New RB accessories: Mtl Brackets / Mtl Gears / Hip / LiPo

[PedroR]

Hi all

I have the guys at Robobuilder and managed to negotiate with them getting a lot of new accessories which have been requested by customers for some time:

1) Metal Bracket Sets (finally!)
We will be stocking the full metal brackets set (ARMS + LEGS + CHEST), similar to the 5740K we showed at BETT.
The kit includes all the necessary screws / parts for assembly and the colour is the same as displayed bellow.
The price for the kit is 105 GBP + VAT (120.75 GBP incl VAT)

<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/Aea9VpLCUg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="415" height="350" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
(Please note this is the 5740K; I show it here because this will be same metal brackets kit that we'll be getting... if you want to know more about the differences in this model, check here http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=19552#19552)


2) Metal gears
As I had previously announced, we will be stocking the 4th metal gear for the RB servos for a limited time for all those who wish to upgrade their RBs.

Just FYI, as of mid-December 08 the 5710K and 5720K kits, now all include the 4th metal gear.
Unfortunately there is no exchange program for the first adopters but I will try and see if I can get a discount for all previous owners.

The servos, when purchased separately, still come with the 4th gear in plastic.

Another nice thing that I have just learned about is that now, it is possible to get ALL metal gears for your servos.
This is new. It means you can get gear 1, 2, 3 and 4 in metal for 1108 and 1111. (in 1111 gears 3 and 4 were already metal).

(This is probably what they use in the 5740K you see in the video above. The servos look essentially the same but when you move them they do feel smoother and more robust.)


3) LiPo battery pack for Robobuilder
Again, the 5740K you see above, that we had at BETT, came with a LiPo battery.
I have asked the Robobuilder guys and it is possible to buy separately as an accessory for other Robobuilders.

The kit includes the LiPo battery + LiPo charger.
Charging has to be done externally (using the external charger and NOT the charging facility built into the RBC).
However, the RBC does provide battery level measurement.

It is not a perfect solution (due to not integrating the charger inside the RBC) but it does work well (we used it at BETT), and it's a direct replacement for your current battery pack.
There's no need for additional hacking.

The price for the full kit (battery+charger) is 47.75 GBP + VAT (54.90 GBP incl VAT)


4) The long awaited hip pivot kit :)
YES, it is possible to get it. I don't have the final pricing yet, but the RB guys have asked how many we want so we should be getting pricing soon.

Just FYI no news about the hand grippers yet and honestly I'm not predicting they will appear any time soon.

All these items should be in store by the beginning of May.

What is your opinion on this? Would you get them?
Which items do you think are more appealing to you?
Your feedback is important for us to keep meeting your expectations !

[ATebay]

I would be interested in the metal brackets and the metal gears for the servo. Already stripped the gears from one servo.

Not so interested in the LiPo battery as running time is not that important for me and having to dismantle the RBC every time I wanted to charge the batteries would get to be a bit of a pain. Also could you still run the RBC from the power supply when the LiPos are fitted?

Not sure if I need the hip pivot kit either.

[PedroR]

Hi

Just to make things clear: you don't need to disassemble the RBC to charge the LiPo.
The way the kit is built let's you change between connecting to the RBC and charging, using a connector that is exposed OUTSIDE the RBC.

Here are the assembly instructions:


Here is a picture of the charging procedure, with the robot fully assembled:



The specs for the LiPo battery are:
3 Cell 11.1V” and “ 800 mA”.
Charging time : 1.5 hour
operating time : 0.5 hour

I don't really know the specs for the original battery but I must say this one does have an advantage that is weight distribution. By being lighter, it should lower the center of mass of the robot offering more stability.

[PedroR]

Here is a picture of the metal brackets kit that I announced before:



For the 105GBP+VAT price announced, you get the kit which includes ALL the parts, screws, etc. necessary to make your 5710K look just like this.
The kit is also compatible with the 5720T.

[PedroR]

Discounts on the 4th Metal Gear for previous owners of Robobuilders:
The regular (non-promotional) prince is 5.90 GBP incl VAT per gear.

However after talking to the guys at Robobuilder they agreed on offering a discount to all the early adopters who got their Robobuilder with the 4th plastic Gear.

