Team BLEEP build diary

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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

Some progress made, but mainly in fiddling with Sketchup. I've been experimenting with wheels, and I think I now have a hub that can take a 30.4mm lego tyre. Took a while to get the 'D' right, and I've yet to print it. It may not end as planned.

Speaking of which, I gave ABS a quick try..
Image

99 problems but adhesion ain't one - it broke in half when I tried to remove it (partially due to poor layer adhesion). :P

ooh, I have another idea for the list - this one's a grabber, using a motor and toothed rails to extend/retract a pair of arms. Compared to some of my other ideas, it's pretty simple, so i might give it a go! :D
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

Wheeeeeee(ls)!

Image

I finally produced a version of wheel that I'm happy with. It took quite a few iterations, often because Sketchup behaved in an unexpected manner, but it's all part of the learning process. I think I might have to switch modelling software.

It's quite a wide wheel, but it fits the Lego caterpillar tracks, and has a few different tyre options. I'm gonna use what I've learned to make a couple of smaller Lego-ish wheels, and then I can design my bots around them. :)
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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Spaceman
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by Spaceman »

Those look some really good hubs. That is a fine bit of sketchup work there
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Paulmchurd
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by Paulmchurd »

Cool, where have you got your Lego wheels from??
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

Paulmchurd wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:18 pm Cool, where have you got your Lego wheels from??
My son has literally hundreds of wheels in his Lego stockpile, so I'm using his stuff at the moment. :)

He only had one set of tracks, tho, so I bought some from bricklink. it's also useful as a reference, as it shows which tyres fit with which wheels (and vice versa). gotta watch for postage, tho.
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

I put the STL of the wheel on thingiverse, if anyone's interested: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3247013

I just hope it works for other people, should anyone try it. I do worry that it only works for me because my printer's badly set up. :roll:

edit: and a much smaller one that fits a tyre from a Lego motorbike: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3247646
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

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So, now that I've mastered SketchUp ( :roll: ), I thought I'd have a go at using it to plan Fermented Melon. Nothing too fancy, as it's gonna be mostly made from polycarb. I just wanted to see how everything fits before cutting up some card:

Image

No weapon mechanism, yet, as I haven't decided what to do. I could just stick a motor on top (the yellow block is a Vex 29), or I could use gears or a belt.. I want the axe to hinge at the peak of the bot, so it can hit forwards as well as backwards. It'll also probably use a nail or something.

I've just noticed how much weight is concentrated at the back of the bot. I'm sure it'll be fine! :P
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

Not much progress, as usual. I don't get enough spare time. :(

It doesn't stop me thinking, tho, and this week I have mostly been thinking 'torque reaction'! I thought it might work for Fermented Melon, with the battery and ESC in the wedge, and the drive and axe kept in place with bearings, but I think it'd disrupt its melony goodness, so I'm gonna build one for a cluster!

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Initially influenced by Ninja from TIFR, then even more so by Overkill when I found out what Ninja was based on! (I've never watched old Battlebots. :P) My initial idea was to use a kitchen knife with the handle removed, so it already has bolt holes, but I think an axe might be better.

Preliminary cluster name: Lemon & Slime. Not sure what the other bot's gonna be yet, but my son has to drive it, and he just drives in circles, so maybe a body spinner. :P

I'm also doing some experiments to see if the tin can lifter is feasible, and if my original idea for Suspicious Houmous is doable. It was never meant to be a lifter with proper arms - it was gonna have panels that (in theory) get under the opponent and rotate to pick it up off of the floor:

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I couldn't work out how to attach the panels, or how to get them into a position that would get under anything. I've now worked out how to get them low, so now I need to see how strong they are when soldered to a rod. I'm guessing not very. :roll:
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

actual progress! I'm still working on it, but here's how sprouting potato is looking at the moment:

Image

the orange pla is just for testing the shape. it'll either be semi transparent or purple, depending on if i can get abs printing in time. there'll also be a lot of refinements, like a wedge, and properly cut polycarb, and LEDs. still not sure about the dimensions, either.

at least I'll have something for February! :D

edit: gah! an experiment with PETG has temporarily borked my 3D printer. I need to concentrate on getting Fermented Melon done, so this might be the final version, with no spares! :o
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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voorsk
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Re: Team BLEEP build diary

Post by voorsk »

With the 3D printer broked (Ender 3 bowden gap leak. New connector on its way!), I've turned my attention to Fermented Melon.

First, I printed the bot out on paper, using Blender and a papercraft plugin. I soon realised that I'd made a mistake - I'd forgotten to add motor brackets, so the motors were too close to the shell. A few snips later, and all was fine, so I sellotaped the paper to some polycarb and cut it out properly:

Image

I wanted to try using tabs to connect the parts together, but my bending skills are lacking, and they look a little rubbish. They might look better once painted, or if I cover them with a layer of melon-looking paper. I also need to add some kind of access panel, as there's no way of accessing the internals, which is gonna make things rather tricky! :roll:

Only 3 weekends to Antfreeze! :o
Team BLEEP Suspicious Houmous / Sprouting Potato / Fermented Melon / Black Carrot
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