TRANSPORTER
[02/28/2005]
Whenever I take the Wedge to an event, I carry it around - along with all the necessary tools and
supplies - on a little radio-controlled vehicle I made a while back that I call "the Trike".
Up until today, the only way I was able to drive it was via radio control. Whereas this has been
acceptable so far (since the only battles I have gone to were unofficial), I knew I was going to
have to convert the Trike to use a manual controller if I were to take it to any event where the
use of transmitters is controlled. So, today I decided to make that conversion. Here you can see the
Trike with the manual controller(s) attached. There is one controller per wheel, for two-handed
operation, and it can even drive in reverse! The right hand controls the left wheel, and visa-versa.
Believe it or not, it is more intuitive this way (though I can always just switch hands).
When I built the Wedge of Deception, I used motors and gear boxes that were scavanged from two
cordless drills. Ever since then, the drill shells have just been sitting around, taking up space.
I almost threw them out (but I hadn't determined whether to put them in the trash or into the
recycle bin, yet). Procrastination paid off this time, as I was able to make good use of them.
I even put the speed controller units from the original drills back in and am simply using
them to drive the Trike. Testing will determine if they have enough power to drive the Trike
without burning out. At least in the full "on" position, the trigger acts as a simple switch, so
they will still basically work, even if I burn out the FET. This conversion took me all day, but
it was worth it - it works great! Now I just need to test it with a full load.
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. I made another modification to the Wedge, yesterday. This was a
very minor one, and the test of combat will determine if it is a wise one, but I think it will
survive OK. Famous last words. The Wedge used to have these bulky, heavy hose clamps to keep
the drive motors attached to the frame. Well, those have been replaced with simple, lightweight
zip ties. The weight of the bot rests on the gearbox and the back of the motor is supported,
internally, so the only real forces at this juncture would be lateral, and the motors have only
1/16" of room to slide in and out, and they can't drop out from the bottom, so the zip ties
should be sufficient. If not, I can always put the hose clamps back on. But now I have some
additional weight allowance if I need to add something to the bot (which I may need to do as part
of some future re-design work).
[03/04/2005]A couple days ago, I replaced the cargo platform with a more suitable base. I need to figure out a better place/way to stash the controllers when the Trike is stowed or parked (especially when cargo is aboard). The controller handles have velcro on the bottom so their bottoms stick to each other, so I thought I might apply some velcro somewhere on the frame so I can just stick the controllers down on the back of the Trike when not in use. Perhaps I will construct a shroud over the battery and they can simply stick to the top of that. Anyway, I now have a better platform to work with (easier to secure the cargo to) than I did before.