated University and I'm currently working an amazing job in my chosen industry). But now that things have 'calmed down' for us, we're starting to look into getting back into it all. I also have an amazing group of friends who enjoy this sport meaning extra hands to help where needs be!

    So, on to what I've been building!

    ANTWEIGHT: AntAcid

    My first thing to start building upon my plan to return to robot combat was an Antweight. The basic idea at the moment is a two wheeled pusher with a wedge, but incorporating two 'horns' at the top to allow us to control our opponents better.

    This was started by making a foamboard mock up of the robot.

    IMG_2297.jpgIMG_2299.jpgIMG_2303.jpg

    I was happy with the shaping and sizing, if it did need to be reduced a tad to ensure it fit in the four inch cube.
    My thinking was to make it a very 'module' robot, meaning if something got damanged, like one of the armour panels then they could be easily replaced.
    Next was to start actually building the body. I used 5mm acrylic in our (new) signature Neon Green.

    IMG_2345.jpgIMG_2348.jpgIMG_2359.jpg

    As much as I loved this and how cool I thought it looked, I did run into an issue.
    It was well overweight.

    This is as far as I currently have gotten with this build. My next step is to come up with a CAD for a new body and ask my boyfriend to 3D Print it for me (Did I fall in love with him for his 3d Printer??? ….Maybe. A little. It helped lol).

    BEETLEWEIGHT: Unicorn: Alpha Fury

    Along side the construction of the antweight, I also started dabbling with a beetleweight. I was excited to hear how much more common place this weight category had become since we last competed, especially with competitions like Bugglebots taking the spotlight.

    My idea for the beetleweight was a good ol' reliable four wheel drive rambot, incorporating a front hinged wedge and adjustable horn to either lift, joust or grab the opponent(s).

    And as I'm sure you can tell from my username, I'm proud to be one of the few LGBT robot builders out there, so naturally I wanted to make a robot based around a Unicorn lol. (But not so much sparkly, more like a Japan Anime Mecha Unicorn).

    Just like with the AW, I started by coming up with a foamboard mock up to work out the sizing of my final armour pieces.

    IMG_2447.jpgIMG_2480.jpg

    My thinking behind using foam board to mock up these bots is taken from my training/education within Fashion Design. When creating a garment, you would make it out of a cheaper, easier to work with material to make sure you are happy with it before working on the final piece. You can also use those pieces as a master pattern to transfer to your final materials, which is the same as what I am doing here.

    IMG_2483.jpgIMG_2484.jpgIMG_2481.jpg

    Here is the final mock up, with an example of how I want the horn to work. I decided to change the wheels to something lower to give her a smaller ground clearance.

    Next, I transferred these pieces to metal to create the base rolling chassis.

    IMG_3157.jpgIMG_3159.jpgIMG_3189.jpg

    The main frame is made from Aluminium (we still have a number of sheets knocking about from our old building days, so why not?) and the top and bottom panels are made from HDPE.

    I was happy with how the robot was running, however the new wheels I got where not doing it for me. They felt too slidey and after a couple of test runs, the rubber treads where beginning to flake.

    I ordered some new wheels and proceeded with construction

    IMG_3932.jpgIMG_3936.jpg

    The new wheels have a aluminium hub meaning they're much tougher for going against spinners. The wheel guards are also made from aluminium.
    At this stage I have also begun planning out where and how to attach the weapon servo.

    And that's as far as I have gotten with this one!

    Building will be very intermittent due to myself now living an adult life (I don't like it and I'm still waiting for my refund). But hopefully you'll see us competing back at an event soon!

    -Matt

  2. #2
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    Hi Matt, welcome back to the sport and a hello from another LGBT roboteer!

    You builds look good though there is a better option than the Sabretooth for your AW in the form of a NanoTwo LT from NutsandBots.co.uk, might save you a few grams with the smaller circuit board. How much does it weigh a the moment?

