Well, if you're going to hand-roll the pages, then doing the same for the RSS feed is simple. you just edit the XML file that the rss readers point to and add a title, summary and a link to the new content to the top of the file, pushing the rest down
<item>
<title>MBXpoint1</title>
<link>http://www.robowars.org/wikka/MBXpoint1/show?time=2009-05-19+22%3A25%3A00</link>
<description>2009-05-19 22:25:00 by KnightrousOxide</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 22:25:00 +1000</pubDate>
</item>
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Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people

I have a super simple CMS that we can put behind it if you want.
basically just a way of keeping the menu's on the page ;->
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Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

From Danies last post


Built thread
http://robowars.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=284&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Ultibot posts buried in Ausbot thread
http://robowars.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=425&start=195


No idea what happened to SubKor, Can understand you being disappointed after you worked out the Quarry venue etc. They didn’t even show for the first quarry event did they?

Once someone has competed I would not write them off for good, once we have a regular comp ticking over there is a chance they will join in again. I think the more delicate time is if they don’t get to there first event, connect the ESC backwards and blow stuff up before they even get something driving or try and build something to complicated first of and run out of weight or space or it just doesn’t work. Be surprised if we don’t see Tim Rick and George sooner or later.

More regular builders meets might help the new builders but really the build thread works, there are always established builders willing to help with quick replies.

As far as a plan I think were doing ok. Sidetracked arena is set up full time and they’re happy for us to have regular events. They don’t have to be big 2-day affairs to justify set up as in the past. They can be quite small as we can put the rentals in and just group our fights in back to back rounds with the pit time between taken up by putting the rentals back in.
And I wont have to bring extra bots for fillers.

Next year we kick of the Vic season with Brett’s big Robowars event then settle down to a state series.
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Satisfaction is proportional to effort and results.

It might not be the best or only way to promote the sport, but I have organised some definite action. I am writing up a multi-part construction story for Servo Magazine, featuring a simple 4WD wedge bot. That might not sound so useful over here In Australia, however all the blueprints, parts lists, weight calculations, etc will be online on our web site - there may also be some of the editorial or extras as well.

Having a design published in a magazine gives it MAJOR cred with schools & TAFE - we can really use that as a promotional tool.

The design is based on Mitch, the very simple yet effective wedge put together by Ray and the guys at Hardcore Robotics:





With a 7Kg Bisalloy wedge, shock mounts and 25mm thick aluminium sides, this bot will take an absolute pounding! If anyone would like to contribute ideas for the design, I'm all ears. Suggestions for getting bargain parts, solving construction problems will all be gratefully received and credited.

Sounds like a good start. What sort of budget are you looking at aiming for?

Also if you are trying a pitch it to schools or TAFE you might need to go into a bit more detail on why things are done, rather than just how, to emphasise that it is a learning exercise.

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

Last edited by marto on Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:28 pm; edited 1 time in total

Well for a start aluminium is hardly a 'bargain' material, i'd suggest your version had box RHS for walls.
What are you going to do for the controller? Maybe start a small build thread with more details Sounds awesome though!
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YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

True, steel is cheaper than aluminium. The idea with the frame is to have something that will stand up to spinners and have a real chance of winning matches, even events. Mild steel box & angle is too easily carved up by spinners nowadays and if it was welded for strength, builders would end up replacing their frame too often IMHO. Aluminium is very easy to work with and a bolted frame can be repaired easily. I'm not exactly going for the lowest budget, more ease of assembly. That means using commercial parts from places like the RMP, Banebots, Kitbots etc. Interestingly, a set of 4 gearboxes, mounts, hubs and wheels is $78 USD cheaper from Banebots than drill motors from Kitbots - not what I was expecting!

I forgot to mention that the bot will have two build tracks; a premium and basic versions. The basic one will have less machining and cheaper parts where possible. There will definitely be discussion on why particular design and material choices were made, along with engineering topics like avoiding stress risers and practical stuff like tapping holes. If you liked Grant Imahara's excellent Kicking Bot book, this will the the more focussed and abbreviated version

Re controllers: Since its a 4 motor design, I can't see the XXL as a practical choice. A pair of Victors would be my first choice, followed by a sidewinder. If the Firecrackers ever get released, then they might fit in between these two. Any other ideas for a tough controller in that class?

Unfortunately, I can't do a build thread on this one, it has to appear in print first.

quote:

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Originally posted by Nick:
Any other ideas for a tough controller in that class?

