How to make a robot frame

[swanaldo]

stainless

[grant_ploughbot]

anything will do - from ali, steel,titanium, polycarb, hdpe. If you want it all welded up solid then steel/stainlesssteels your only real choice.

[psycho_fling]

if i do go stainless what thickness?

cheers alex

[motty]

I am new to this but looking at your video it looks to me as though you should try to have the actuator at the other end (away from the hinge) so that it not just a piece of sheet material trying to lift a 12k bot. Any thoughts anybody as I could be totally wrong

what so the lifter arm is attached lower down?

alex

[motty]

Yes, as the sharp end of your robot is the point that will be trying to lift the opposition thats where the most weight will be and therefore where the actuator should join the bodywork. Again, I could be wrong as I am new to this but it does seem to make sense to me.

Alex, is this the new design to help it self right easier? if so i dont see any difference to the previous one to help it as the lifter still wont lift much higher than before.

[psycho_fling]

it wasnt meant for that, but if i could incorparate that it would better. the main aim was to to cut down on the weight of things (previously 12.8kg) and improve manoeuverability and the lifter to lift other robots

do you think tjis could be done? if so how?

Thanks alex

[grant_ploughbot]

In that case i guess its fine - but if you want to self right with that mechanism and that design i think you would probably need a front hinged flipper. To lift another robot, the closer the mechanism is linked to the front of the lifter the more it will lift, but it wont lift as high.

[RogueTwoRobots]

There is also the option of having an extra bar attached to the lifter which starts extending when the lifter reaches a certain point, helping with the self-righting (like what Ploughbot/Vertigo have/had) Whether you could get it into the weight limit, I do not know, guess it just depends what the mech is made out of.

In regard to your lifter attachment point - attaching it lower down will give it more power to lift with but I think with the way the Zeobot mechanism works, it may also increase the time it takes to achieve full lift. If you wanted to keep the attachment point as it is (thus keeping your lifters travel and time taken high) you could always bolt on a couple of lengths of box section steel (16mm squared stuff from the likes of Homebase would probably do) running the full length of the lifting arm - that will add some rigidity to the lifter plate.