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Thread: First beetleweight robot

  1. #1
    Hello there,
    This is our first post on the site so wanted to say hello. Have been following some of the threads here with interest and have picked up lots of great information. After going to see an extreme robots show my son and I decided it would be fun to have a go at building our own robot and so have designed and built a beetleweight as a project together. We've signed up for the battle in the 'burgh event in a few weeks time and are really looking forward to trying it out! We've done our best to abide by the necessary rules including a removable link fuse and light but I thought it would be worth posting a couple of pictures here and asking some of you kind folks if you would be kind enough to have a look and see if you can spot anything obvious that we might have missed or might cause us problems passing a tech check, given that we are completely green behind the ears. It would be disappointing to make the trip only to find out we can't take part for any reason. As you can probably tell, it was a bit of a struggle to get it down to 1.5kg! We can run it with a lifting blade on a 2s lipo or with some jaws which are a bit lighter on a 3s lipo. Not expecting great things for a first time out but at least hoping to get off the starting blocks! I'm a bit concerned about the link. We went for a removable fuse to save weight and a first it was a very tight fit but is loosening with use. Would it be allowable to put a velcro strap over it, still removable by hand? Incidentally we live in the north east. My son is 10 and I wish I still was! Many thanks indeed,
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    As far as I know, The fuse being the link is acceptable (I do this with my ants and have designed it into my feather) so long as removal renders the robot dead you should be fine, and the rules stipulate that it must be removeable by hand and without tools, there are many using things to hold them in like straps and things, nothing says you can't. I have a brilliant bayonet fitting that I plan on using if I can make it fit.

    Although for the fuse, is that a fuse holder? I use a pair of insulated female spade connectors as I find they tend to stay tight for longer, maybe a thought for the next build.

    2S lipo might leave you a tad sluggish, but you should be fine, if anything I prefer a bit slower as my driving is a bit... pants...

    Just make sure the battery is well protected, bit of foam to stop it rattling about as a minimum, and I think you should be good to go! If you have any serious concerns you could try to contact the Event Organiser directly and ask them, they can give you the definitive answer for a particular event.

    Looks a decent first build and I wish you luck in the first event!

    Finally, WELCOME!!!!!!!

  3. #3
    Welcome! That looks like a really solid effort for a first go, you should be pleased!
    I've seen fuses being used as links in smaller classes but someone with a bit more experience may be able to set me straight as to whether if its ok in a beetle.

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  6. #6
    Yeah, the position of the the link is spot on there my dude, and to be honest we are talking shaving a few grams, it's probably more of a last ditch effort ha

    Depending on which aluminium you've used it might surprise you with what it can take, 6061 t6 is good stuff for example, I've pulled varying qualities of alu from skips for my builds and it's still half decent.
    For reference Firestorm in robot wars was made from 6mm.

    Those wheels are pretty chunky, but they look perfect in the proportions, and I'd imagine will be pretty grippy when they've worn in a bit, and getting you're first build finished and within weight is an achievement in itself.

    As for those with steel in their builds, if you want something enough you can build around it, the weight system will force you to compromise, you could have a steel blade but only 2 wheel drive for example, a 4wd pusher can be a very effective tool though.
    Last edited by Retroman; 20th October 2019 at 13:34. Reason: Spelling...

  7. #7

  8. #8
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    Welcome to the forum! Nice looking bot.

    Fuses as links is OK, I've seen this in the Featherweight class. 3mm aluminium will stand up to most things in a BW arena, better than mine did :P
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

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

  9. #9
    McMullet
    Guest
    Looks great! Congrats on your first build and hope it does well in Edinburgh.

    I think it's been covered pretty well already, but I've also seen both fuses as links and velcro covers. The key thing for the link is that it has to be safely accessed and removed by hand, so you're fine on both counts. Just make sure the people running the event know where it is and how to get at it.

    One thing I would say about the link... that cable tie doesn't look very secure! If it gets hit by something relatively minor the whole thing may come loose inside, which might then rattle the fuse loose. I guess that might also be a tech issue, since if losing the cable tie would allow the link and holder to fall inside the machine, it could then not be removed, i.e., it would no longer be a functional removable link. So might be an idea to either cover up the cable tie with a plate on the outside, or better have the fuse holder secured inside with something a bit more robust.

    I think coming in only-just-overweight is a great achievement. You've obviously planned everything out carefully! I'd say the reason you're on the limit here is you've started with a high mass drive system, 4 motors and big chunky wheels. There's not much left once you've built a box around that.

  10. #10

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