From The Ground Up (Advice Thread)

[woody]

http://www.wa4dsy.net/robot/drillmaster/index.html

TAKE THE CHUCK OFF FIRST!...So much easier.... and use the 5mm screw locking method not the O ring.

[Roland]

AAAAARGH! Thanks for the link, it's been very helpful thus far, but for some reason one of the drills decided to stick and managed to grind down the end of the grub screw completely :S The rest went fine... Any ideas for how I could salvage the gearbox or should I just buy another drill? I'm a bit sad that I've not managed to save it :'(

[ewan]

If you've got a drill bit that's up to it then drill out the head and then you'll be able to take the chuck off (I say 'up to it' as the screw is often very hard steel!) - once you're there you may be able to cut a new slot in the screw remains and attempt to remove it again.

[Roland]

Frustratingly it won't work because my drill bits are probably too soft.
I was considering either sawing into it to remove the head or just chucking the gearbox all together and then hope someone had a spare one! that or just buy another Bit late for my warrranty...

[Anttazz]

If its just one the grub screw can you not just use the other holes to lock the gearbox down?

[Roland]

WHY DID I SAY GRUB SCREW :'( The grub screws are fine, I meant the left handed screw that the shafts connected too. Oh bejeesus I am so sorry and I've only just realised.

[Anttazz]

Ahhhhh I see, that makes more sense.

Those screws were quite tough to get out when I last did it if I remember right. After smashing the head a few times I just put as much force as I could on to the head of a screw and tried turning it, once you get the slightest bit of movement it comes off dead easy. Can probably do that more easily if you can get the drill in a vice or something similar.

[Roland]

This thing has literally no 'port' for the driver at all now. (what's the actual name for the head of a screw?) So that aint happening I'm afraid I have no more ideas. Really considering just buying another one.

[woody]

Buy another complete drill or borrow a decent twist drill and remove/drill off the screw head.... DO NOT try cutting the chuck off.

[Roland]

Right, well I've now got all the money I need for this robot and then some, so I need to work out what I need to purchase since the whole graupner setup went to bust so I can put in orders.

I have four 18v drills which need to be powered by 18v batteries, but I can't find any at the moment nimh wise.
I've bought a dx5e controller which came with an ar600 reciever. I need an led + resister, power switch and wiring.
I'm going to sell my 8 125mm wheels as I don't feel that I am capable of placing nuts in them properly, and buy some 100mm blue wheels.
But I don't understand speed controllers, I mean I know how they work, I just don't understand what the max ampage etc. is talking about. Is that the maximum drain from the motor on the battery? Or is that the maximum ampage it'll let the motor drain?
Does anyone have a table on 18v drill motors, torque, drain etc?

I'm going to use a steel baseplate, and as an experiment use tufnol instead of hdpe since my grandfather can source it quite cheap, I think it's worth a try.

Urgh, it's all so confusing. There is so much to learn.
Thanks for all your help thus far guys