Servo - December 2008

FIGURE 4. Cloud of Suspicion is finished and ready for battle.

the motors would be mounted.

After the motors were mounted, the last thing I needed to do was secure the electrical

components. I mounted my two cell 1,320 mAh Thunderpower battery under my Spektrum BR6000 receiver and simply zip-tied them to the base plate. I then drilled through the mounting holes of my Scorpion XL speed controller and used screws to secure it. After this was done, the robot was finished. Soon after the robot was finished, I gave it the name “Cloud of Suspicion,” which I found in a list of “Suggested Names for Racehorses Expected to

Have Undistinguished Careers.”

In the end, the concept of a lightning fast, overpowered wedge in the beetleweight class ended up being very successful. A few flaws were found, but easily corrected. It went on to win the rumble at its first tournament (destroying the arena hazard in the process) and then took home second at its next event, where the aforementioned flaw prevented it from placing first. Now that these problems have been fixed, I have high hopes for this robot in the future. SV

MAN UFACTUR IN G:

Laying ut Your Work Area

● by Blake Hooper

When it comes to entering combat or otherwise known robotics the easiest thing a builder can do to help themselves get prepared is to work out their layout. By layout of course I mean the site in which they will be working. How you set this up is based on the builder, but there are certainly some tips which can make this process much easier.

The first and most important part is to figure out the space that you will be working in. Many people have set up their own shops in places

Standard shop layout. Hand tools and electrical work stations are clearly within arm’s reach of each other. The bot is Ze Uber Wedge, of Team Raybotics.

like their garage only to discover they hate working there and end up with hand tools on a chair in their kitchen. Pick a place with plenty of table space that you enjoy working in, and make sure it can handle heavy vibrations and flying scraps.

Another important thing is to make sure you have good airflow. If you can swing it, air conditioning will be a godsend, otherwise make sure to have plenty of fans or open windows. When working on projects, heat quickly becomes burdensome. Light is also an important consideration. I have seen many builders work in their garage

when the lights aren’t working and consequently, blood starts flowing.

Once you have your work space location figured out, you’ll need to choose what tools you want.

No matter what, you’ll need a basic set of hand tools. The actual sizes, measurement standard, and type is dependent on the builder. The more important thing to consider is what power tools you will need. If you are on a budget, this can quickly become an issue. The first factor you’ll want to consider is what weight class your robot will be in. This way you’ll know the type of material you will be using, the thickness of it, and the size of tools you will need.

For a cutting tool, you have several options. If you will be working with several sections of long bar stock or are cutting particularly thick material, a table mounted circular saw mounted to the floor will do fine. Make sure you are using the proper blade. I have seen many builders