gametechmods
Off-Topic => Real Robotics => Robots Showcase => Topic started by: RFS on July 16, 2010, 01:37:30 PM
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OP PENDING REWRITE
I haven't participated in robot combat events since 2004, but during this whole time I've held onto my parts and decided that since they are virtually worthless these days since the sport of robot combat is pretty much dead and stagnant that I should at least put them to good use. I've always had a knack for animatronics and have used my RC parts for other projects, sculptures, and puppetry throughout the years, but until recently they were mostly untouched for about half a decade. I went down to the workshop where it's all stored and relocated it all, and while some of it had corroded or gone bad I still had some stuff in working condition.
I no longer work on BattleBots of any size/variety, but since my younger brother had purchased one of those expensive Wheely King RC trucks I thought it would be fun if I assembled a truck from scrap to race against him and do freestyle jumps with, so I put together "Twilight Foundry SuperTruck", the first radio controlled thing I've built in a long time. I haven't built much these days, not sure what else I'll put together, but if time allows maybe something else cool. Who knows.
Twilight Foundry Robotics was one of the first names I used in robot combat, named after the video game satire group I belonged to at the time. The group disbanded in 2004 but has somewhat reassembled as of 2008 as "Twilight Foundry Films", so I think it's only appropriate I assume Twilight Foundry Robotics II as a "team name" again. :P
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Twilight Foundry SuperTruck
(http://i31.tinypic.com/33w4g7t.jpg)
Pictured above in its "second beta" stage.
Weight: About 4 pounds.
Type: Freestyle stunt truck, hobby project.
Chassis: 2001 Nikko-model Chevy Avalanche
Motor: 12V Johnson Cordless Drill Motor (running at 9.6V)
Special: Self-righting rollcage mechanism mounted in the truck bed (incomplete, not pictured)
TF SuperTruck is an ongoing project of mine that is still largely incomplete. It is plagued with faulty electronics, currently being controlled by a Scorpion ESC from 2004 that was a total piece of crap. It simply shuts off after a few seconds of "moderate to intense" throttling and won't come back on for a few minutes, meaning that it's not very good as a stunt truck. Currently I am experimenting with the Barello Ant150 I have laying around but the ESC keeps wanting to mix the sticks, which of course is making the forward/reverse stick control both the drive motor and the steering, and I am having difficulties getting it to stop doing that. The truck does not experience any "overheat" with the Ant150 being used.
SuperTruck's main feature is its speed which unfortunately is only experienced in short bursts thanks to crap parts (I believe the Scorpion ESC was always a piece of trash because we had similar problems with it in 2004 running nothing more than a couple of tiny micro motors), and in its "beta" state is missing a lot of the cool flair that will eventually make it a cool project. They are not visible in the picture, but the truck has holes drilled for 14 LED lights to act as headlights, tail lights, bedliners, and one light in the windshield to act as the "remote safety device" seen in real monster trucks. Because I am using a 3 channel system and only 2 channels are being used (drive and steering) I have been exploring possible options for the 3rd channel, and I've thought of everything from an articulated snowplow to a spinning disc underneath the truck to act as a balancer for stunts and jumps. I've eventually settled on using one of my high-torque servos to mobilize a steel rollcage (not pictured) to act as a srimech in the event that SuperTruck bails on a jump.
You can see a video of SuperTruck doing some stunts here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDr4g6dO-Mg# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDr4g6dO-Mg#)
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Change the chassis to a NES case.
...oh wait
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Change the chassis to a NES case.
...oh wait
I don't even know where that robot is anymore. The workshop where I keep my parts and other tools was broken into last year and a lot of stuff was stolen. It may very well have been stolen because the burglars thought it was a real NES.
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Oh crap. RIPTFC.
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Ahhhh that sucks. I had some stuff stolen from my parents store once, hundreds of dollars of hardware.
Well, glad to see you're still around, and I would'nt really say robot combat is dead, at all..........
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Oh crap. RIPTFC.
