PHOTO 4. The image on the left is an example of a bolt with a rubber insulator.
When added with the spring image on the left, you get an idea of how a shock mount might look.
bot while the other end will be
allowed to move inward from the
impact. Once you have chosen your
core piece, you then have a variety
of options for the rest of your
mount. Surrounding your core
piece, flexibility is most important.
Therefore, you will want to have
three insulating layers around the
core piece. The first and third layers
will be on either end of the core
and should be made of a rubber-like
material in order to act as a shock
absorbent. Interspersed around
these layers should be a larger metal
washer used not only to separate
the layers properly, but also as
catching pieces for the material
above and below. In the center, a
spring-like material is required. The
importance of this becomes
apparent when you look at what
the mount should do before and
after impact. Before the impact, you
want the mount to push the armor
plating out as far as possible to use
distance to help displace the
impact. After the blow,
however, you want proper
recoil of the shock mount, such
as a spring-like material in the
center of the layers around your
core piece.
The formula mentioned
above is a general guideline for
putting together a sound shock
mounting system; the actual
specifics vary based on the
situation of the builder.
However, there is one last thing
to remember when trying to
implement the armor setups
discussed in this article: make sure
to properly encase the edges. One
of the most common flaws to all
armor approaches is that while they
will successfully take a hit, the
rigging can be ripped off. Therefore,
if you properly insulate the edges,
any type of ripping impact will be
taken by the insulation instead of
your hard work flying all over the
competition floor. SV
EVENT REPORT
Hall ween
R b t Terr r—
Calif rnia Insect B ts
● by Dave Wiley
It's Saturday, October 25th at
9: 59 AM, the last Saturday
before Halloween. All is quiet at
Gilroy Hobby, but not for long! As
soon as the doors are unlocked at
10:00 AM, the evil known as the
Halloween Robot Terror and Bot
Costume contest will be unleashed
on the world … BWUHAHAHAH !!!!
Well, maybe not so much evil but
tons of fun, nonetheless.
This last meet marked the third
PHOTO 1. Deceptively festive costumes
mask these bot's combative nature.
year for the Halloween Robot Terror
and Bot Costume contest held in
Gilroy, CA. The event goes from
10:00 AM till just before noon with
eight one-pound ant weights, two
three pound beetle weights, and
two 150 gram flea weights
participating. Competitors set up
on their pit tables and weigh in,
ready to do battle, just like many
other insect class competitions. The
big difference for this event is after
26 SERVO 02.2009
