I was formerly a Robonova-1
I was formerly a Robonova-1
by bauermech
Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:23 am
Once I was a standard RN-1, now only some servos, six brackets, and a microcontroller could say I still am. Rook's Pawn... the second generation! 
This Bauer Independents/RN-1 hybrid has 22 servos, 18 custom brackets, 7 reinforcement bars, 4 "anti-gravity" retention leg springs, 12 heat-sinks, independent leg rotation, Upper torso rotation, low-profile feet/Li-Poly enclosures w/ Kidex soles, increased degree range of motion in ankles and thighs, increased leg-gap, illuminated 'Rook's Pawn' name, and of course, gyros, accelerometer, bluetooth, grips, and camera. He's about two servo ports away from being maxxed out. He did have wrist rotation that occupied the final two ports, but made him a little more top-heavy than I liked. At this point, I'm playing it safe.
No time for anodization as ROBO-ONE 10 is about three weeks away (plane departs in two) and there’s still a lot of programming to do. Needless to say, I'm freaking out a little bit, but regardless of the outcome, this'll be an experience I won't be able to surpass for a long time.
This Bauer Independents/RN-1 hybrid has 22 servos, 18 custom brackets, 7 reinforcement bars, 4 "anti-gravity" retention leg springs, 12 heat-sinks, independent leg rotation, Upper torso rotation, low-profile feet/Li-Poly enclosures w/ Kidex soles, increased degree range of motion in ankles and thighs, increased leg-gap, illuminated 'Rook's Pawn' name, and of course, gyros, accelerometer, bluetooth, grips, and camera. He's about two servo ports away from being maxxed out. He did have wrist rotation that occupied the final two ports, but made him a little more top-heavy than I liked. At this point, I'm playing it safe.
No time for anodization as ROBO-ONE 10 is about three weeks away (plane departs in two) and there’s still a lot of programming to do. Needless to say, I'm freaking out a little bit, but regardless of the outcome, this'll be an experience I won't be able to surpass for a long time.
by hivemind
Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:43 am
Looks great again Matt.
You decided to extend the arms then, keeping the cg the same but extending your reach...that works, I'l be curious to see how it fares against the other roboone robots.
I am curious why you have the heat sinks? Are you running at about 6v? and if so what are you running at? I have been looking at a power converter to run at 6.5 with a 2200 mah LiPo, but I am still holding off. Have you found that the additional height in the feet due to these batteries makes a big difference, or is it similar to the stock?
Once again, nice job, and good luck!
You decided to extend the arms then, keeping the cg the same but extending your reach...that works, I'l be curious to see how it fares against the other roboone robots.
I am curious why you have the heat sinks? Are you running at about 6v? and if so what are you running at? I have been looking at a power converter to run at 6.5 with a 2200 mah LiPo, but I am still holding off. Have you found that the additional height in the feet due to these batteries makes a big difference, or is it similar to the stock?
Once again, nice job, and good luck!
by bauermech
Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:27 pm
Thanks guys. I really like this version.
I'm curious too. He's got a decent range. His pivoting torso extends his forward reach considerably... we'll se if it's enough
Heat is my enemy. I was running straight 7.4v (unregulated around 8.3v full).
I knew better, but got greedy for the extra speed and torque it produced. Worked great with the voltage just below 8v. The microcontroller... no problem. The servos on the other hand would get pretty hot, thus the heat sinks. I cycled through my batteries (that have been dormant for a month +) w/o any problems. I tossed on a fresh, fully charged pack and turned him on. Whether it was coincidence or the cause, I flipped the switch to my camera (I removed its in-route regulator and powered off 5v from the 3024 ...probably not the wisest move there either) a moment later plums of bitter-sweet smoke hit my nose. I don't know, maybe the H-Bridges just had enough of the over-volting, or the camera's transmitter consumed so much on power-up that it dropped the voltage and bumped the amps. Whatever the case, it didn't work. I lost three servos. On a good note, none of the servos equipped with heat sinks fried...
All servos replaced. The camera is back to having its own power source and the Li-Poly's are regulated at about 6.7v (still pushing it some). No, still not using a DC/DC converter, but will surely do so upon my return. Oh, and it was definitely the H-bridge that cooked... I know there was another debate about the motors themselves failing.
Well, with Rook's Pawn's first moon boots he was sporting, the servo axis was so far from the foot sole... I don't think it produced any major problems... maybe a little. The batteries did lower his COG enough to notice. The extra weight at the base helped.
He's now got one Li-Poly cell in each foot instead of the two cell pack/foot. They're wired in series up in his torso. I rigged up a special charging harness w/ balancing leads so I can charge and equalize them together as one pack.
He's about 2.1kgs and somewhere around 38cm if I remember correctly...
Yeah, I was torn between posting it here as an RN or in the Home Built section... I figured he falls under both
I would love to, but I still haven't got my camera sent back to me from RoboGames.
Can't really blame anyone but myself... I was the one that left it there. All intentions of it being returned are good; it's just that a busy life is a busy life.
I'll post some more pics whenever I get the chance.
You decided to extend the arms then, keeping the cg the same but extending your reach...that works, I'l be curious to see how it fares against the other roboone robots.