Yeah, I lost a lot of various things, mostly stuff belonging to the set of a former webseries of mine called Godmode: On. All in all about $1,300 worth of my own personal things were lost, but a lot of it I can live without so rather than rebuy all of the stuff that was stolen I bought only what I NEEDED and put the rest of the insurance settlement towards other stuff. None of my robot parts were stolen, though, likely because a fishing box full of motors, batteries, and "computer parts" looks like anything valuable. There are still some odds and ends unaccounted for, but I think I just misplaced them.
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Ahhhh that sucks. I had some stuff stolen from my parents store once, hundreds of dollars of hardware.
Well, glad to see you're still around, and I would'nt really say robot combat is dead, at all..........
It's dead where I am, and I personally believe as a whole the sport took a turn south when things like VDD kits were mass produced and chassis became machined out of 1 solid piece of metal (effectively making "parts go flying" a misnomer). Antweights are boring these days and unfortunately are the mainstream because they are affordable, people only build the same 3 or 4 designs with minimal changes, it seems. The "sport" these days is mostly only kept alive by people who fawn over reruns and old memories, because there hasn't been much in the way of new stuff. I feel bad for the BattleBots company, really, because their CBS special was canceled because they couldn't sell the advertising space for the commercials. 8 years ago people would be at each other's throats to have commercial space during BattleBots, and now they can't even sell it. It's sad, really. :(
I'm just glad I had fun when I did, and even though I was never really able to finish that Heavyweight of mine years and years ago at least I got to experience something. :P
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You live in Texas, right? yeah, it's dead there.
But, the Uk, Twin citys, Colarodo, Ohio, ect. ect. still are popular.
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I'm from Texas, yea. :) I assumed it was still a popular sport in the UK, and at least California and/or Florida (where a lot of BattleBots' contenders came from) but hearing about Colorado and Ohio seems a little out of left field, especially for robot combat. It's alright, though. I couldn't really afford to keep up with the advancement of the sport - if it ever becomes mainstream again maybe I'll try my luck but I'm having fun as a writer these days. :P
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Being a writer is FUN, especially when you have a whole........Internetz to entertain. (For me it's the school)
Oh, and if you're gonna add a snowplow, it could be "fully articulated plows revenge" XD
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Robot Combat is pretty big in the North East. Last event I fought in 113 bots attended.
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Even if its still a work in progress, the TF SuperTruck is pretty cool... I might be a little skewed, though, because your track and video were truly awesome.
Unfortunately, Robot Combat isn't what it used to be. Overall, it has dropped in numbers but there are still people that participate enjoy participating in it.
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Old picture of SuperTruck before I painted the windows and stuff, also shows the inside. :)
(http://i30.tinypic.com/b50cj9.jpg)
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Ahhhh that sucks. I had some stuff stolen from my parents store once, hundreds of dollars of hardware.
Well, glad to see you're still around, and I would'nt really say robot combat is dead, at all..........
It's dead where I am, and I personally believe as a whole the sport took a turn south when things like VDD kits were mass produced and chassis became machined out of 1 solid piece of metal (effectively making "parts go flying" a misnomer). Antweights are boring these days and unfortunately are the mainstream because they are affordable, people only build the same 3 or 4 designs with minimal changes, it seems. The "sport" these days is mostly only kept alive by people who fawn over reruns and old memories, because there hasn't been much in the way of new stuff. I feel bad for the BattleBots company, really, because their CBS special was canceled because they couldn't sell the advertising space for the commercials. 8 years ago people would be at each other's throats to have commercial space during BattleBots, and now they can't even sell it. It's sad, really. :(
I'm just glad I had fun when I did, and even though I was never really able to finish that Heavyweight of mine years and years ago at least I got to experience something. :P
WHAT?! ack!! i was excited about that! :(
so what is this project? is eventually supposed to compete in remote controlled car competition or something? metal virus or someone used to be really into that stuff. or is it just a fun bangaround project?
i need to start building crap again, but im perpetually broke
also, sup fag :cool:
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Nah I'm just building it because I feel like it's better than letting the parts rot in a tackle box for a few decades. :P It's an in-between pet project for when I get tired of working on sculptures and mixed media crap to sell.