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I'm not sure the IBC has the current capability in a pushybot - I used to blow the tracks off mine with just two drill motors. More importantly, I get the impression that they are rather scarce nowadays.

So what sort of budget are you aiming for?
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Steven Martin
Twisted Constructions
http://www.botbitz.com

Mabye in your two different versions one can be made out of Ali and one can be made out of steel box-section. Coming from a beginner I'd say it's way easier to aquire steel than it is Ali.
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http://au.youtube.com/user/crustydemonsully

The day I stop giving 100%, is the day I stop competing

i dont think tafe would care for aluminium at all cause theyll have to supply that at a cost to themselves. they definitely wont supply any decent grade above 5083 anyway (i got the best they had for kang and you saw how shitty that was in 10mm thickness back in the day )

tafe actually makes a profit selling steel back to bhp after buying it from them in the first place haha (when bhp was still open anyway) so its essentially free for them to supply it. if youve ever done a tafe course they literally throw sheets of steel at you XD.

i think the shock mounts are a bit much as well. where can they even be bought locally cheap? small parts are a disgraceful rip off et al with RS. (tafe wont buy from OS)

id imagine most of the courses at a tafe that have some kind of metal work related component would hold cutting filing drilling grinding and welding steel at a higher level from an education standpoint then standing at a mill and drill press for 2 hours. which in all honestly is what it looks like it would take to make that robot. only courses i can think of that would even use aluminium at a tafe would be a specialised welding course and CNC machining.

theres tons of tools most of us would never dream of having at a tafe too like huge shears, metal benders, spot welders turrent punches and the like. so the more of them that get used the more attractive it probably is as something that could be done as a module in a course

thats all assuming tafe is supplying the "parts" themselves as a project in some course. thats how i read it anyway. If its just info being thrown out there for someone to build it at tafe on their own accord as some kind of open source project then thats a different story.

id say 2 wheels so you can use an XXL or IBC both of which can be had locally. once again tafe wont buy outside the country so victors and whatever are out. (the uni already bought heaps of XXLs so thats certainly realistic) and to keep the costs down use some drills with qld andrews style hubs in red wheels. thats a bit of a lathe project. more tools being taught the better eh.

then the robot is small and you can just pile up thick steel on the thing resulting in mucho survivability

if you want any more deets on tafe hit up my dad, he runs the accounting half of there anyway haha
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

Budget = no idea yet, I only got the green light 2 days ago

Its easier to get steel than aluminium in Australia, but most other countries its fairly even and I have to appease a US editor. I'm hoping to have lined up a local source and places like TAFE can get materials we find difficult ( just read Glen's post, we will have to get an answer on the TAFE supply question)

The reason for picking aluminium has several good reasons behind it:

* Easy to work with (tapping, sawing, drilling etc)
* bolted design makes replacing parts easy & quick
* Better material choice than steel - see page 88 in the Riobotz book

I need to present a bot that I am really confident will survive a full event with only cosmetic damage, even if it comes up against a really tough spinner. Sure, steel bots like Cobra can do that, but its hardly something that a beginner can weld up.

The idea of this bot is to over-come two difficulties that many builders cite: the "Its too difficult" and the "Its going to break first time out" hurdles. I will try to keep the "its too expensive" hurdle as low as possible, but it WILL get sacrificed where necessary.

@ Glen: Thanks for the info on TAFE buying, I didn't know they had O/S policies like that. The problem with a small mild steel wedge running two drill motors and red wheels is that its going to get beaten almost all the time. I can still recall coming 2nd at the first bot event I went to - it was a total blast and definitely kept me going in the sport. If my bot had been smashed to bits in the first match, I might have moved on to a less exciting but safer hobby. Nowadays, I would need much more than a 5mm aluminium frame and a plastic wedge

to be fair it sounds like more of project for a year 12 design and tech project ALA andrews huge ass heavyweight 4 wheel drive thing then tafe.

i dont know where such a project would be applicable to any tafe course really except in little bits and pieces across unrelated courses.

if its a high school design tech project then it doesnt really matter what the robot is design wise, what its made out of and where the parts come from cause its more freestyle and you bring in and buy your own parts.
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

The sabretooth 2x25 is locally bought. Will either of these bots be ready for robowars then? btw, what was your first bot?
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http://au.youtube.com/user/crustydemonsully

The day I stop giving 100%, is the day I stop competing