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
Drill press and
accessories
are near by —
messy, but
easy to get to.
22 SERVO 12.2008