Also HAI FURFAG. :laughing
:3
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You know, this thread made me realize how much real robot combat is like RA2.
- It's a lot smaller than it used to be. Less events (in real life) and different forums (in RA2) and less players in both.
- Only the really dedicated, serious players still compete.
- Bots have evolved to a point where only a handful of similar-looking designs are effective, barring a few anomalies. (This is especially apparent in the real life AW class, since there are a lot more bots there.)
- A good bot requires an airtight chassis, precision construction, and efficient components.
Now if only RA2 could become more like real life in turn.
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- Bots have evolved to a point where only a handful of similar-looking designs are effective, barring a few anomalies. (This is especially apparent in the real life AW class, since there are a lot more bots there.)
Amen to this. When I was at SWARC there was a team called Dark Forces that literally built the exact same design in the UK Ant, Ant, Beetle, Feather, and Lightweight classes. THE EXACT SAME DESIGN. What's the fun in that? (Hint: The answer is "none".) That's so boring, there's no appeal, no fun.
I remember in the "glory days" of robot combat anything went as far as designs. There were some decent designs out there (Backlash, Defiant, Biohazard, etc) but then there were those crazy ones that were sometimes just weird enough to work (Dr Inferno Jr, Tentomushi, Whyachi, etc). Back then there was a lot of variety, but I guess in the end "natural selection" just kind of weeded things out and there was more of an emphasis on just winning by any means rather than fun and creativity, and that made me upset and ultimately led me to retire from the sport in the end. :(
I hosted four tournaments in the South Texas area from 2000 - 2001 (Battle Clash aka Raptor Robotics -- coincidence to the "Team Raptor" similarity) and while it was mostly just dismantled RC cars from various middle school students, there was variety. There was fun. I brought a fully functional (albeit crappy) Dr Inferno replica called DCOI (http://i42.tinypic.com/727ite.jpg), a robot weilding a giant spinning disc (Terminal Impact (http://i43.tinypic.com/30jtl76.jpg)), and a behemoth tank-like creation armed with spinning discs and spikes (Metalhead II (http://i43.tinypic.com/2iqfr76.jpg)). Some other favorites from the events included a dinosaur themed Biohazard (rEXIT (https://gametechmods.com/rfshqcontent/battleclash/images/Rexit.JPG)), an ACTUAL Biohazard repica (Diablo (https://gametechmods.com/rfshqcontent/battleclash/Diablos.JPG.JPG)), a Vlad The Impaler-ish robot that later became fused with another car and featured two vertical blades (The Impaler (https://gametechmods.com/rfshqcontent/battleclash/images/TheImpaler.JPG)), and a gold-painted robot constructed to resemble medieval knight armor (Inferno (https://gametechmods.com/rfshqcontent/battleclash/Inferno2.JPG.JPG)). Was all really REALLY fun. Sure there were some boring entries here and there but for the most part there was a lot of creativity. I kept that notion of creativity and none of the designs I ended up bringing to SWARC in 2003 - 2004 were "stereotypical" designs. (You can see them all HERE (https://gametechmods.com/forums/index.php/topic,1918.0.html).)
Some of the fondest memories I have of SWARC were battles that pitted me against other robots that had really creative and new designs. Robots like Terminal Malfunction, a robot built by a 6 year old and his dad made from an RC BattleBots toy that featured a bulldozer plow and some spikes. I also fondly remember fighting with DMB, a 3-pound robot that in one form featured a giant saw blade and had a crazy smoke-filled slam fest with my indestructible tank-treaded plow Kill Switch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smRZ9yS9FTc#). And finally, Buzz - a robot that kind of resembled Afterthought - versus my ill-fated Detonator robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB9SWStBb1U#). That was FUN, all of those designs and variety. I miss that. Eventually it seems that designs just became standardized, chassis became 1 piece, and parts became all alike and similar. Sure, you can still bring a mismatched frankenstein like I did that cost $100 to put together but thanks to the specialized parts the mainstream teams are bringing, there's little to no chance that "sparks will fly and bots will die". It'll just be a demo derby crossed with pinball.
edit: The forum kind messed up my URL tags. Sorry. :(
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Yeah, I agree. Although, looking at bots from the last two robogames they seemed alot more creative then the generic brand VSs. Like there wer thwacks again, finally, as her Grouponden is active again.
