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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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OK, I'll be nicer.
If you can afford it, the best system to get is a Spektrum Radio - 6 channels, computer programmable, no crystals required (to avoid frequency conflicts), pretty much immune to interference (a BIG problem in combat robots), and pretty good value for money at around $300.
Available from the Robotmarketplace.com shop in the USA. The advantage of buying there is you get the BR-6000 receiver instead of the AR6000, the B (is for Bot) and means it failsafes correctly for Robot Use. The standard Spektrum Receiver (AR6000) does not failsafe so cannot be used without some fiddling around. Most hobby shops and other places only stock the AR6000.
If you cant swing the $ for a Spektrum, then things get a lot trickier.
If you are going to use an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) for your robot, then avoid cheap 2nd hand radios unless you are a radio expert - The interference produced by Combat Robots is far worse than any remote control car or plane and will cause you no end of grief trying to make them work - The failsafes will keep kicking in when the signal gets noisy.
If you are using servo-switches as a controller, then a some noise can be tolerated and you might get away with a cheaper radio. Then again, you might not - depending on how good your antenna and noise supression on your motors etc is.
Keep in mind that a Radio Transmitter is a multi-year investment and it is better to spend the extra $$ on a good one now that will just work reliably and last you many bots (and planes and cars etc) rather than spend $100 on a crappy one that will probably be upgraded within a year or two. _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
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Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:59 pm |
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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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It is some good, but not really.
Assuming you want to build a featherweight (13.6Kg) Robot, you are best off with a PCM radio, or a Spektrum for reliable operation.
72Mhz and 75Mhz (American) FM and AM radios work better than the 29/36Mhz Australia Radios do, as far as resisting interference goes, and also only need an antenna half the length (A good thing when the other bot is trying to antenna-amputate you), but will still suffer the occasional problem with interference.
A PCM ($$$) (rather than FM) or a Spektrum system will have almost *no* problems with interference.
It is difficult to find a reliable radio for combat robot use under $300.
Like I said, if you are going to use servo-switching or some other form of noise-tolerant controller, then you would probably be ok with a radio like that, if you want to use an electronic speed controller, you will probably need a radio with error correction in the transmission protocol like one of these - http://www.robowars.org/wikka/StandardRadio _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
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Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:19 pm |
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