Presenting...

Today I am opening up 2 more project files. They may very well become integrated with each other if money does not permit, but I am very excited about getting to work. The integration of software into my designs has always been my weakness but that weakness is seeming to act as inspiration. Allow me to further describe said projects:

• "Tofu"
• Surveillance Robot [MICROSPY]
  
• Innovative Car Steering System [SPEEDYCRAB]

Tofu is the improved version of Attrition, my 12-pound combat robot. Still features the spinning drum but with a few new components. Most notably different is the outer armor, which now sports .375" hardened s7 tool steel. In fact, the entire outside should be made from s7. We shall see how it holds up!

Surveillance Robot will be some mobile base with a turret mounted digital camera with can snap highish resolution photos and maybe take live feed (If I get creative). The real goal is to integrate some external radio source with the Arduino programming board and create some complex output. It is a reasonable step up from battlebots and basic circuits and certainly easier to manage than filtering Infrared signals from a TV remote (fridge bot).

Speaking of mobile base for the Surveillance Robot, I might be able to use the car chassis I am designing. Inspired by MIT's City Car project, I am trying to create a new steering mechanism to implement in existing car bodies that will allow more versatile mobility. Think Speed Racer basically. Design at this moment features 4 internally powered wheels each with their own separate steering mechanism. The steering mechanisms will coordinate with each other depending on what mode the vehicle is currently running with. Should be fun. I will be trying to integrate hall-effect sensors into conventional 2820 brushless outrunner motors so I can use them with reversible sensored controllers.

Pictures to come. Cheers!

Spirit of Building: Return to HÄRDBÖRD

Not sure if I ever started a post about the electric skateboard, but here goes.

Introducing Project HÄRDBÖRD: for lack of better name. Feel free to give suggestions; maybe something about the look of the board will inspire you.

Anyway, this is a greater attempt at personal mobility devices since my electric bike. This project features:

• Custom Waterjet frame
• 2 brushless wheelmotors with hall effect sensors
• A123 cells for power
• on board charging system for ease
• (possibly) custom brushless controllers
• wireless control via custom nunchuck controllers

I drew up the plans together with my friend Xo and together we are going to tackle this ordeal. Here is a Render.



Basically, the user holds the nunchuck controller and uses the sticks for proportional control to the motors. Ideally, I would like the buttons to do something (like underglow) but that increases power consumption for Rx and Tx.

Yesterday my parents drove up to visit and brought up the parts that Big Blue Saw had made way back when.

Turned out pretty well if I say so myself. Some minor errors [missing an extrusion and hole spacing is off], but I have been in contact with Simon ever since trying to get them straightened out.

I need to buy tools soon so I can begin putting this together. Each of the boards have a small amount of flex which both good and bad. Most longboards have flex as a natural shock absorber and turning aid but since Xo and I have electronics underneath, it would be ideal to reduce the amount of bend.




























Build On \m/

Return of the Blogger

Been busy no doubt, but I have returned for the time being. I just put out two blogs for GT Admissions, so why not my personal blog?

Recent items: Second Semester has begun. I am a Sophomore of 32 hours right now, with a current 18 credit hour workload. If everything goes for my summer plan in Baltimore, I will be a junior before the next year begins.

Robots: Competed and succeeded at GCRS over the winter break. First place for Cake, and non-placables for DDT and P150. Even if they had failed epically, it was still entertaining as hell :)

Speaking of FIRST, I love my Bacon



more later, I am lazy.

Another Day at the Lathe...

More parts done. Nuff said.

Coming Along

Alright guys, today I got my B16 gearmotors (still looking for spares however!). More importantly, I got another "round" at the lathe after the Battlebots meeting tonight. Result:










I got the front set of wheels done! I used the new design over the old one because it actually accommodated for the width of the rubber ring. I would have finished the rear set, but a guy from another organization needed the lathe for legitimate work so I'll probably go back tomorrow.










Meanwhile, I have enough parts to give a general layout. Donald and I had the same expression: That is waaaay small for a beetleweight.

Baker's Mistake

Alright guys, I made my first fail part (a few days ago). This was supposed to be one of the wheels I discussed earlier today, but more of a practice than anything. I'm still pretty noobish on the lathe.










First mistake. I started from the wrong side. I started from the side that didn't need to be bored out. As a result I would have to drill through the entire piece instead of just a little bit on the correct side. No big deal right? Well I came to need to redo the entire thing because...










When I was finishing the part, I accidentally moved the wrong axis handle and ate off my pulley flange. Ugg... Fail.

Well, it still looks nice anyway so I keep it on my desk. It also helped me realize that I need to change a few things in the design anyway. The Oring groove needed to be wider for instance so I suppose this was a good mistake.









However, I did decide to use the pre-existing plastic ring. Buffer it a small bit with anti-static tape, and then fill the rest with glue. Perfect fit after dry.

Baking the Cake

So last night/morning (5am) I started machining stuff for the very first time! I cut the tube, square bar, and shafting into smaller chunks using some massive horizontal bandsaw, and then turned the round parts down to the correct length. I grabbed some plastic round from the scraps bin and turned down the plastic ring that supports the flux ring. The most important operation of the night was the mods to the 2820 motor I am using for the drum. I chucked the can in the lathe and turned the endbell off. Then I had to bore the mount for the stator to 3/8" using the semi-shoddy drill press.














So this is what I ended up with for the night. Enough material for 2 drums. Everything turned out perfect except the bore for the ring was about 1mm too large. I may end up re-doing that part, or buffering it with tape and glue.