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Thread necro! :D
I did a thing! BattleBots' return got me all hot and bothered that I had to take something apart and make a robot right this very moment (last weekend). Behold, this unnamed abomination:
(http://i.imgur.com/41XzFisl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/3f31ZFll.jpg)
Its base is built from a remote controlled tank and its spinning weapon was made from a busted tape deck I bought on the cheap at Goodwill. I only had very limited parts and tools to work with, but I still managed to whip something up that I'd definitely like to work from in the future, now that I make enough money where a small robot such as this is not necessarily cost-prohibitive if I budget accordingly.
I really hope this newfound interest in the sport brings it back to Texas.
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So, I have a general construction question. I understand most of the parts of assembling various kinds of weapons (except for pneumatics/hydraulics) but one thing that eludes me is how you put hubs and wheels and stuff onto driveshafts. I would imagine a press-fit would easily come apart, which makes set screws an obvious choice. But not every motor has a "D" head.
That leads me into my next question, how are the actual blades getting mounted on their weapon shafts? $50 follow-up, how are free-spinning axles built?
The "lower" tech the solution is, the better. I'd like to actually build a lightweight if the sport makes a comeback, but I'm not really keen on spending tons of cash on motors and batteries and all that. I take the Team K.I.S.S. approach to things and just pick parts from junk/scrap. That said, are Power Wheels batteries allowed? They are SLA's. (I'm terrified of batteries and working with electrical components, so having a robot that charges by literally plugging it into the wall is nice.)
edit: Let me clarify "low tech". The other day I was trying to take a motor and its belt/pulley assembly off of a clothes dryer that was being thrown out. (I stopped because I ended up slicing a finger open on part of the metal frame.) Being realistic here, what's the feasibility that the pulley assembly would have been of any use to me in making a spinner? I would assume the motor is a bust because it needs 110V or something, it was the pulleys I wanted.
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If it doesn't have a "D" shaft, you take a metal file to it, and grind it until its flat. The optimum way however, is to key the shaft, but that's not often not an option on smaller motors.
As for a spinner hub, they don't come simpler than the Fingertech blade hub (http://www.fingertechrobotics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ft-blade-hub). I own one of these, and they're pretty much idiot proof, but they have a bit of a downside in that you can not reverse the spinner with this hub, or else the locking nut will loosen. Though, this hub can't can't be used on anything higher than 12 pounds(And that's probably pushing it). On larger robots, bolting the weapon to the pulley/sprocket with a custom hub is the most popular, but be careful, because its very easy for something to go wrong in this way. I don't have much experience in spinners though, you may want to ask Nate, Mike, SKBT, and Badnik for more detailed information as they have spinners in active duty.
Turnigy Lipo batteries (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__378__85__Batteries_Accessories-Turnigy_nano_tech.html) are both lighter and cheaper than Power Wheel batteries. Don't worry too much about charging them, as long as you have a decent charger, keep a good eye on them, and have some common sense they'll be fine.
The pulleys you found in the washer were either plastic or iron, neither of which will hold up to the stress of spinners. You want to find either aluminum or steel pulleys. You may also want to consider sprockets and chains, as they can be found pretty much anywhere.
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So, I have a general construction question. I understand most of the parts of assembling various kinds of weapons (except for pneumatics/hydraulics) but one thing that eludes me is how you put hubs and wheels and stuff onto driveshafts. I would imagine a press-fit would easily come apart, which makes set screws an obvious choice. But not every motor has a "D" head.
That leads me into my next question, how are the actual blades getting mounted on their weapon shafts? $50 follow-up, how are free-spinning axles built?