The special pricing for the 4th metal gear for orders until April 27th only is:
Each single gear: 4.50 GBP (incl. VAT) each [1.40 gbp discount]

Full Set of 16 gears (for all servos in the kit: 12x1108 and 4x1111): 63 GBP (incl.VAT) [31,40 gbp discount]
As mentioned pricing is valid for pre-orders until the 27th of April and will be delivered to customers on the second week of May. After this date the regular pricing will apply.

PLEASE NOTE: Gear 4 is different in 1108 and 1111, so when ordering per unit (not the set) be sure to select the appropriate one.

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Additionally there are the new FULL METAL gearsets for Robobuilder servos:
These are the gears used in the 5740K as I suspected. The electronics and specs of the servos are the same as the 5710K and 5720K except that they include all metal gears.

I am pasting bellow the answers from Robobuilder to all my questions on this:
a) For 1111 gear 2 and 3 are already metal, correct?
YES,

So we would be getting gear 1 and 4 in metal, to make it a FULL metal gear servo, right?
For wCK 1111 series, YES,

b) For 1108 if we put all gears metal, does this mean it becomes a 1111 ?
=> YES.

c) If we are using all metal gears, does it mean the servos can support more torque?
=> Much more stable motions and more durability. Especially, I think gear damage issue will not be happened.
By using full metal gear servos, Robot shows more torque, if user use 11.1 voltage.
This means, user can use the beyond the specification (In our specs, voltage range is 6~10V, (7.4~8.4V DC recommended).
However, it would be very difficult to use more voltage if user use plastic gear servo version.


These are the highlights:
- If you use ALL metal gears in a wCK 1108 it becomes a 1111 (confirming the servos are the same in terms of electronics)
- A form of high power servos/high torque: with full metal gears you can apply 11.1 V and get more torque (they didn't specify how much).
- For 1111K you only need 2 metal gears (1 & 4) as all the others are already metal.

As for pricing for the Full Metal Gears:
- Gears 1,2 & 3 for 1108: 6.15 GBP (incl VAT)
- Gear 1 for 1111: 1.18 GBP (incl.VAT)
- Gear 4 (same price for 1108 and 1111): 5.90 GBP (incl.vat; discounts apply for early adopters as I mentioned above)

Volume discounts:
Set of 12 Gears nº 1,2&3 for 1108: 66,50 GBP (incl VAT) [7,30 discount]
Set of 4 Gears nº1 for 1111: 4.25 GBP [~9% off]

[RobotServicesGroup]

So if the base kit cost $670 and the metal bracket upgrade is about $150, then the total cost would be $820. Is the metal bracket Robobuilder a good value if the Robonova is $760 and Bioloid $880?

One of the best features of the Robobuilder was the low price. I guess to have a frame suitable for Robo One competition, the price has to be comparable to other robots in that class.

[PedroR]

it really depends on what you want to do with the robot.

From a general usage/robustness perspective, from what I've seen you get a faster return if you invest in the 4th metal metal gears (or full metal gears).
The plastic joint system works very well from what we've seen.

But it's like comparing onions to potatoes - one thing are metal gears, the other are metal brackets.

The metal joints do add the cool factor and robustness to the robot as well.
For example if you start adding metal gears to the servos you will try to get more torque a much more complex manoeuvres out of the robot, making the metal brackets the next logical step.
The metal brackets also seem to affect the weight distribution and the robot stability in an extremely positive way.

Comparing it to Bioloid and Robonova: with Bioloid you don't have metal brackets in the base kit so I don't really think it's comparable price by price; for Robonova they are different products: technology is different but I don't think a Robobuilder is inferior to a Robonova.
The other positive aspect in Robobuilder versus Robonova is granularity: you can start easy and cheaper and evolve.
The base kit offers great value for money and with the new additions/accessories it becomes an extremely versatile robot.

For modding only, and if demand makes sense, we may be able to supply the chest part ONLY separately. The price would be 17,50 GBP incl VAT.

[PedroR]

I forgot to mention the other thing: the Hip Pivot kit.

Yes, it will be available at the same time as the metal brackets and the cost for the kit (without servos) is 12.50 GBP (incl VAT)

To this you need to add the cost of 2 servos. You may choose 1111 or 1108.

I'll leave the discussion/choice to you.
In my opinion I would go with a robust servo (either 1111 or 1108 with all metal gears), since the shaft will be holding all the weight of legs and supporting all the forces applied to them. But please note I am not experienced with other robots with Hip kits so my opinion is not based on experience.