Midnight Monday 25 May Memorial Day
Makey Robot moves forward and backward after 10 straight hours of work today.
Jeronimo's Mad Science Robot
Bristling with menance, the balloon-popper mechanism stands by for action.
A robot you would not want to meet in a dark alley.
Mechanisms include worm-drive gearbox and turntable gear.
I did not make this, but I wish I had. Jeronimo Hernandez Conde is the mad scientist.
A robot you would not want to meet in a dark alley.
Mechanisms include worm-drive gearbox and turntable gear.
I did not make this, but I wish I had. Jeronimo Hernandez Conde is the mad scientist.
Elephant is FINISHED
Wed 6 May 2009
Heffalumps just rule...
Do's and Don'ts
Heffalumps just rule...
Do's and Don'ts
- Don't attempt to make things bigger than the vise. Multiple parts on multiple pieces of stock is a major pain.
- Must leave more than one diameter clearance -- you need 2 diameters or 1.5 diameters
- This means your raw stock is reduced in size by 2 * diameter of the endmill all the way around, in this case, you lose a quarter inch of the entire perimeter of the stock. (1/8" endmill)
- You cannot contour pointy things
- Do not draw radii that are smaller than the endmill
- The radius on all transitions has to end up being greater or equal to the diameter of the endmill
- Don't use a drawing program that exceeds the CAM program you have -- it doesn't understand polylines, splines, etc.
- It's quicker to get another piece of stock and use the manual mill to prepare it to size than it is to spend hours looking at the screen trying to get all the pieces to fit. Rotation is really not quick in CAD.
- It doesn't work well to draw it big and then scale it down, this is where I got into trouble with all the radius problems
- KEY -- To check if the part will be able to be countoured in the CAM program -- here's whatcha do -- you offset it the diameter of the tool. Radii that are too small will fail to offset.
- I think it would have been faster in the end to pick an endmill size, pick a stock size, and draw it freehand in the CAM program.
Just ain't feelin' this tab...
Monday 4 May 2009 4:00PM
... so I ripped it off.
Damn, this thing is strong like a TANK.
Tab was in the way. Couldn't get the batteries or PCB by it. Test-installation of angle brackets.
Things your CAD program didn't tell you... Also totally SUCK is that the 2x2 batteries DON'T FIT because they hit the 4-40 nuts from the motor mount screws. That extra 0.2 inches was supposed to let those batteries fit. So now the motor to move the sensor doesn't fit either, because I lost 1/2" or so to the batteries.
... so I ripped it off.
Damn, this thing is strong like a TANK.
Tab was in the way. Couldn't get the batteries or PCB by it. Test-installation of angle brackets.
Things your CAD program didn't tell you... Also totally SUCK is that the 2x2 batteries DON'T FIT because they hit the 4-40 nuts from the motor mount screws. That extra 0.2 inches was supposed to let those batteries fit. So now the motor to move the sensor doesn't fit either, because I lost 1/2" or so to the batteries.
44 hours of mad science in three days
Sunday 3 May 2009
4:00AM
And here is the result.
Not bad.
Started Friday evening and finished late Sunday night/early Monday morning, including an all-nighter.
4:00AM
And here is the result.
Not bad.
Started Friday evening and finished late Sunday night/early Monday morning, including an all-nighter.
Bolted motors in and made wheels
Sunday May 3 2009
10:00PM - 2:00 AM
I drilled/filed the mounting holes for the motors and got the motors bolted in.
I then used the LEGO rims and tires and drilled the hubs to mate with the LEGO. BUT, it didn't work, because the nut sticks out too far. Solution would be to tap threads into the hub. BUT, I already drilled the hole too big, plus, I don't have an 8-32 tap.
And, I'm on a mission to GET THE WHEELS ON at all costs, SO, I made different wheels.
I made wheels out of wood using a hole saw.
10:00PM - 2:00 AM
I drilled/filed the mounting holes for the motors and got the motors bolted in.
I then used the LEGO rims and tires and drilled the hubs to mate with the LEGO. BUT, it didn't work, because the nut sticks out too far. Solution would be to tap threads into the hub. BUT, I already drilled the hole too big, plus, I don't have an 8-32 tap.
And, I'm on a mission to GET THE WHEELS ON at all costs, SO, I made different wheels.
I made wheels out of wood using a hole saw.
Calliope PCB Works the First Time
HOT DAMN!!!