The "lower" tech the solution is, the better. I'd like to actually build a lightweight if the sport makes a comeback, but I'm not really keen on spending tons of cash on motors and batteries and all that. I take the Team K.I.S.S. approach to things and just pick parts from junk/scrap. That said, are Power Wheels batteries allowed? They are SLA's. (I'm terrified of batteries and working with electrical components, so having a robot that charges by literally plugging it into the wall is nice.)
edit: Let me clarify "low tech". The other day I was trying to take a motor and its belt/pulley assembly off of a clothes dryer that was being thrown out. (I stopped because I ended up slicing a finger open on part of the metal frame.) Being realistic here, what's the feasibility that the pulley assembly would have been of any use to me in making a spinner? I would assume the motor is a bust because it needs 110V or something, it was the pulleys I wanted.
Give this a read-
http://www.instructables.com/id/Nyx-30lb-Fighting-Robot-Re-Made/ (http://www.instructables.com/id/Nyx-30lb-Fighting-Robot-Re-Made/)
It doesn't answer everything, but it covers a lot of the stuff you were asking about and covers a range of techniques.
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PussyTron 4000 looks like an absolute champion. Y'all better watch out.
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Thanks guys :D I've been reading at work, but since this website is blocked at work I haven't been able to post a proper thank you. XD
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Thread necro with some new content and some old content that I've never posted before. This content is cross-posted from the Facebook page for my team, Twilight Foundry Robotics (https://www.facebook.com/twilightfoundry). There are some extra pics and stuff in the albums there, in most cases.
Up first is Metalhead, the first robot I ever built (in 2000). Its innards have long since been repurposed and/or destroyed so only its shell remains. It's photographed here with a stand-in "weapon" to show roughly what it used to look like. (Ironically, a couple of weeks after we took these pictures we actually found Metalhead's original blade under a bunch of crap.)
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13403828_1025588044176931_6856152185197415018_o.jpg)
Metalhead was built to compete at an event sponsored by and held at a local school. Most of the bots there were built from toys or model kits. Metalhead was the only one with a spinning active weapon and it almost didn't get to compete because people were worried about it breaking off and hitting someone or something, but we were able to fight with it anyways. After passing safety, its weapon motor died literally a few seconds into its first ever match meaning we had to fight as a wedge the rest of the tournament. Still managed to win though. Yay?
Metalhead was rebuilt two more times, but never managed to make it beyond the Round of 16 (a.k.a. literally round one) at the events it was brought to. Metalhead 1 was far too slow, so the second version used a lighter chassis made mostly of compact foam and layered cardboard; its Hazard-style blade was also swapped out for two tilted horizontal blades at its front spinning in opposite directions. In Metalhead 2's first fight it got put up against a quick rammer, the eventual runner-up, and its frame ended up getting destroyed which knocked it out. Metalhead 3 was just a wedge made mostly of cardboard and lost in a close judges' decision to another wedge.
Metalhead is currently being rebuilt as a 3 or 6 pound robot to compete at the upcoming "DARC" event in Dallas, TX.
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Next is Terminal Impact, built in 2001. When we built Terminal Impact we basically took everything we had learned from putting Metalhead together and ramped it up to 11. Terminal Impact was an immediate favorite at the second event held at the same school and ended up becoming the champion.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/12898192_985541518181584_8331020335759491758_o.jpg)
After winning one event we made some changes to Terminal Impact's weaponry, namely replacing its disc and flails with another helicopter blade that was ridiculously long (like three feet long). Terminal Impact managed to beat one opponent in this configuration, but lost to the same rammer it beat an event prior; they stayed in too close and the robot's blade never really got spinning up to full speed. We swapped the blade out for a disc at Terminal Impact's final event, however we had an electrical issue with the robot and were forced to forfeit.
Terminal Impact is officially retired, however a design for Terminal Impact 2 has been drawn up. It's not very high on the list of priorities however, but I'll keep you posted.
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Now onto the new stuff.
This is a WIP shot of the frame of The Demolition Machine, the newest robot I've been working on.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13346121_1023215861080816_622657911518347735_o.jpg)
Demolition Machine is being built with some of the parts that went into the original Metalhead. Since not much is left from that robot, and because this is my first robot in quite some time, I've elected to make a simple pusher out of it. Eventually, