Dates updated on front page with pending event at the robots and dinosaurs hackerspace.

Also moved the feather event back a week to accommodate. Any issues?

not really

more feather prep time is good right now
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<Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls

Okay so, first event done and 2nd event planned.

BUT, the feather event isn't too far away either at 2 months. What plans has everyone for a robot? If you haven't started now is probably a good time. And order all your bits now with chinese new year happening.

We haven't had a feather event in nearly 2 years, lets make it awesome. Just saying
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

I just realised that Glen failed abysmally at the last event - where were the promised Nerf guns???? We had best make up for the lapse at the next event!

Yep yep, i just need to tidy up the CAD for the drum bot and have it sent off for waterjetting. All the feather parts are in already, except the bearings, and I may possibly need to find a longer belt. Probly should get some spares of the weapon motor and lipo in.

Fair bit of machining to do, need to make the weapon motor pulley and machine the drum belt groove including cross drilling for the screw teeth, and make bearing hubs for the sides.

Is it still ok if i get you to give the CAD a once over before it gets sent?
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<Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls

Ant Arena remake

The ant arena has worked well over the last year but there was much talk about upgrading it. The main improvements suggested:

* Bisalloy floor - my fave option

* Lower walls - good idea for ease of use and portability

* Trap door - we need to decide on the size & location

I can CAD up the bisalloy floor and get it waterjetted; any suggestions on the best Sydney place to get the cutting done? Oxy cut can't do the work neatly enough and Laser Wizard might be pricey. Using the QLD place would really up the shipping cost for something almost 1 metre square.

Only qualm i would have is that the size is a bit small i reckon, but we have to work with the polycarb we have

Lower walls get the thumbs up from me, My midget arms cant reach XD

I'd at least get a quote from the QLD place at least with the bisalloy, they seemed to be super cheap and if its as simple as just getting a square cut out then it probably may be the cheapest way to go even with shipping. Perhaps you could even have a qld'er deliver it if they come to an event in the near future

As for the Pit, having it well off center somewhere in a corner that opens in the last minute or 30 seconds would be good imho. Having it in the center is just going to have everyone in there by accident Wouldn't have it too big either considering the total size of the arena. 70mm square perhaps?
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

By small size, you mean the floor area? I we can make the floor space a bit bigger if the walls are lower and still stay in one polycarb sheet - I will look over the original CAD.

The QLD place would be ideal, except shipping could blow it out of the water! I planned to get the trapdoor and screw holes around the perimeter water jetted to save on construction time.

I can upload my cut sheet for our arena. You have to join two bits on the top but its the most utilisation you will get out of one sheet.

Steve
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Steven Martin
Twisted Constructions
http://www.botbitz.com

loving all this arena attention going on
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<Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls

This is probably a daft idea but anyway.
What if we mix it up a little, put the polycarb into a solid frame, no doors or anything and make it easy (ish) to lift the whole thing off the biz floor?
Just some posts inside the frame would be sufficient to guide it i think, we only need to lift it say 300mm or half the height of the box however high that is then put a chock in. If we feel really fancy and want it to look pro, put some kind of button release catches in.

I was thinking we always seem to have trouble getting into the arena to clean it up and grind off any burrs, because we have to reach in over the walls, if there's no reaching in then ey its all good. For bonus points use glens linear actuator to automate the box raising and lowering I know he wants to use it for something lol.
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Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

That sounds complicated and heavy . If the wall hight is reduced a bit and the arena sits on a lower base, then reaching in to pick up bots will be much easier (even for Glen ).

One idea that might help is for the entire top to hinge at one end and be detachable for maintenance - easy enough to do and it would make viewing thru the top better as there would be less metal.

I now have a neat power tool to take divots out of the areana floor between matches, although it shouldn't be required using Bisalloy. Also, a thick steel floor would make it easy to weld on steel strips for the wall base; easier to make and much longer lasting, plus no chance of getting stuck under the wall .

For the trap door, I'm thinking about 200 to 250 mm square and having split doors that operate independently

Pretty sure the QLD Ant arena pit is 150mm^2 and is definitely big enough to get a pair of ants down it at the same time.
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https://www.halfdonethings.com/

OK, 150 mm square it is!

Do you recall the floor dimensions? It would be nice to have a standard arena size across states

how thick are you planning to make the floor and what grade of bisalloy? The waterjet cutters couldn't source bis400 in 5mm thick and I had to settle for Everhard320. 5mm is the smallest prefered plate thickness and 6mm (1/4") is more common.