Servo - December 2011

useful extra speed in bots with 3” or smaller wheels, but it comes with the cost of lower torque and a higher risk of stalling the motor. The slightly larger case is easily fixed with a file. The higher gearing might make them impracticable in a 30 lb bot.

The other two drills are a useful lesson in never assuming that a drill will be a suitable replacement until you have bought one and checked it out. The Power Smith could have been used in a new bot or even put back together, and it would have served as a reasonable light-duty drill and driver. The 7.2V fake serves as a good reminder of that wise advise, “Caveat Emptor.” The search for the perfect replacement cheap drill will apparently continue ... SV

FIGURE 13

EVENTS

Completed Events for September 2011

Seattle Bot Brawl 2011 was presented by Western Allied Robotics in Seattle, WA on September 11, 2011.

HORD 2011 was presented by the Ohio Robot Club in Brunswick, OH on September 24, 2011. SV

EVENT REP RT:

ORC Storms “The Gate”

● by Chris Olin

2011 was a difficult year for the Ohio Robotics Club (ORC). First, their spring event at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center was canceled due to lack of support from the school and several personal schedule conflicts. Then, in early August, it was learned that the venue for their September event — Classic RC Raceways — had gone out of business. With no venue for an event scheduled to be held in little over a month, the ORC team scrambled to find a new venue.

Through this adversity came a new opportunity. The Northern Ohio Radio Control Auto Racers (NORCAR) graciously offered ORC the use of their facility “The Gate” located in downtown Brunswick. The Gate features a large carpeted racing surface and spacious pits in a well-maintained storefront located in the Laurel Square Shopping Center. However, there was a catch. The Gate was not available for use on the originally scheduled date, (September 17th) so the event would have to be postponed one week.