So what's going on with combat robots these days?

Jon_Gold · Post by **Jon_Gold** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 6:57 pm

Just had my yearly robotics spark of interest, been doing some keen googling and youtubing, tons of nostalgia...

Happened upon some photos on flickr of anto, brings back memories...

What's going on with heavyweights? Did all the 'big names' (Rex, Ian Lewis, the Mortis guys, etc etc) just hang up their angle grinders when RW and Battlebots finished? Just sort of curious. Is there anything with all the oldschool guys still going?

I think I might build an antweight just for 'closure', seeing as I don't think I ever got one together back in the day... I finally have full and open access to a fully kitted out metal workshop, nothing like back in the day when I couldn't do anything at school so was working with balsa wood and a glue gun...

Yeah, would be good to have a bit of a catchup...

Jon

EpicentrE · Post by **EpicentrE** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:28 pm

All the weight classes are still running - Feathers are the most popular these days, there are still Heavy roboteers, but not as many as there were back in the day, and I couldn't answer your question regarding the 'big names' (and how could you miss George Francis off the 'big names' list! shocking!).

Ants are still going strong, why not see if you can get to an event so you can get bitten by the bug?

Jon_Gold · Post by **Jon_Gold** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:48 pm

Yeah I think I might bop on down to something...

College workshop doesn't reopen till september or october, so having something 'destructive' is a bit of a long way off, but then the things I've been sketching today are probably way, wayyyy off limits for AWS's. Proper sort of 'backyard antweights' stuff. Its been a long time since WS8 so I can't really remember much about the rules, heh.

I remember being 8 and having lengthy discussions in the playground about whether George Francis was a man or a woman, eep.

What are the 'standard' servos nowadays? Just flicking through Technobots and I think I used to use SD200s, so I'd be inclined to buy them for nostalgia's sake, but were they any good?

EpicentrE · Post by **EpicentrE** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:09 pm

There is no such thing as a 'standard servo' anymore

Standard nowadays is micro gearmotors with specially designed ESC's. That's not to say that servo drive is totally out of the question, however; a few robots put the Park HPX F servos to good use, and I still always liked my SD200 mod (despite the fact that it was difficult to do and one of my ones when I used to use them shredded a set of gears every event because it was badly modded

).

Jon_Gold · Post by **Jon_Gold** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:31 pm

Hmm, motors, you say?

I have one motor still kicking around in the back of a long-forgotten cupboard, was going to use that for a flywheel though...

Maybe I'll pick up some sub-?10 servos for the meanwhile.

That one you linked looks pretty cool, but 18g?

EpicentrE · Post by **EpicentrE** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:48 pm

There only 3g heavier than SD200's, and out perform them by a massive amount:

Code: Select all

             | SD200 | HPX F
  Speed (RPM)|  71.4 | 142.8
Torque (KGCM)|  2.5  | 3.0

HPX F's are twice as fast, have more torque, and are ?4.50 cheaper

That's worth 3g imo.

Jon_Gold · Post by **Jon_Gold** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:58 pm

Oh, I do believe I misread technobots then...

Just got out the old graph paper because I'm frustrated with Cinema 4D and SketchUp, found ideas for heavyweights from way back in primary school, stuff we designed during RW Series 1. Heh.