lol, Im glad Im not over there right now :P
My spinner is exceeding all three
a 4kg rotor(33% of the robots weight)
Spins at around 2000rpm
around 70cm in diameter
Just about to replace a lot of aluminium armour with policarb now to fit the new weapon motor in.
My input to those rules- at least for featherweights- dont agree with them. 20% of 12kg is 2.4kg. There are a LOT of feather spinners whose discs weigh more that 2.4kg! 500rpm- very very slow by featherweight standards.
24- OK not so much an issue with feathers, but it strikes me that one size limit applied to all the weight classes contradicts the claim that this rule is made with all weight classes in mind.
This needs further discussion on this thread for featherweight builders- most decent feather spinners will exceed 2 of those limits. It is too much hassle and red tape to have most good feather spinners subject to review, whatever that may entail.
Just some thoughts.
all spinners whether big, small, fast or slow will be reviewed by the tech check people at an event anyway, i dont see what this rule accomplishes. If someone turned up with a 23.9 diameter, 2.39Kg disc that runs at 20,000rpm does this new rule mean it would automatically be safe? surely the same rules will apply to it now as always did, if it is safe to run it will run, if it isnt it wont. Or is this a seperate review where it has to do a spin test and drive into the side of the arena to see if it is strong enough or something, i dont mean to be pedantic i just want to know where i stand as my new featherweight spinner will be subject for review (if it ever gets built).
Joe Townsend
Team Cut Corners
I really do think that this makes sense for feathers in most repects.
Lets be honest if your robot is to hold down a disc weighing over 20% of its weight and spinning at over 500rpm, you are either spending serious money on lightweight bits, a fantastic engineer or you just dont care about safety!! Most of us dont have bottomless pockets and sadly arent superengineer himself, therefore some form of peer review of our often hare-brained weopon systems is a highly wise precaution.
My first thought was that this was a simple and fair but effective means of evaluating feather spinners, nothing anyone else has said since has convinced me that it is anything else. It may even not be restrictive enough.
Regards
Tim Jones
Team Bernard
I dont think thats the case at all. Mag motor aside, the weapon system on vortex is really quite simple- anyone with some skill on a lathe and mill wouldnt have too much of a problem building a similar thing! Granted if one is building something like this is a basic workshop (woodworking tools, jigsaw, that kind of thing) then it may be an issue, but the second you gain access to a lathe and mill, as many people have, its a whole different ball game! It should be down to the EO as to what they feel is safe to run in their arena- there are just too many variables in spinner construction to have the entire weapon calss governed by 3 statements.
Its simply not the case that you are either spending serious money on lightweight bits, a fantastic engineer or you just dont care about safety!!
I have built the spinning mechanism for my feather for about £80. A dewalt 24V (£30), timing pulleys courtessy of RS, and the disc is machined form a motorbike breaking disc- very strong and tough stuff as my HSS lathe bit will attest! It has a 20mm silver steel axle, supported on both sides by 20mm needle roller bearings, mounted in 15mm thick 6082 bulkheads. Disc weighs about 3kg and spins at about 3000rpm. The disc spins indredibly smoothly- no vibration. It is very very solid indeed. It was made in my school workshop in my free time. It does not use expensive lightweight parts, I am definatelly not a fantastic engineer, and I can assure you Ive built it as solidly as i possibly can! I will not say its safe because no spinning weapons are. I have a very high regard for safety, which is why i treat the thing as if it could explode at any secong, even tho I know is build like a brick Sh!t-house. Its entirely possible to build a safe spinner whilst still exceeding the limits given above.
I know its a different ball game in heavies- scaling that up to heavyweight, wed have a 30kg spinner spinning at 3000rpm- which would be terrifying and enormously dangerous, but it isnt in featherweights. And if we go even smaller, Pete Wallers antweight spinners can weigh up to about 40g of 150g limit, and spin at about 20,000rpm! As you get smaller, the RPMs increase. This is why I dont think those rules can be applies to all weight classes. They work fine for heavies, but not for feathers or anything smaller.
I think people are becomming Spinnerist.
If the robot passes its tech check isnt it enough to say its safe?
arent flipping arms or axes just as dangerous???
Limiting what a Spinner is allowed is like making your own rules! All the speeds and weight.size limits are not right for ALL weight classes! This includes Antweights as well :S
I think its appropriate for heavyweights and middleweights (who cant currently use spinner weapons at most live events). But Lightweights, Featherweights and Antweights are different. There is no reason to change the rules! If something works well dont change it.
If these rules do come into place then I hope that other weapon types get rule changes as well!
Jas
If you would all like me to bring it up at the next FRA meeting taking place this weekend, then i will. If anybody would like to email me with their concerns, or questions that they want answering, then i can take it up and try and find you some answers for you.
Email me at stu@featherweights.org
Mr Stu
FRA Featherweight Rep
Its all here Stu on this page.
Eddy well done you have built your spinner for small money, but dont forget to factor in the cost of the tools you have free access to. For many of us that is a serious money issue! Without the money tools or access to free bits, a set of limits within which you are not subject to a major review is to be welcomed.
I applaud those who push the limits, but in reality your situation will have changed very little, you always were going to be subject to review. Why object to a sub-class of spinner for those of us who are less fortunate and just cant afford to push the limits with the risk that our weopon will be declared unfit to run?
Regards
Tim Jones
its kinda true that it need holding back, as to be honest, both me and Ed Hoppitt have held back with our previous spinners.
Ed never (to my knowledge) run his mag at full voltage, or at full throttle on full voltage anyway, and Tantrum never approached his 24v design as 12v was too much.
as it stands, with my current workshp and knowledge and within 3 months with £400, I could have a 4kg 500mm disc at 10,000rpm reachable inside 5 seconds, but whats the point? Nobody will fight it, Id be filling my pants the whole time its plugged in, and it probably wont be allowed to run.
So, instead of setting strict rules we should advise common sense, as if your spinner hits hard enough to damage good robots, expect to be looked at closely. If it can wreak good robots, expect problems, and if nothing can take a hit from it, dont expect to run. If you want to be 100% sure of running your disc, make it a nibbler, not a muncher.
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