Wave Of Mutilation —
Thomas Kenney’s
Ultimate Beetle —
lives up to its name.
Axi is the undisputed
champ of high end
brushless motors.
The B16 from Robot
MarketPlace was the
unanimous choice.
0.040” titanium plate.
Table 1 shows the specs from
that machine.
Drive Motors
The B16 from Robot Marketplace
seems to be the one ($32 each).
One top builder recommends
swapping the stock motors with
BaneBots HS180s ($3 each), a fairly
minor modification. The up side is
much more torque; the down side is
that the BaneBots motors are only
rated to eight volts, so running
them with a 3S LiPoly pack ( 11.1
volts) might cause some failures.
Of course, at $3 a pop, the HS180s
could be changed every couple
matches (
www.robotmarket place.com;
www.banebots.com).
are several other
choices including my
favorite Lynxmotions
and different types from
the Robot Marketplace,
but I’m coming around
to the builder’s choice,
after three articles.
Why? Because both
Dave’s and BaneBots fit
inside the wheel, while
others scab on the
ouside, adding width.
And, width = weight.
TABLE 1
ITEM
• Drive Motor
• Wheels
• Hubs
• Drive ESC
• Drive Batteries
• Weapon
• Armor
• Radio System
• Power Switch
• Fittings/Parts
DESCRIPTION
Four Escap 33:1 gearmotors
2” Lite Flites, doubled
4 mm Lynxmotion
Sozbots Classic
NiMH 2/3A 1100 mAh, 10 cells
0.040” Ti 6AL-4V wedge
Top and bottom: 3/32”
hardened Kevlar honeycomb;
Front and Back: 0.030” Ti
6AL-4V; sides 0.125” 6061-T6 Al
JR Quattro 75 MHz PPM with
GWS four channel receiver
RadioShack
Zip ties, Velcro, aluminum, UHMW
Drive ESC
Drive and Weapon
Batteries
Wheels
Lite Flites from Robot
Marketplace or BaneBots. Around
$4-5 a pair. Size is totally dependent
on the desired speed/torque and
geometry of the bot, but around
1.75” to 2. 5” is the range most
seen.
Hubs
Three different ESCs were
submitted: the BaneBots 3-9 ($58 a
pair); Sabertooth 5 ($60); and the
Scorpion XL ($120). All three will
do the job using two B-16s, which
stall at 2.1 amps. Not having any
personal experience with any of
these, but based on specs, the
BaneBots are a bit closer to the limit
than I’d like (although they do offer
a five amp version for $93 a pair).
The Scorpion is oversized for this
app, at 12. 5 amps continuous. So,
I’d probably opt for the Sabertooth
as the “best value” option. (Prices
are from the BaneBots and Robot
Marketplace sites.)
Every vote cast was for a LiPoly,
of around 1,300 mAh, 3S size. This
will range in price from a Rhino
brand at Hobby City ($20) www.
hobbycity.com; to a Thunderpower
at Robot Marketplace ($45).
Weapon Motors
Our builders suggested a
generic, Chinese, 28 mm or 36 mm
brushless, inrunner or outrunner. For
more money — and some would say
higher quality — an Axi 2808 to
2820 is suggested. The Turnigy
brand will run $18 to $25, where
Dave’s Hubs for the Lite Flites
($21/pr); BaneBots hubs for the
BaneBots wheels ($4 each). There
Castle Creation’s 45 amp ESC
is the ideal weapon controller.
Dave’s hubs are reliable,
high end parts for the
Ultimate Bot.
SERVO’s
2005 State-of-the-art Beetle,
John Henry, ultimately
met his end at the hands
of an Ultimate Beetle.
SERVO 07.2009
25