I'm curious too. He's got a decent range. His pivoting torso extends his forward reach considerably... we'll se if it's enough
I am curious why you have the heat sinks?Are you running at about 6v? and if so what are you running at?
Heat is my enemy. I was running straight 7.4v (unregulated around 8.3v full).
I knew better, but got greedy for the extra speed and torque it produced. Worked great with the voltage just below 8v. The microcontroller... no problem. The servos on the other hand would get pretty hot, thus the heat sinks. I cycled through my batteries (that have been dormant for a month +) w/o any problems. I tossed on a fresh, fully charged pack and turned him on. Whether it was coincidence or the cause, I flipped the switch to my camera (I removed its in-route regulator and powered off 5v from the 3024 ...probably not the wisest move there either) a moment later plums of bitter-sweet smoke hit my nose. I don't know, maybe the H-Bridges just had enough of the over-volting, or the camera's transmitter consumed so much on power-up that it dropped the voltage and bumped the amps. Whatever the case, it didn't work. I lost three servos. On a good note, none of the servos equipped with heat sinks fried...All servos replaced. The camera is back to having its own power source and the Li-Poly's are regulated at about 6.7v (still pushing it some). No, still not using a DC/DC converter, but will surely do so upon my return. Oh, and it was definitely the H-bridge that cooked... I know there was another debate about the motors themselves failing.
Have you found that the additional height in the feet due to these batteries makes a big difference, or is it similar to the stock?
Well, with Rook's Pawn's first moon boots he was sporting, the servo axis was so far from the foot sole... I don't think it produced any major problems... maybe a little. The batteries did lower his COG enough to notice. The extra weight at the base helped.
He's now got one Li-Poly cell in each foot instead of the two cell pack/foot. They're wired in series up in his torso. I rigged up a special charging harness w/ balancing leads so I can charge and equalize them together as one pack.
What's his weight 'n height?
He's about 2.1kgs and somewhere around 38cm if I remember correctly...
Matt, this is a Robonova forum. Your post is off-topic
Yeah, I was torn between posting it here as an RN or in the Home Built section... I figured he falls under both
Would love to see a vid clip of all that free movement
I would love to, but I still haven't got my camera sent back to me from RoboGames.
Can't really blame anyone but myself... I was the one that left it there. All intentions of it being returned are good; it's just that a busy life is a busy life.post more pics and vids, pls.
I'll post some more pics whenever I get the chance.
by hivemind
Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:39 pm
Ouch, too bad about those servos. If it is just the H-bridge its not too bad though, easier to fix that then the entire servo.
I guess I still don't see how the heat sinks are helping that much though. The outer casing of the servos is plastic and so sure it heats up quite a bit, but it doesnt conduct very well. Have you removed some of the plastic so that the heat sinks are more effective?
Looks very nice though
i look forward to seeing how it performs.
Once again, goodluck
I guess I still don't see how the heat sinks are helping that much though. The outer casing of the servos is plastic and so sure it heats up quite a bit, but it doesnt conduct very well. Have you removed some of the plastic so that the heat sinks are more effective?
Looks very nice though
i look forward to seeing how it performs.
Once again, goodluck
by Viking
Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:46 pm
Holy mackrel! Thats a giant makeover Matt! And I thought I was doing something different - got me there buddy 8O
Perhaps you can advise me about making the twisting torso or not - is it worth it? (see my latest Q under my topic)
-Viking
P.s. you are definately the Robot Master -
-
Perhaps you can advise me about making the twisting torso or not - is it worth it? (see my latest Q under my topic)
-Viking
P.s. you are definately the Robot Master -
-
by bauermech
Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:32 pm
Thanks!
Yes, the plastic likes to contain the heat. I did remove a small rectangular shaped area of plastic above the H-bridge and applied a small piece of aluminum on top of them w/ heat sink compound. That piece fit as flush as possible to the larger finned heat sink (also w/ compound). The larger sink was then epoxied around the edges to the plastic. This of course couldn't be done to most of the servos as there is a lot of stuff in the way. Actually, I only did it that way on four of them... hmmm seemed like I did more
. The rest of them are mounted directly to the plastic casings. Epoxy only on the outer edge and compound in the centers. As far as their effectiveness... It's probably debatable. All I know is that after some heavy use, the casings got hot. Any help cooling them down is a benefit. Removing some extra plastic would've probably been a good idea. Maybe even running a "strip" of aluminum from the bridge, through the casing and to the sink... ??? Might be a little too late in the game to start messin' around again, but I really appreciate the advice
I've heard of ROBO-ONE operators fanning like mad and using a can of Blow-Off/duster turned up-side-down spraying directly on the servo to drop the temp before the next round begins.
The theme for this event's qualifying demonstration is titled 'Bunny Hop'. The name alone makes me cringe, but it gets worse. That right there was the main reason for such a radical move w/ the over-volting thing. Poor leg servos is all I can say. Pawn has to jump, leaving the ground and land a few times sequentially without using the momentum from his arms as a means of propulsion. Nuts? Yeah, I think so too. The new KHR's and MANOI's can do it w/ minimal trouble, but there again, they're using a faster; higher torque servo. I had the option of modifying the HSR-5995's to replace the HSR-8498's, but try making a good fast walk gait w/o catch-n-play. I'm doing the best w/ what I've got right now, and hopefully it'll be enough. Word is most of the robots that are entered will not be able to pull it off 100%, but those that can will score high with the judges. If it ends up I must use the arms then so be it.