    I love the look of your BW. For the rear wheels, perhaps the same diameter but a harder rubber to permit better turning perhaps?
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  3. #3
    Oh wow another one! It's so nice to meet you!

    Thank you! I have been looking at a new ESC for AntAcid as this current one is just an old one from our former competing days. The one from NutsandBots looks really good but it's showing as out of stock? Would you happen to know who to get in contact with for stock updates or something similar to use? (i've been looking at the Fingertech nano ESCs, are they any good when used in circuit?)

    Thank you! I'm very proud of the beetle so far haha! And to be fair the rubber on the wheels I am currently using is as hard as the hub since it just sits over it. Although I do want to double up the wheels for both traction and aesthetic purposes. If not all then maybe just the back two.

  4. #4
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    The one from NutsandBots looks really good but it's showing as out of stock? Would you happen to know who to get in contact with for stock updates or something similar to use?
    That would be Rory (rapidrory) or Alex (shakey) on here who would be able to help. Rory is the maker of the ESC, Alex is the person who runs the shop.
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  5. #5
    Thank you so much! I'll get in contact where needs be

  6. #6
    I see why you'd want to double those wheels up, they are rather *ahem* slim, but as far as wheels go, they are very pretty. That's a good, solid looking beetle you got there! Loving the theme too!

    I can highly recommend the NanoTwo for an ant build too, just finished wiring one of the new ones up yesterday.

  7. #7

  8. #8
    Cheers guys!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Retroman View Post
    I see why you'd want to double those wheels up, they are rather *ahem* slim, but as far as wheels go, they are very pretty. That's a good, solid looking beetle you got there! Loving the theme too!

    I can highly recommend the NanoTwo for an ant build too, just finished wiring one of the new ones up yesterday.
    Hahaha thanks! Yeah, lets be honest those wheels are like the Kate Moss of wheels lol. Could be beefier. I might actually have a chat with my boyfriend as to whether he could 3d print me some custom hubs and I'll see about some tyres. (So if anyone has some experience in making custom tyres, please feel free to throw some ideas and tips my way haha!)

    I am really interested in the NanoTwo, they seem perfect! I've started with asking Alex for the mo.

    Quote Originally Posted by COAESystems View Post
    I like the design of the beetle weight, I got into beetles this year after watching Bugglebots season 1 and it performed well! Also, there are more LGBT roboteers around these days If you ever make a featherweight Stevenage Robots Live is a good one to attend.
    Yeah Bugglebots got me really excited for the beetles aswell haha! Yeah it's good to see a real diversity within the robot combat community now adays - if I'm honest I had been worried about coming back for a long time given who I am, but the support I receive on Facebook from guys like Johnno, Dave Weston and Clive for my other life as a Drag artist has really given me the OK to come back And a feather will definitely be on the cards! It was the heaviest we built years ago so will be good to get back to them. Although after attending Extreme Robots Colchester and seeing bots like Neon, we both said we'll need to buff things up a bit from our old aluminium chassis hahaha!

  9. #9
    In other news, a small yet big update.

    Went down the garage yesterday after work to work on Unicorn:AF a bit, mainly focusing on the wedge.

    This was a big step for me as I have NEVER worked with steel before, however I think for my first go at handling the stuff it went very well!

    IMG_5773.jpgIMG_5774.jpg

    Next step will be cutting out the braces + brackets for the wedge and welding them together (something I thankfully have a little bit of skill in! I love welding haha!) and getting the horn cut out. Tried figuring out how to get the servo mounted yesterday but to not a lot of luck. One idea I have is to come up with a CAD for a bracket for it and ask the boyf to print it for me, although I'm worried whether the 3d printed structure will be sturdy enough to withstand being used as part of a ramming spike? Only one way to find out haha!

  10. #10
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    3D Printing, from what I've heard, can be somewhat brittle depending on the material used. I know of a Beetleweight from Team Panoramic on here (the name of which escapes me at the moment) that entered a robot that was entirely 3D printed and it didn't fare too well.
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

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