Getting Into Combat Robotics?

[Yogi_DaBear221]

So I'm looking to get into building Combat Robots. Like the ones you see on Battlebots and Robot Wars, but I've got a few roadblocks and things I don't understand. So I know it best to start in the Antweight or the Beetleweight classes, but I'm not sure what the advantage to disadvantage to starting with Ant or with Beetleweight would be. I also don't have a ton of cash, so is it possible to build one on a 200.00 budget? Would it be a bad idea to start out with a 3D printed Chassis so that I can learn how things work, and get better at driving? Are there brands of parts to avoid? To not avoid? 

[SenKa]

IMO It's best to start in the heavier weight classes, you can spend more time learning the designs and less time engineering around TINY weight classes. Do note I havent been involved in the scene since ~2010, so this may be a bit out of date...

 

Best place to start is by breaking down a mobility scooter. You get 1 or 2 motors, tires, motor controllers, batteries... Theyre really great to do this stuff cheap. That, square stock steel, and a cheap welder. Once you get something that looks like what you want and can work how you want focus on the radio control bit.

 

Feel free to ask more questions. I spent a lot of time talking the ears off the nightmare team, especially Jim.

[Yogi_DaBear221]

11 minutes ago, SenKa said:

IMO It's best to start in the heavier weight classes, you can spend more time learning the designs and less time engineering around TINY weight classes. Do note I havent been involved in the scene since ~2010, so this may be a bit out of date...

 

Best place to start is by breaking down a mobility scooter. You get 1 or 2 motors, tires, motor controllers, batteries... Theyre really great to do this stuff cheap. That, square stock steel, and a cheap welder. Once you get something that looks like what you want and can work how you want focus on the radio control bit.

 

Feel free to ask more questions. I spent a lot of time talking the ears off the nightmare team, especially Jim.

Well if I were to go that route, and say I wanted to do more than just a simple push bot, what might be the best and "easiest" first weapon? I've always liked flywheels ala Hypnodisc or saws(or whatever the term would be) like Diotoir, but I feel like those obvious are a lot more work at first than say maybe a flipper or something of that sort.

 

I should add that while I'm in the US most of my knowledge of the scene is from Robot Wars. I know of Nightmare that's one of the ones I remember the most from Battlebots, and some of the ones they made the little Hexbug things for. 

[SenKa]

1 minute ago, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

Well if I were to go that route, and say I wanted to do more than just a simple push bot, what might be the best and "easiest" first weapon? I've always liked flywheels ala Hypnodisc or saws(or whatever the term would be) like Diotoir, but I feel like those obvious are a lot more work at first than say maybe a flipper or something of that sort

Kind of up to debate there, push bots can be absolutely lethal if done right (tornado comes to mind immediately) and are the simplest. Easiest would probably be a spinner because you don't have to integrate a CO2 system in to your bot, you can just run another motor.

[Yogi_DaBear221]

1 minute ago, SenKa said:

Kind of up to debate there, push bots can be absolutely lethal if done right (tornado comes to mind immediately) and are the simplest. Easiest would probably be a spinner because you don't have to integrate a CO2 system in to your bot, you can just run another motor.

Tornado, probably what I think one of the most controversial bots in Robot Wars, and I say only that because of the whole "anti pit" thing they built that one time. 

 

So a spinner would be a bit easier? Now would that be a hammer spinner or a saw set-up, or would either be about the same, seeing as its not the entirely the thing that goes on the bot, but the motor needed.

[Radium_Angel]

28 minutes ago, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

200.00 budget?

Not on your life.

Move the decimal over to the right a point, or two.

[SenKa]

Just now, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

Tornado, probably what I think one of the most controversial bots in Robot Wars, and I say only that because of the whole "anti pit" thing they built that one time. 

 

So a spinner would be a bit easier? Now would that be a hammer spinner or a saw set-up, or would either be about the same, seeing as its not the entirely the thing that goes on the bot, but the motor needed.

Ehh, those guys played smart and worked the rule book. No harm, no foul, just unethical.

 

A spinner is easier to me, but it all depends on what you can wrap your mind around engineering wise. As for the design of the spinner, appendage-d ones like hammer spinners are often deadlier but self destructive (if one hammer gets knocked off you're basically done). A saw spinner is safer but often less deadly. As for a motor, go to a junkyard and pull a generator off an old car (alternators can be used as well, but take more work.)