|
|
Nick
Experienced Roboteer
Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW
|
Day two featherweight highlights:
The top two moments were Billy Moon having a Lipo fire inside Relic while it was charging (1.5m high fireball ) and Robert Woodhead having a NiMH fire in the arena at the end of a hard fought battle against Proteus. Robert didn't get flames, but the pack and most of the electronics above it were toasted and he lost the fight after being WAY head on points.
Somehow, Billy has already repaired Relic, so I may still have to fight it
The next best moment was Plasma getting a huge hit from Relic, which spun Relic around so that it caught one of its own wheel pods, ripping it right off - Billy really didn't have a good day!
My matches started out with Proteus, which swapped the drum for a very shallow scoop made of 5mm stainless steel. I set the blade to scrape the arena and got in some great hits that peeled the scoop and cut deep into the wedge. The left motor flamed and cut out again but a final hit disabled Proteus and it tapped out. I am down to two good motor/gearbox combos.
The next match was against Kluge. I raised the blade up to it's drum axle and even though I had radio problems (as in I forget to program it properly ), a couple of hits popped out its receiver power and I won by KO in about 20 seconds .
Its getting up to the medal rounds and things are getting even harder! The next match is against Mitch, which is part of Hardcore Robotics (of Last Rites fame). Mitch is a 4 wheel wedge bot with 3/4" thick aluminium sides, a UMHW rear and a very shallow, very heavy steel wedge. It is held on with rubber shock mounts and if I can hit it from the side, I can probably rip it off. The bad news is that the Hardcore guys are excellent drivers and totally out manouvered vetran Steve Felk's Plasma.
If I win that, I am at the top of the winner's bracket and virtually assured of medal and will go on to fight whomever gets thru the looser's bracket. the contenders are: Plasma, Damien, Relic (assuming it actually works), Proteus, the Bully and Touro Feather. If I lose to Mitch, I can still fight back into silver or bronze medals fairly easily.
I am most worried about Plasma; it has 1/4" thick Ti armour around a strong aluminium body - Relic hardly scratched the paint! It has a well recessed drum and a 40mm high gap at the back which I can attack to get its wheels and ali body. What do people think; raise the blade to get the (very strong) drum, or keep the blade low to attack both the drum and the rear?
One last development; it seems I bent the 3/4 thick Ti weapon axle! It was causing big problems in the morning so I am now using TO's axle and the difference is amazing; no wobble and I can get the wepon to within a few mm of the floor. Huge thanks to Robert for that! [/b] _________________ Australian 2015 Featherweight champion
UK 2016 Gladiator champion
|
Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:24 pm |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nick
Experienced Roboteer
Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW
|
Thanks guys, Mitch was absolutely unbreakable; I carved some very deep chunks out of the wedge in our first match but the judges just wanted to see a KO. After that match, I found that one of my Victors was missing half its FETs They hadn't melted, they had been knocked right off the PCB by shock damage! I had only one FET remaining on one side of the H bridge and could still drive, so nobody knew.
In the losers bracket, I got to fight Plasma (who beat Relic) and for once the match went to plan, with a lucky hit taking out one drive motor. I beat on Plasma's drum and shell until Steve Felk tapped out. That match cost a Lipo pack as it started to puff and I didn't want another fireball. The final was double elim against Mitch and I lost the first match after the weapon drive cut out, I think from damaged SSRs - they have to be upgraded! Mitch has some pretty cuts in its body and wedge and I have a shiny silver medal!
Next year, I won't go so easy on them... _________________ Australian 2015 Featherweight champion
UK 2016 Gladiator champion
|
Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:16 pm |
|
|
|
|