BUILDER TIP:
When soldering
groups of wires
together, it is best
to twist two of
them together
before you tin
them.
9. Solder the brown lead to the negative tab.
Once you've soldered the wires to the motor
leads, pull the heat shrink over the top of the
solder joint and use the lighter to tighten it.
10. You have now completed the wiring for a
weapon-based fighting robot. You must now
make the all important decision: Will you be
making a clamp or a lifter?
CL AMP
1. We’ll start with the easier of the two
builds, which is the clamp. When building
a clamp robot, it is important to have a
rigid frame in order to get a good "bite"
on your opponent. For this purpose, I am
starting with a sheet of Garolite.
3. There are two pieces to make out of all three materials. Start with a
Sharpie and trace the parts onto their respective sheets.
4. You will be able to cut the Garolite and the Lexan using shears.
To prevent sharp corners which easily tear, drill holes in order to make
a radius in the corners of your parts.
2. Garolite is similar to fiberglass in that it is rigid and
lightweight. I will be using this as the main frame piece. I will
also be using a polycarbonate sheet — better known as Lexan —
for the underbelly. The armor plates will be 0.06 thick titanium.
A template for the design is provided at the article link. Start by
printing it out and cutting out the shapes.
SERVO 04.2013 57
