Visit some other builder's sites: Steven Nelson's
TeamKiss.Com and Ted
Zeiger & Pete Covert's
TeamCosmos.com
are both excellent starting places.
Build an Antweight (1 lb) first: a competitive antweight robot can be built
for under $100.00. Small radio-controlled toys make an excellent
platform for a first robot.
PArticipate in other Robotic Sports: middle school students can look into the FIRST
Lego League, a competition for school-sponsored teams. High school
students can participate in the FIRST
and Botball
competitions, also for school-sponsored teams.
Spending your bot money:
You get what you pay for. There is a fine line between
"inexpensive" and cheap.
Know what you're buying, and know why you are buying it. Think
before spending your money - can you afford to buy a replacement if the item
you are considering does not work out?
Don't skimp on your radio or speed controllers - these are the most
crucial parts of your bot. A good radio can be used for years, as can
good ESC's.
Buy the best quality tools you can afford. Some quite good tools can
be had at very reasonable prices from places like Harbor Freight, Grizzly,
etc, but if you can afford better BUY IT.
Industrial surplus is your friend. You can get a lot of quality bot
components from industrial surplus dealers, manufacturers' surplus sales
outlets, etc. Keep point 2 in mind while shopping a surplus dealer.
Designing and Building:
Do the most complete design you can. CAD software is an effective
tool, if you have it or can get it. "Cardboard-aided Design"
is a cheap and effective alternative - cut the pieces of your bot out of
cardboard and fit them together. The more you know about how your bot
will be assembled the easier the fabrication will be.
Keep your design as simple as it can be. This does not mean to build
only simple bots: it means that you should not add anything to a design that
is not there to make it stronger, faster, or better in some definite way.
A well-executed simple design is often a lot cooler than a design so
complicated that its hard to execute.
Neatness counts! You don't score any match points for this, but a
clean, well organized interior and an exterior with good fit and finish will
help you in the arena, and get you some "Style points" in the form of
admiration by your fellow builders.
Design a bot that is easy to repair: you will often need to make repairs
in a hurry.
Remember to allow for the wiring harness. The wiring inside a bot
always seems to take up a LOT more space than you'd think.
Don't use sheet metal screws, pop rivets and the like for assembly - use
quality bolts and machine screws. If your bot has a frame, weld the
frame members together.
Standardize on a single fastener size if possible. Fewer different
sizes == easier repairs.
Set screws are bad news. Rotating parts should be secured to shafts
with keys or keyless bushings (i.e. TranTorque, Shaftloc etc.).
Pins are almost as bad as setscrews.
If your bot is dynamically stable in some position, you will end up
in that position, no matter how unlikely it seems. Design your bot so
you can get back on your wheels from any orientation.
Any electrical connection that can come loose will. All electrical
connections need to be positively secured. Friction fits that
"feel tight enough" are not.
LOCTITE products are your friends. If a bolt or machine screw
is intended to be "permanent", LOCTITE it using the appropriate
LOCTITE product.
Design your bot so changing radio frequencies is as fast and easy as
possible. You will often be called upon to switch to a different
frequency at the last minute.
Competing:
Driving: practice, practice, practice. The bot needs to become an
extension of your body. Matches are won and lost when a driver looks
away from the bots for a split second.
Show up on time with your bot complete and ready to run. Passing safety on
the first try should be the norm, not an exception. Arriving
early and passing safety well before the start of combat gives you time to
relax and socialize with the rest of the competitors.
After a fight IMMEDIATELY service the robot. Just because it
looks fine on the outside does not mean everything is fine on the inside.
The time to find this out is right after your previous fight, not just before
your next one, or worse, in the arena.
Have at least 2 sets of batteries, more if possible. You may not
have time to fully recharge batteries between fights.
Bring spares for everything. Since this can add a lot to the cost,
standardize wherever possible on parts commonly used by other
builders. This will make it easier to get an emergency replacement
part if you run out of spares.
Keep your pit area clean and well organized. You don't want to be
searching for a critical part or tool for 10 minutes when you only have 20
minutes between fights.
Label your tools. All Makita/DeWalt/Bosch etc. power tools look
alike.
Be civil. The other competitors are your best resource at any
competition. Most will cheerfully lend you tools, give advice and
assistance, and do whatever else is in their power to help you out if you
ask nicely. Just remember that everyone is under pressure, just like
you are, and might be busy with their own robots.
Pay close attention to the event staff and treat them with respect.
They are under a lot of pressure, too.
The Teams