Sunday 3 May 9 PM
Applied power to PCB and away it went, playing a tune...
Sunday 3 May 9 PM
Applied power to PCB and away it went, playing a tune...
Built robot body
3:00-7:00 PM
Sunday 3 May 2009
Made a really awesome box and cover for the robot body at Steamboat Ed's shop.
Sunday 3 May 2009
Made a really awesome box and cover for the robot body at Steamboat Ed's shop.
Final Virtual Model of Robot
2:00
3 May 2009
Final configuration of robot. Spent hours trying to shave off 0.2 inches. Really would like robot to be 2.8 inches square (I mean, cube). Finally settled on 3.0 inches though I really hate to have to give up those 0.2 inches.
3 May 2009
Final configuration of robot. Spent hours trying to shave off 0.2 inches. Really would like robot to be 2.8 inches square (I mean, cube). Finally settled on 3.0 inches though I really hate to have to give up those 0.2 inches.
Virtual Assembly
3 May 2009
It was a lot of work to model those parts, and at one point I wanted to throw my computer through the window, but now it seems worth it. The fun part is dropping all the parts onto the screen and moving them around.
It was a lot of work to model those parts, and at one point I wanted to throw my computer through the window, but now it seems worth it. The fun part is dropping all the parts onto the screen and moving them around.
Better Bodies
3 May 2009
Sunday Mahnin
Drew up the robot body the way it will actually be made. Learned about corner flanges in Inventor. Wow, this is really cool.
Sunday Mahnin
Drew up the robot body the way it will actually be made. Learned about corner flanges in Inventor. Wow, this is really cool.
Robot Design Day 2
Saturday May 2 2009
AM - Finished designing, on paper, what the robot's exterior will look like
Afternoon - Rounded up some hardware and looked for parts for the skidder
Evening - Started creating 3-D solid models in Inventor
Here is the model I made of the motors I plan to use.
AM - Finished designing, on paper, what the robot's exterior will look like
Afternoon - Rounded up some hardware and looked for parts for the skidder
Evening - Started creating 3-D solid models in Inventor
Here is the model I made of the motors I plan to use.
Learned to BEND METAL !!!!!!!!!
Friday May 1 - Afternoon
I am so stoked!! Bruce from Dorkbots showed me how to use the finger brake to make a metal box! Evil cackle, rub hands with glee, I am now the master of the universe, bwahahaha! He's created a monster. This means that I can MAKE ROBOT BODIES really easily! Really nice ones. I am so stoked. I have been puzzling over the mysteries of sheet metal for many moons and along comes this really nice guy and not only shows me how to do it, but actually has the patience to actually stand around while I fumble through the entire process!! Wow! Thanks a zillion, Bruce, I owe 'ya. And thanks to Steamboat Ed and his freakin' fantabulous shop.
Here is the box I made.
Tools: Shear, notcher, Whitney punch, finger brake.
This is so awesome I am inclined to create a Instructable or something showing others how to achieve this miraculous result. Well, perhaps if I lie down for a while, the urge will pass.
I am so stoked!! Bruce from Dorkbots showed me how to use the finger brake to make a metal box! Evil cackle, rub hands with glee, I am now the master of the universe, bwahahaha! He's created a monster. This means that I can MAKE ROBOT BODIES really easily! Really nice ones. I am so stoked. I have been puzzling over the mysteries of sheet metal for many moons and along comes this really nice guy and not only shows me how to do it, but actually has the patience to actually stand around while I fumble through the entire process!! Wow! Thanks a zillion, Bruce, I owe 'ya. And thanks to Steamboat Ed and his freakin' fantabulous shop.
Here is the box I made.
Tools: Shear, notcher, Whitney punch, finger brake.
This is so awesome I am inclined to create a Instructable or something showing others how to achieve this miraculous result. Well, perhaps if I lie down for a while, the urge will pass.
Balloon Popping LEGO Robot
Friday May 1 2009 - AM
Jeronimo and I started on our robot for the balloon-popping maze today. I made a destructo weapon to pop the balloons. It's 4 pins pushed through a LEGO tire and then geared a little bit fast. Too much fun!!
Jeronimo and I started on our robot for the balloon-popping maze today. I made a destructo weapon to pop the balloons. It's 4 pins pushed through a LEGO tire and then geared a little bit fast. Too much fun!!
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