I don't know... your carbon fiber and resin getup is mighty fancy. My hat's off to you my friend
Here's a quick video of how the pivoting torso worked on the 1st rook's pawn... He was't quite complete here, but you'll get the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlKYec6sz_A
You are right. It's a battle between wanting more room or the added movement. W/ RP2 (rook's pawn 2), I only pivot the upper shoulder area. The controller sits inside his frame between the two leg-rotation servos. I had to pull the power switch, serial jack, battery & charge connectors off the 3024 and remount them remotely - just so I could have enough room for the HSR-5995TG servo and all the wires. The gyros and accelerometer have their own compartments atop the leg-rotation servos. All power leads, indicator, and switch is contained in a low-profile "backpack". The regulator is securely fastened to the ... "groin-plate" I guess you could call it. With all of it being aluminum, it dissipates the heat well. The bluetooth, LED's and all leads from the arms are contained in the upper-torso/shoulder area. It's all tight, but fits.
I almost ditched the torso pivot deal, but my wife talked me back into it. Overall, I like the benefit of having it... it's just a hassle routing through tight pockets.
I guess I still don't see how the heat sinks are helping that much though. The outer casing of the servos is plastic and so sure it heats up quite a bit, but it doesnt conduct very well. Have you removed some of the plastic so that the heat sinks are more effective?
Yes, the plastic likes to contain the heat. I did remove a small rectangular shaped area of plastic above the H-bridge and applied a small piece of aluminum on top of them w/ heat sink compound. That piece fit as flush as possible to the larger finned heat sink (also w/ compound). The larger sink was then epoxied around the edges to the plastic. This of course couldn't be done to most of the servos as there is a lot of stuff in the way. Actually, I only did it that way on four of them... hmmm seemed like I did more
. The rest of them are mounted directly to the plastic casings. Epoxy only on the outer edge and compound in the centers. As far as their effectiveness... It's probably debatable. All I know is that after some heavy use, the casings got hot. Any help cooling them down is a benefit. Removing some extra plastic would've probably been a good idea. Maybe even running a "strip" of aluminum from the bridge, through the casing and to the sink... ??? Might be a little too late in the game to start messin' around again, but I really appreciate the advice I've heard of ROBO-ONE operators fanning like mad and using a can of Blow-Off/duster turned up-side-down spraying directly on the servo to drop the temp before the next round begins.
The theme for this event's qualifying demonstration is titled 'Bunny Hop'. The name alone makes me cringe, but it gets worse. That right there was the main reason for such a radical move w/ the over-volting thing. Poor leg servos is all I can say. Pawn has to jump, leaving the ground and land a few times sequentially without using the momentum from his arms as a means of propulsion. Nuts? Yeah, I think so too. The new KHR's and MANOI's can do it w/ minimal trouble, but there again, they're using a faster; higher torque servo. I had the option of modifying the HSR-5995's to replace the HSR-8498's, but try making a good fast walk gait w/o catch-n-play. I'm doing the best w/ what I've got right now, and hopefully it'll be enough. Word is most of the robots that are entered will not be able to pull it off 100%, but those that can will score high with the judges. If it ends up I must use the arms then so be it.
Holy mackrel! Thats a giant makeover Matt! And I thought I was doing something different - got me there buddy
I don't know... your carbon fiber and resin getup is mighty fancy. My hat's off to you my friend
Perhaps you can advise me about making the twisting torso or not - is it worth it?
Here's a quick video of how the pivoting torso worked on the 1st rook's pawn... He was't quite complete here, but you'll get the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlKYec6sz_A
You are right. It's a battle between wanting more room or the added movement. W/ RP2 (rook's pawn 2), I only pivot the upper shoulder area. The controller sits inside his frame between the two leg-rotation servos. I had to pull the power switch, serial jack, battery & charge connectors off the 3024 and remount them remotely - just so I could have enough room for the HSR-5995TG servo and all the wires. The gyros and accelerometer have their own compartments atop the leg-rotation servos. All power leads, indicator, and switch is contained in a low-profile "backpack". The regulator is securely fastened to the ... "groin-plate" I guess you could call it. With all of it being aluminum, it dissipates the heat well. The bluetooth, LED's and all leads from the arms are contained in the upper-torso/shoulder area. It's all tight, but fits.
I almost ditched the torso pivot deal, but my wife talked me back into it. Overall, I like the benefit of having it... it's just a hassle routing through tight pockets.
Absolutely amazing
by Jason
Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:30 pm
Wow! It didn't take you long to make your Robot Magazine article obsolete. I guess if you're revealing all your secrets, it's good to have a new batch waiting in the wings. When this thing gets to be 6 ft tall and armed with lasers, I'd like to be counted as a minion and not an enemy. I look forward to seeing where you take Rook's Pawn from here.
