Well.... I believe i'll be starting on a new feather weight this school holidays, for various reasons:
>ants are too hard and have no competition.
>have heaps of spare cash and time.
>cataclysm is too limited for an active weapon, but will serve as a good bot until roadkill's finished.

Specs:
Drive: two 100w scooter motors driving 4 wheels via belts.
Weapon: large blowtorch.
Amour: Tire surrounding the bot, with carbon fibre frame to save weight.
Batteries: Series 7.2v rc car batts.

Nice, eh?

Will explain the design when I have more time. Think of a tread with blowtorch!
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Ok, reasons:

Amour: Just as strong as steel at about the same weight (HEAVY!) and it flexes, so the bot bounces before any real damage is done. Yeah, and I also got the idea from the tread vs basilisk fight! + it #$%@'s up saws!

Weapon: Hmmm, blowtorch... Well, it's cool looking, pretty simple and has the potential to do some pretty good damage to both metal and polycarb bots (shame woody wedge isn't being repaired! BURN!!!). Also want to be the first flame weapon featherweight in Aus...

Carbon fibre: Well, I'm not stupid, so I know that tires are REALLY heavy... so for that fact, and for personal curiosity, i'll be using carbon fibre in its construction. I'm hoping they may sponser me alittle, though it's highly unlikely at least until roadkill's built.

The blow torch will be set of with a standard or (if i have too), a high torque servo), pressing on the ignition button.

SAFETY: Well, as everyone knows, blowtorches are pretty dangerous (but so are blades, spinning bars and just about all other robt weapons for that matter), so the servo on the torch will be failsafed, and may end up running it of a relay style controller like in Vincent if you guy's start to sell them! Otherwise will use servo switching. The failsafed servo will also be programmed to turn 180degrees from the blowtorch and activate a 15a microswitch, cutting the bots power.

<<<Questions>>>
just wondering:
> how heavy was tread?
>can you get large pencil shaped blow torches? Will go up to the shops now to find out.

Thanks
Angus
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Could anyone answer these questions and the one's above?
>what would be a suitable blowtorch? I need a large one with either a right angle flame, or a straight blowtorch flame. It needs to be self ignited by a single button.

Thanks
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How many people have read the RFL rules?

quote:

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12.4. Heat and fire are forbidden as weapons. This includes, but is not limited to
the following:
12.4.1. Heat or fire weapons not specifically allowed in the Special Weapons
section 13.6
12.4.2. Flammable liquids or gases
12.4.3. Explosives or flammable solids such as:
12.4.3.1. DOT Class C devices
12.4.3.2. Gunpowder / Cartridge Primers
12.4.3.3. Military Explosives, etc.

---

quote:

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13.6. Heat and Fire [are not] allowed at this event. [Flame weapon rules are
provided as an example: local fire regulations and fire officials will determine what
the specific requirements for flame weapons at a specific event. ]
13.6.1. [If allowed the fuel must exit the robot and be ignited as a gas. It
cannot leave the robot in a liquid or gelled form or use oxidizers.]
13.6.2. [Fuel types allowed are propane, butane or natural gas, the maximum
quantity allowed is 4oz]
13.6.3. [The fuel tank must be as far from the outer armor of the robot as
practicable and be protected from heat sources within the robot ]
13.6.4. [The ignition system must have a remotely operated shut-off that
allows the operator to disable it using the radio control system.]

---

Although It is up to the individual event organiser as to which parts of the rules they wish to enforce...

If Jeff is happy to have Flame-Thrower Robots in his Arena, then hes perfectly free to disregard that portion of the rules (although the other competitors who wish to play at his arena might object, seeing as how he hasnt specifically stated so - thus they didnt know).

Any event that has Public Liability insurance will likely find it a lot harder to get away with allowing Flame-Bots, (although eventually we might find a way), so the RFL rules apply to Sidetracked (and Rye ?) events, and flame-bots are presently not allowed at these events.

Of course, anyone is also free to build anything they like, so if Angus wants to build a flame-bot, he certainly can.. but whether he will be allowed to actually compete with it is another matter. You listening angus ?

Again, I might sound like a girls blouse (or something like that glen ), but flame is not something I would be reccomending that a relatively new builder start tinkering with until they have a lot more experience.

Its kind of hard to fail-safe an out-of-control fire..
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Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people

plus burning your opponents electronics is a big off put for me

Id rather get bludgened to death or nibbled to death by plan b or jolt then have some fire do the damage for em.

