how hard would it be to power a computer from batteries instead of the power supply box thing
_________________
WHEN YOU GO TO COURT YOU'RE TRUSTING YOUR FATE TO TWELVE PEOPLE
WHO AREN'T SMART ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF JURY DUTY

Not so much hard as expensive, you need large batteries and a very powerful inverter. Laptop would be a better way to go, or just a normal radio in the first place.
_________________
( •_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

i dont mean do it that way i mean connect the batteries directly into the computer cause the power supply in a computer converts 240v down to 12
so just ditch the power supply
_________________
WHEN YOU GO TO COURT YOU'RE TRUSTING YOUR FATE TO TWELVE PEOPLE
WHO AREN'T SMART ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF JURY DUTY

unless you have a very small computer you will need a very serious power supply (look at the specs on an ATX supply)
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

well it is pretty small and old but it runs perfectly and its running windows 98
_________________
WHEN YOU GO TO COURT YOU'RE TRUSTING YOUR FATE TO TWELVE PEOPLE
WHO AREN'T SMART ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF JURY DUTY

Just buy a Spektrum already
_________________
https://www.halfdonethings.com/

if your planning on using a wireless xbox controller and putting the other end into a PC in your bot its probably not going to work. Your going to have range problems and those things probably aren't all that immune to noise etc either.
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

Seriously if you are intending on building more than one bot just buy a spectrum.

In the long run you are much better off with the spectrum by the time you waste money buying all the crap to connect PC to robot to remote and the time to make it work you are already prolly 1/2 way there in wasted money.

Possible Scenario

Once you get sick of xbox controller you will go buy a cheap radio off ebay and it will work ok except will still have problems with interference but this will prolly be ok with relays or microswitches.

By now you are prolly on to your second bot and are looking at getting a decent speed controller. The IBC is particularly picky when it comes to interference and by now ur ebay remote is prolly mostly dead and cus it doesnt have warrenty you are screwed.

Now if you cheap out again you will prolly by a decent one from a hobby shop for like $150 and by now you are prolly at the price of a spectrum but any FM radio will still not be great and to improve the reception you might try optoisolating the controller to improve reception this will help but only to some degree and requires a lot of time tuning an antenna.

Total Cost prolly bout $300-400 ~= spectrum

But the hassels and amount of time wasted will not be worth it. Above is a list of my mistakes cus i was cheap and didnt do it properly. Just buy the bloody thing you will be rewarded in the long run.
_________________
Steven Martin
Twisted Constructions
http://www.botbitz.com

Unless you want to build a radio rather than a bot just get a spectrum.
We play with our own radio because a) i think its fun and b) Plan-C needs a little more in terms of radio ability than even a spectrum provides at this point in time.
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets

It's one project on my ever increasing list of things to do to mod a psu to take 24V worth of batteries. The output of the HF transformer is +- 24 last time I looked so I was going to use that to connect to the batteries.

However as everyone else has suggested, for combat robot conditions I would definitely recommend a spektrum.
_________________
They say that he crossed the fine line, from insanity to genius.

Definately true, I would like to build my own radio if I could but I think building a radio like you have for plan C is a bit different than slapping a whole computer and wireless xbox controller in a bot.

Is anyone else getting images of the bot coming out with a BSOD on the screen?
_________________
Steven Martin
Twisted Constructions
http://www.botbitz.com

linux doesn't have blue screens ;->

it has black ones that say /dev/udev failed though

thats the other thing, assuming you have a pc in your bot you still need to drive the motors somehow, so you need to hook it up to a speed controller anyway.
_________________
Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets