Rad 2.0 Mech Warrior #3 Air Soft And Nerf Missiles

jstarne1

USA

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#1  

Airsoft guns and electronic nerf darf launcher came in today! Well 2 of the airsoft guns there are two more coming. User-inserted image

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#2  

Each robot will have a front and back target panel which will register hits from airsoft and dart fire! Panel s are 4" x 4" and unobstructed by any kind if limbs or shields.

#3  

User-inserted image The rad 2.0 arrived today! First thing I know I must mod is cutting out the cup holder. This is so I have room for a larger battery and additional electronics :)

#4  

Woohoo all 4 cyber airsoft electric automatic guns are here! They hold 1500 bbs for each hopper if one robot had 4 guns thats 6000 rounds without a reload:) I must check rules on this but if its not allowed I will keep 2 guns as spare parts.

#6  

Quad gun . Dual wielding with ten dart launcher in the chest User-inserted image Dual guns w ten dart launcher User-inserted image

#7  

Thanks to gunner this robot will get the ir filter removed from the ez robot cam whenever I get my shipment of ezb equipment. I have 4 cams on the way. The two lights thst are on the side of rad robots head im going to use for ir illumination with several ir leds in each one.

#9  

My RAD needs nurf guns now! 3 shots are not enough. Airsoft guns on a RAD is a great idea! Lucky I have 2 RAD robots to play with. Now to order more EZ-Robot boards! I need to finish my humanoid first, and I aready started on an android using an Elvis alive head. So much fun with robots. Make sure you post some RAD pictures!

#10  

You should give yours gun arms lol. On ebay these guns are 20 dollars each and run on 6v fully electric. Also the nerf swarm is 20 dollars too. It would be awesome to start a trend of miniature warfare ez robots lol. Just remove the arms cut a knotch for a servo on each side for up and down aiming and use screws to attach the airsoft toy gun directly to the servo. Easy beans!

#11  

6V power sonic batteries came in. Im not sure why I ordered these... oh ok the rad robots electronics. Anyways they are here when I needs them. User-inserted image

#12  

Very cool project jstarne1!

I look forward to seeing video's of it. I trashed my AR drone but after I perfect my robotic skills on the ground, I'm going to repair my drone and equip it with a cannon of some sort. I believe the gear box of those airsoft guns are under 185 grams?

Here's a video of a projectile using a hydrogen chloride fuel source. It's initiated by an ultra violet LED. I would replace replace the glass tube with plastic.

Click To Watch Video

#13  

Thanks buddy. Tommorow this rad robot gets some mods. I will post pics. Hopefully before the days end I will have the gun arms aiming

#14  

Ok first step on my list was to make more room by swiftly removing the cupholder to fit larger batteries. User-inserted image

Filling a inside and outside curve is too difficult to do at once so I taped it off and did one half User-inserted image

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Ok done! Just need to peel off the rest of the tape and the hole is filled and also follows the three body lines already there.

#15  

Next I wanted to fill the large empty arm holes that are unsightly and I also need a good surface to mount servos for the mini gun tilt in each side. User-inserted image

User-inserted image Ok so the shoulders have been filled in with abs plastic

#16  

User-inserted image Lucky me the mechanics are all left contained in this

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#17  

Wow, it is really coming along. And looking good.

#18  

My problem at the moment is somthing on this one robot is causing any paint or even sealer to wrinkle bad. Im going to sand all the way down to bare plastic and clean it. :/

#19  

Ok I started sanding between late last night and today this is what ive done... User-inserted image

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#20  

I will need to get the little edges by hand. Electric sanders are a a gift from god I tell you. If you dont have one get one!

United Kingdom
#21  

hi josh

It sounds like youy've got some silicon contamination on the robot . Maybe the grease from the gearbox . that stuff can get everywhere . It's like a gift that keeps on giving. Just a guess , A good clean with white spirit may help.

Steve_C.

#22  

You may be right. Every other robot has not had this problem. I will have it sanded and cleaned soon its just a pain to his a stag like this.

United Kingdom
#23  

sure is a pain , i had silicon contam in my spray gun once took a week of cleaning to get rid all together.

In your case you may have used a cloth to wipe the robot down that has some grease on it , It only needs a very small spot to create havok with you paint work.

Steve_C.

#24  

Hopefully I will have the first coat of paint for the camouflage on it like tommorow or wed

#25  

If anyone else is in the ATL area, we could build airsoft battle bots for small wars. Nothing too dangerous, I want to keep my robots safe.

#26  

Oh nice! Im in TN just a couple hours away from Atlanta. That would be cool. I think brett is going to do one too. Know anyone else that would make one in the area?

#27  

@mcdaver my lil bro said airsoft leagues here count the robot as a tank. Whats neat is a tank in airsoft can only be taken out with a nerfgun of some sort because airsoft is small arms fire. Just like a pistol cannot take out a real tank.

Tiny update I sanded both the base and head with 60 grit and sprayed flat green on as a primer and there is so far zero wrinkle. I honestly think its a bad batch of pink krylon paint that has a bad reaction to itself and any other color. I even tried spraying pink from the same can on and it wrinkled in any place it got wet. Anyways.... I used rustoleum my favorite brand and it went on smooth. I forgot to sand the top of the base with 400 grit first so it came out......lets say....textured lol. No problem I hit it with 400 and now I believe its ready for paint. User-inserted image

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#28  

The last picture is of the base after I wet sanded it with 400. Its still damp so ill check and see if its good for paint in daylight tommorow.

#29  

I have a few 1/6 scale tanks that would be great in a airsoft/ nurf battle. What else is in the battle besides tanks?

#30  

Well in mech battles only rc vehicles with airsoft or nerf weapons. But my little bros airsoft league where you are agianst other people. A rc vehicle of anykind including a robot is a rc tank. It would be fun to shoot kids lol

#31  

Okay great news! I got the cam working on my personal mech warrior outfitted rad 1.0. The area where the speaker was once apon a time looked like a great place to start. Pulling out the dremel and held my breath ( with safety glasses) I gutted the inside of the head cutting out posts and mounts where the speaker was. Then I cut out the grill. The great news is the robo trechotomy worked! (Hope I spelled that right its 4am) User-inserted image

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Alright great news! Even though the cam is tucked up under the chin it does not interfere with the view of the cam. Here is an example.... User-inserted image

#32  

I picked up supplies. Crazy snake skin camo paint coming soon to a robot near me User-inserted image

#34  

Thanks brett! I got a call from Dhl today. They had my street and apt number right but sent it somewhere else in tn. They said they will correct it and have it to me soon. Dusty needs a brain asap. Awesome news by the way. The swarm 10 automatic gun. Has yellow covers on each side which come off with two screws from the inside. Once removed there is a cool bulls eye type pattern cut out and a perfect side flat circle with hole in the center that can screw directly to a servo to be a arm! How cool is that right?

#35  

Here is some picks of my 10 shot gun im using to replace the chest gun. There is a 20 shot version that is basically the same. User-inserted image

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#37  

Here are pics of the 20 shot version the internals look the same but barrel is larger. You can see the round ring the same size as a round servo horn making it perfect as a gun arm direct servo attachment. User-inserted image

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User-inserted image The swarm 10 is a little over a pound and swarm 20 is nearly 2 pounds which is light enough to connect directly to a servo.

#38  

My original idea is to put one minigun on each side and rockets in the center but im starting to think I might put two miniguns on the right and a nerf launcher on the left. Fortunately this is changable at any time. Simple as screwing in a different arm. The rad suites beginner class because it uses treads but the advanced level we must have a robot that walks with 4 , 3 or 2 legs. I am a beginner roboticist so im keeping it simple till I get some good electronics and programming experience under my belt.

#39  

No 6 legged robots? A man invented a cool 6 legged toy robot that can walk what ever direction its head faces. He has different guns to mount on the robots head. Building a larger one of these for nerf and airsoft battles would be cool. His toy comes out in England this Fall and might be next year before the USA sees it. He printed parts for and built a large one to play with at home and show off at cons.

#40  

6 legged robots are allowed in pro bracket but the rules indicate that legs cannot be connected together or be mechanically driven by a cam. Each leg must be independent from others and have their own motors or servos for each leg. Its also at least 30 percent more cost. The 4 legged robots can cost a lot. Needing 12 servos just for legs. Lol I should gear up a roboquad with nerf launcher and airsoft gun and compete. Technically it meets the requirements I believe lol...

#41  

Ok I been working non stop for two hours sanding the torso parts and cutting to get the nerf launcher to fit inside the chest. I had to cut a large hole in the back to make it happen. User-inserted image

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#42  

User-inserted image Trying to get some ideas on if I will leave the rotating 10 shot barrel black or if I will make it match the rest of the body.

#43  

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User-inserted image While doing the chest I ran out of brown! What?! Flat paint does not go far. I still need to base coat the weapons and the torso tilt mechanism.

#44  

Careful with face tracking after you arm your robot! This project is so cool. I always wanted a robot tank with airsoft guns. I may make one of my RAD robots in to a battle tank. Looks like the camera in the lower part of the robots head will give you a good view and protect the camera at the same time. The chest cannon going all the way though the body just adds more cool to the robot. This makes the cannon look even more powerful and huge.

#45  

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User-inserted image 99 percent of the paint went on great. There were tight corners I didnt get all the pink paint out of and the brown lifted agian. So I need to sand just that area and respray. I need to get more brown rustoleum tommorow.

#46  

@mcdaver. Thanks man! The new chest cannon is rediculous in comparison to the original lol.

Canada
#47  

@mcsdaver I saw those videos as well... Jaimie Mantzel knows how to build a robot:) I posted on one of his videos about him possibly using EZ-Robot to control his spiderbots... not sure if he saw the post?

@Josh I love that the massive gun in the chest... Now I have to come up with something for my RAD body as well :D

#48  

@Gunner He does know how to build a cool robot. Kids would have no trouble controlling his 6 legged robots in a battle with other robots. Super easy control and it goes where you want it to. I would love to build one like his and add EZ Robot to it. It walks over toys like a champ. Plus you can aim and fire while walking. To do any better than his would take lots of servos and programming and more than 10 times the cost. I would only be building my own as I would want it bigger to handle the EZ Robot board, camera and added fun. His could handle sensors and relays to make a light seeker type robot and lots more fun. I will get one when they reach the USA.

#49  

Alright for this project I will need two h bridges. I planned to use the l298n h bridge. One is going to run the tracks and other will drive the nerf cannon and machine guns. I think I need to order a few of them because one I need to use for dusty anyways. So I need three l298n controllers. I picked up more brown paint tonight so I can paint the torso and the guns as well. Im note sure if I will have time to do the next step.... the snake skin but we will see.

#50  

Alright here we go! Im attempting the snake skin pattern on the head. Im letting it dry overnight and well see the results User-inserted image

#51  

The natural imitation im going for here is Desert Diamondback rattle snake.... User-inserted image

#52  

THat is going to look wicked! What are you using for the webbing?

#54  

Dude! I never knew...don't ask, don't tell. Good idea, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

#55  

Ok heres the results of the first test..... User-inserted image

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#58  

Ok im starting to wrap all of the robot for the snake skin texture paint job tommorow. Here are the pics. User-inserted image

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User-inserted image The parts are ready for the khaki paint and then I will tape off some diamonds and stencil those in to add to the diamond back theme.

#59  

Tiny update - the cameras and servos I ordered came in today! Soon I will be doing the IR filter removal mod to enhance the cameras light sensitivity in regular and low light conditions. Also I ordered 4 brushed electronic speed controllers rated at ten amps. The robot will not draw half that even at stall.

#60  

What is cool about this pattern is if you spray like 5 light coats it builds up thick and when uou pull the net off it literally feels and looks physically textured.

Canada
#61  

Your bot looks all gussied up for a hot night on the town :P

#62  

Yes and good news is my robot is cheap , easy and wearing fishnets tonight

#63  

that is looking so awesome!

#64  

Those scales look awesome on that RAD head! It looks so ... Snakey!

#65  

Thanks brett. And holy cow kkeast! B I haven't seen you post in forever.

Ok so I am over here at julies and she asked me to bring a project. I put the first coat of khaki on and im waiting for it to dry User-inserted image

#66  

First set in previous pic is drying overnight.... heres the rest of the robot body parts. User-inserted image

#67  

Man I can't wait to see this paint job completed.

#69  

I sprayed a mild amount of clearcoat to protect then paint. I ran out sonim going back the the store. I hokd the cann or2 ft away to make sure the finish doesn't gloss over and make it look glassy..

Canada
#70  

That looks very nice... suits it's purpose as a battle bot!

#72  

Thanks guys! I was going to maybe make it more complicated but it looks cook like this. I think I will get stencils tonight and stencil on ez robot somewhere.

#73  

That looks pretty sick. :D nice job.

#74  

Tiny update. Parts get several coats of clear to attempt to protect the stencils and snake skin pattern. I will do detailed stickers to add a military effect to the theme. I will clear over those too I believe... User-inserted image

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#75  

Next step I assemble the parts to see how I like the look. I will post pictures of this as well :)

#76  

First time ive had it back together since I took it apart a couple weeks ago :)

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#77  

Sneak peak of what guns on it might look like:) User-inserted image

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Canada
#78  

Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply.

You now have 15 seconds to comply.

You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9.

You have 5 seconds to comply.

Four... three... two... one... I am now authorized to use physical force!

#79  

Your sentence is death.... pew pew ... pew pew. 'Merica

#80  

I thought about putting the smiley emoticon right in the center of the base

Canada
#81  

Haha... I have the same idea... only using the EZ-Robot style icon (but on it's side) on the Glacis Plate of my Gunnerator... was just working out how to do a clean trace... but just went freehand in the end :)

Canada
#82  

Guess I should have read your post slower :P... I though you might be using the smiley face from Watchmen (I had that image on a paintball gun many years ago - minus the bullet hole)... but after reading your post again, I think we had the exact same idea :P

#85  

Looks like he is ready for battle! Ready to take down the enemy!

#86  

Lol Thanks guys! Looks like the majority of the paint job is done and next its time to start putting in servos and batteries ;)

#87  

User-inserted image Customized the usb ez cam reciever for this bot because I have so many User-inserted image Also color coated the ez cam itself so it matches and if I remove the cam I dont get them mixed up User-inserted image

#89  

Now build a small city for them to battle in!

#90  

@mcsdaver. Man dont give me any ideas lol. My mom already suggested that. I believe we will get measurements and layouts of mech warfare competition and build them from plywood. If these robots perform well maybe we will go to the trossen mech warefare competition which I believe is in Nevada. The good news is flights there are super cheap because they want people to come gamble in las vegas.

I need to put a order in for another 2 ez robot boards for these robots as the one thats on its way is intended for Dusty

Canada
#91  

Keep this up and DJ will be able to retire on your purchases alone :)

Have you tried running multiple wireless cams simultaneously yet? As they all run in the 2.4GHz range then there is typically 4 channels... since the units do not list the frequency's/channels they use, then they must auto select or manually pushing the button for a second (which does pause the stream) must switch channels. I am curious on how the receiver knows which channel to pick up though?

#92  

Ez Cam is binded by a 10 digit serial number address , I assume similar to an IP address but directly bound to the usb reciever. I dont believe multiple cameras will cause any interference because they are low power. Under 1mw output from the transmitter.

Canada
#93  

Cool... and how did you find that out? I haven't yet determined the manufacturer of these cams.

It wasn't the power I thought would interfere, rather the shared frequency as do other 2.4 wireless cams I have seen or used. My trucks backup cam (when broadcasting) can show up on my VEX wireless cam receiver if I don't have a closer signal for it to snag... or I get cross signal if they are similar power. Same way my trucks backup monitor picks up the VEX camera signal (on a certain channel) or nearby security cams as I sit in a parking lot:) Haven't tested yet all that with the EZ-Cam

My VEX camera is the only one I have that has a selectable channel switch... I think the EZ-Cam has a logic controlled selection based on the touch switch, but obviously cant test that without a 2nd:) Let me know what you discover.

#94  

Thats a great point Gunner. The cameras you have they are bleeding video signal is called spectrum overlap. All RF devices are subject to this. Even if a cam operated at 2.4 ghz in reality its much more specific. I will make up a fictitious number.... say is operated at 2.4 ghz and had 5 selectable channels. The channels would be 2400 mhz -2420 mhz 2420 mhz - 2440 mhz 2440 mhz - 2460 mhz 2460 mhz. -2480 mhz 2480 mhz - 2500 mhz

A channel is a selectable frequency range of transmission. The video signal is modulated in a analog constant wave without any encoded camera designation. Anything that is tuned to this frequency will recieve that video transmission. When you get video signal from somthing else that signal is transmitting within that frequency range AND must either be physically closer or higher trasmission power. Devices you must manually select a channel on are especially sensitive to interference but these are also cheaper products.

Ok now here is the difference! A serialized or ip based 2.4 ghz device is smarter and avoids interference. They usually have many channels they can hop on automatically. 16 channels is the number many routers use. Then on that frequency they are Modulated into encoded data. Those packets are delivered at.the rate in portion to frames per second. Even if two devices are on the same channel the frame rate may drop some from interference but will still operate because the reciever can pick out the encoded video transmission based on the serial number of the tramsmitter that the reciever is paired with. If signal starts to be compromized a ip or serialized rx can hop channels to find better connection integrity.

Long story short every rf device receives interference but binded devices are a little better at ignoring similar 2.4 ghz devices within operating range.

#95  

Thats why several ez cams can be on the same robot or several other robots and operate properly.

Canada
#96  

Thanks Josh... even though that's my job (installing terrestrial wireless networks) I didn't think about it that way... I deal mostly with Motorola Canopy systems... they use 2.4 and 5.4 with proprietary colour codes and IDs for the client/master links. Your description of serialized link makes sense... just not something I expected with such an affordable camera. I have only played around with the cheap VEX and backup cameras, so always learning :)

#97  

No problem gunner. I work for a T-mobile / Dueche Telecom a global wireless provider and in short that is how cell phones and wireless broadband devices work.. Ironically im just the sales guy :)

#98  

My roomate repaired motorola radios in the airforce and many law enforcement agencies use the motorola radio systems. He is trying to find a job right now aparently in the radio field their is not nearly as much demand as one would think. Now hes looking to switch to the energy industry.

#99  

@gunner I realized I did not really answer one of your questions. You asked how the tx and rx know to change channels (and to the same one at that) The answer is more simple that one would think. The Transmitter doesn't hop frequency. It broadcasts on on full frequency range it operates in. The reciever just hops to get better reception when and if needed. Some systems have two way radio communications but in this case I dont believe that is a feature.

#100  

Take a looks at this modified nerf blaster. Just removed side panels and cut the handle off. User-inserted image

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#101  

He's looking wicked cool Josh! But how about Jarvis?

#102  

Jarvis has been on the back burner this week. Last night I had sniffles and a cold so I took plenty of nitequile and crashed. I will be molding the front speakers on jarvis next I believe. That and installing the shoulder brackets onto the arms.

#103  

Tonight I started to paint darts to match the air cannons camo. I am not worried about the snake skin details on such a small area. They are only being painted khaki. Also I noticed painting darts is difficult because they are so light they roll around just from light wind from a paint can. User-inserted image

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#104  

This may make them harder to find in the grass. lol Someone needs to build a robot that collects the darts and brings them back. lol Not too hard on a solid white hard floor. Not close to easy outside.

#105  

Lol the khaki really doesn't blend into grass and the rear tip will still be bright orange which usually sticks straight up in the grass. Loosing darts is par for the course though with nerf guns. I bought 100 pack so I will have plenty..

#106  

Ok tiny update. Im waiting on brushed motor controllers from china to try out because they have a built in bec for things like the ez cam @ 5v 1amp for each controller. There are two on a tank driven robot. User-inserted image

Once these arrive I will also install the shoulder servos but till then I will put this bot on the back burner.

#107  

I ended up painting the darts individually because they rolled around to much. We will see how they look in the morning.

#108  

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Not only do the darts match the robots color but they are heavier and stiffer meaning they will fly straight.

#109  

Mua ha ha It looks so menacing I love it. I Inserted ten of the painted darts which look like they match well but wow this gatlin gun sticks out. There is no hiding it for sure! User-inserted image

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#110  

Yeah, that's a monster! But man does it look menacing.

#111  

Impressive work @jstarne1, I am truely amazed. This is supposed to play in a battle game if I understood correctly?

It reminds me of ED-209 from Robocop. ;)

I too have a R.A.D 1.0 sitting in the box waiting for my next EZ-B purchase. I want to get rid of the original toy arms (it's actually a big gripper, not really two arms) and equip it with a couple 6DF robot arms from here. I also designed a small circuit to drive 8 LEDs, which I'm gonna place inside the head - It's actually a couple enhancements on top of this kit.

But seeing the guns in your robot's shoulders made me think. Your twin weapon design looks very attractive. I might want to incorporate your idea into my design (if the royalties are not too high.) ;)

I may want to ask for your assistance in providing some more details on your project, if that's alright with you?

Good work, it's looking extremely good.

#112  

Sure im happy to help. Just start a build thread and be sure to give your bot project a cool name. Thanks for the compliments! Im a robot- mad scientist lol

#113  

You're really good at it, man. ;)

#114  

These guys are constructed within compliance of trossen robotics mech wars competition in beginner and open class. Not only can they compete there but many airsoft clubs count this as an armed ROV which is a remote controlled tank or robot. Plus we can just play outdoors in the yard agianst other robots. Im doing a robot for my brother with the same gun arms which can compete too. That build is a seperate thread.

#115  

I can tell you are really hooked ;)

I never heard of such competitions with toy robots equipped with nerf guns. This sounds like a lot of fun!

I found yor gun idea so neat and it looked so good in your robot, that I am thinking of ways to do the same thing in my RAD (while still having both 6DF arms installed).

Hopefully I am gonna start working on my first robot this weekend - I'm converting my Wall-E U-Command to work under EZ-B control, just to get my feet wet. I am just gonna install the standard kit, nothing else (perhaps I'll also put a simple battery monitor, the way I explained in @Gunner's thread, to test the ADC).

I'm also gonna see if I can manage to have the EZ-B trigger the original electronics board to make him say the stock phrases under PC control (I might need to get that oscilloscope). If not, then I'll buy the MP3 Trigger board sometime later.

#116  

Funny you mentioned ed 209 , thats what inspired all this to begin with. Im looking at building a version of him after I get the other robots going. User-inserted image

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I ran accross this 5 finger hand kit that is brutal

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#117  

@wmeoke hey just get the mp3 player board they are worth it.

#121  

The legs picture is from a member on trossens forum that cnc custom cuts brackets for servos. I cannot imagine it being able to carry much unless all high torque servos were used. Then maybe it could sport a 5 or 6 pound body and arms:) it looks very cool and I am a tiny bit obsessed with ed 209. It would be cool to make my own functional version of ed209 with airsoft guns and first person view.

#122  

Give him voice commands that makes him track and warn whoever he sees and then starts his count down. Warning you to drop your weapon! Act like he is out of control!

#123  

Quick dumb question: what's the difference between airsoft guns and nerf guns? Are they just the same? confused

#124  

Airsoft guns shoot rubber or plastic BBs. Some shoot many per second. Do not shoot yourself or anyone with these guns. They hurt. Nurf guns are safe.

#125  

Actually airsoft is made to shoot people , its a safe alternative to paintball or. Metal bb guns.

#126  

I would not shoot a child with an airsoft gun. Maybe my guns shoot harder than yours. I would love to have an airsoft tank. Someone made a very cool robot spider. He called it the best toy in the universe. I would love to mount an airsoft gun on a larger robot spider. Rapid fire for the win.

#127  

Yes rapid fire for the win lol. The airsoft weapons that we are using are only rated for 120 fps but my little brother has a sniper airsoft rifle that is over 700fps which breaks skin. I understand your concern for sure. I am only using weapons with a safe rating.

Update: great news is the rc speed controllers arrived as well as the high torque servos from dj so I can get the two mech warrior bots moving very soon. ! :D

Now I must cut out mounting positions for 5 servos and start all the wiring. This will be fun! Time to warm up the soldering iron.

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#128  

Hi Justin,

I find your posts on this a treat and am eager with anticipation to see him fire his first missile!

#129  

Hi guys. I was distracted for a couple weekends setting up the large high priority pieces of the smart salt water tank project. Now back to bots. Tonight we are working on the mech warrior beginner level bots. Here you can see i installed two high torque servos in slots i cut in each shoulder blank i glued in place earlier this month. User-inserted image

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#130  

Looking cool. Hope to see it shooting soon.

#131  

Ya me too! If i can i will have it shooting in a couple days. In to the point of installation of equipment now.

#132  

Hey Josh, are you going to use the original tilting mechanism to get him to bend at the waist? Do you think it will be strong enough with the additional weight?

#133  

The tilt can handle a basketball driving outside in uneven terrain. The basketball being carried at the end of the arms.

#134  

I may replace tilt with a good servo. Here's the 10 amp speed controllers installed. In debating using 12 volt on the drive motors for way better torque and speed since this is a competitive robot. User-inserted image

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These are the controllers i picked up for 20 dollars for a pair.

#135  

I know it flies with 12 volts with the gear selector on high speed!

#136  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHLwNJdj4r8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I tested the base at 12v. One size seems to have a problem and makes horrible noises at times. When i inspect the garbled things look fine. I believe the pinion is spinning on the shaft at high throttle. I put a dab of superglue on it and we will see that holds tomorrow.

#138  

If it doesn't , no worries. I will buy lock tite for rc racing motors. Before doing that however i may consider upgrading to higher voltage / torque motors.

#139  

Team starnes gets the first shirt made . This is a tester. If I like it I will have a better one made and add ezrobot logo . User-inserted image

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#141  

Thanks bret! Im still trying to figure out whats happenning in this gearbox. I took it out agian today to play with and noticed that one side still sounds like the pinion breaks loose or something. Now it just makes a spinning noise and nothing moves. Really weird. So I may need to get lock tight for plastic pinions to hold this little guy one. In the mean time im looking to buy spare rad base for the gearboxes just in case this one gives me problems.

#142  

Tiny update : Its my Birthday! Woop woop! Besides that awesome news dispite a drop of ca on the pinion it still broke loose and spun freely . :/ I may need to rough up the shaft with 60 grit and put lock tite on there. Up until the pinion breaks loose everything runs smooth. I may switch to a l298n motor driver because I don't like the constant armed beep /tone from these controllers..

#143  

Happy Birthday and I hope you can get it running smooth again!

#146  

Alright new mabuchi motors came in. Here is a side by side view. Just turning the shaft I could imagine these guys have tons more torque. Being a larger motor with lower rpm range I will most likely keep the rad base in high gear and there should not be any reason to use low gear with motors like this.. User-inserted image

#147  

The shaft does appear to be a little thicker but only by a hair. If I needed I could drill out the original pinions or maybe heat the tip of the shaft and slide the pinion on that way. Any suggestions?

#148  

Do you have any motors out of an omnibot base? I found those pinions are a good match and they will fit that shaft perfectly. I would be cautious about heating up the shaft. Drilling the others out may work, but my fear is the reason the one is slipping is because it is cracked (very hard to see) so drilling wouldn't help on that one.

Just my two cents.