Fires dpo look very cool though but im not too fussed in combat, like if what if plan b gets s hit in on it spraying the flammable liquid and the fire hits it, we have a robot or maybe the arena on fire plus the hazard of melting the lexan screenings or whatever.
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

Aw... ok. i thought someone else was planning one... ok, i'll devise another weapon...
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Yeah, it was windhammers build report, but i just noiced "DISCONTINUED" all over it, so. yeah!
Fine, a hammer design i worked out might be the way to go then, it's oversimplified, using a cam instead of overcomplicated mechanisms!
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not to mention myself, jeff, jake, russell, nick, chris and everyone else in robowars would hate your guts if you clouded up the lexan front wall

and after having half my fingers burned this afternoon while taking a video of my torch burning lexan for you angus, you better stay away from those things LOL (dont know why but the bastard thing just blasted backwards up the tube and burnt my fingers)
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

OUCH! Sorry Angus, but yeah, flame weapons are definately out of the question. So many reasons I won`t bother to mention, only that burns are one of the most horrible injuries to recieve.

Nothing to stop you building it for your own satisfaction, but I doubt any event organiser in Aus. would let you use it, personaly, I would forget it and I doubt your parents heard about this one!?

Ok, to start on my new bot. The design for roadkill has changed dramaticaly since the start, but i've almost worked out its final design:
>Drive: 2 x 100w scooter motors with tank steering or 1 x 200w motor with car steering.
>Amour: Blastmatting style rubber or thick, high density rubber over a welded 3mm ali frame with internal supports.

>Weapon: Various. Seeing the success of sorry's and atrax's "multi weapons", i'll be designing roadkill with this specific idea in place. Possible weapons are;
>Large scoop for deflecting spinners.

>REAL thick (10mm) ali plate covered with rubber to absorb spinners blows and protect the robot.
>Saw powered from a car fan motor as an undercutter.
>Wedge
All these weapons will connect to holes drilled in a piece of steel firmly attached to the frame.

>Electrics: Depending of drive setup, either a scooter speed control, or drill controlers. Last option is microswitches.

Reasons;
Well, i've learned ALOT about building robots from cataclysm. Bolted together ali L bracket is NOT a very good way to build a robot. Sure, it's strong when it's first made, but every match sees you losing bolts, and after a while the whole frame becomes flimsy (at this stage i was hit by jolt, resulting in alot of destuction on my part). Therefor i've deducted that the only way you can have a bot that can survive these attacks, WITH an offensive capability, has to be with multi, interchangable weapons and a welded frame.

I'll be starting work on it as soon as i get my scooter drive in.

Help needed:
Welding. Jake offered to help me if i needed anything welded, and roadkill with need its framed welded.

Scooter motors: Can you run them of drill batteries? I know reboot was using them, but was that at 12v or 24v? And how many paks did you guys use?

I hope to get this bot done for the annialator, which i think is in about 6 weeks time.

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hey angus, u can use drill packs, not sure if it was just teh two for 24 volts of two packs in series and parallel to give 24 volts 2.4 amps

depends on weight i guess

For speed copntrolls i think drill controllers with a mixer should work well if done right, Orbits been using them VERY successfully and with failsafing unit Orbit has IBC controll and saftey [pretty much now although its a little heavier and larger than IBC for the price of drill controllers im laughing.

Also if u want i still have scraps saw blade system with ev supplement style motor and at 24 volts that things rediculousy crazy. wasnt yoru dad against dangerous spinning weopons though?

Good luck and if u ened any bits and bobs feel free to ask as i have scrap material and a heap of drill nicads and what not
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

He is, but after yesterday, he kinda changed his mind. I told him i'd be really careful, and not power up the weapon with the blade still attached until i've got it all sorted out. I've been thinking that i don't rally want this rc car anymore, so we probably could trade it.
By the way, if your control is safe, why did it go aout of control yesterday?
Also, isn't that blade way off center now?
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ok,

im sure the blade isnt off centre no, its just a little bent sideways which taking off and a good hammering can straighen.

Orbit lost controll yesterday on a mix of small stuff ups which i did not notice

On my failsafe there is a set button in which u get servo where u want and push set and it will failsafe to that location, well either myself or from being cable tied to mixer must have bumped it and thus it wouldnt failsafe to the right position and thus kill the power also in my match against Co-Bra the wedge fell off (darn screws didnt bite enough) and the reciever pack came loose thus disconnecting power which left everythiong still operational and with failsafe on the fritz it left everything acting crazy.

All ill say is HAIL TO TREAD for the save there and i shall hose camp reciever pack in instead of lousy loose cable ties and i realised how to fix it straight after the match but meh.

Its all good. It wont ever happen again i promise u that
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

OK, here's the oatley purchase list for my bot. If anyone thinks i'll need anything extra from here please tell me so i don't have to order twice!

>One 200w scooter motor -$30

>One 350w-capable scooter speed control -$24

>Two Chain and Sprocket Sets (one for spare) -$12 ea ($24 for two)

>postage = $9.50

So that's $85.50 all up.
tis pricy, but i'll live
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