#149  

Hey guys , I have been feeling better since that funk I had. Wow I was drained all the time! Well I found the kryptonite that was zapping my strength and I'm back at it;) while catching up in laundry I pulled out my air soft not and took the base off. After putting a little mad scientist together with a bit of my inner junkyard warrior I started cutting.... I also tighten the treads up by making the wheelbase longer. User-inserted image Before pic... Saggy flabby treads. Dang these guys need a gym membership. User-inserted image Here I compare the donor base and original. My challenge is I could not just cut it in half. There is a wheel and mount dead center and 5 wheels on each side..... I scratched my head a bit.. Pulled out a sharpie.. And started tracing around the mounts and wheel hub. User-inserted image Ta DA! OK I am not even close to done but I really held my breath on this one because millimeters matter for alignment of the parts . User-inserted image I used square dowels and some super glue to use as a temp brace to ensure the base doesn't shift while I'm filling the gap from the cuts. User-inserted image Once the dowels were firm I brushed in epoxy , about 2 ounces worth of permatex. I used masking tape to keep the epoxy from running through until it hardened enough to peel the tape off. I always found the tape comes off easy before it completely hardened while it is still having the exothermic curing reaction from the hardener. User-inserted image

User-inserted image Woo baby . that tread fits on tight now! No more flabby slack like in the first pictures. I believe this will solve my derailment issue. All the motors are still stock but I do still have these huge motors I bought on eBay... User-inserted image I'm going to see how well this quad gearbox works with the original motors but I cannot help but wonder if I should upgrade all 4 to the monsters I have ;). That's all for tonight - Josh Starnes

#150  

Looks like loads of fun. I hope it works like you want it to.

#151  

THat is a fantastic Frankenbotmod. I really like how you added the 2nd gearbox. It is going to be awesome!

#152  

This is why I bought the extra rad robots for parts. I may not even need to use the bigger motors with this 4wd track setup. I am going to be strapped for room so I am considering using a 3s 11.1v turnigly lipo for power and a step down converter for the 6v needed for the arm servos and guns.

@ Bret thanks man!

#153  

Great news! The two ezb for the mech warrior's and the replacement chip for my older ezb arrived today! I believe from now on I'll start wearing a static strap which I usually don't do. User-inserted image

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#155  

Hey I stopped when I moved seems like it takes a month to unpack everything! Parts and tools are in different boxes from moving. The body is near done I just need to mount EZB , wire the two servos and one 6v trigger for the air soft guns. Then lastly I need to mount a battery somewhere. Its pretty close ;). I will see if I can spend some time on it this evening.

#157  

OK now that I'm moved and makerfaire approaching its time to mount a battery and start wiring the ezb. I picked up headphone jacks and headphone plugs to make a custom charger plug for the robots. This way they can charge between battles and demonstrations. Here's the parts I picked up to finish the wiring. User-inserted image

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On the to do list today

  • mount a 6 volt battery
  • wire the two gun arm servos together so they move in sync. -wire a tip 120 to power the air soft gun motors to fire -screw the arms on the shoulder servos
  • wire in the second set of motors for more torque at 6 volts.
  • wire camera to turn on with ezb
  • wire the charge port and toggle switch in the base.
#158  

Alright since my brothers robot is close to testing full function I started back on mine. I used a dremel to carefully cut the battery box area out of the air soft gun to expose the back of the drive motor for the compression chamber. This is where we connect the power which triggers the guns to fire. Also I must mount the battery and ezb somewhere. We have two days but we are still on schedule to have things show ready on Friday. Here's the gamepads I'm picking up from best buy.. User-inserted image

#159  

Nice! Josh I wish you all the best of luck. I only wish Gunslinger Bob was there to do battle with you. We will meet in the future....mua ha ha

#160  

Thanks Bret, we are working to make sure this will be a interesting booth. So did you ever get Bob to the point he could shoot and stuff?

#161  

Not yet, he's been packed for over two months now. I am hoping to get him unpacked this weekend and start working on him by next weekend (gotta set up my robot room first).

#162  

Oh wow I didn't know you built a rad back in 2013, Mine got stolen i was using as a paranormal robot it had emf detectors,movement detectors and Xbox kinect cam vision.Miss that one.easy to find on eBay and so easy to hack,stock motors are powerful enough to climb hills in the grass outside!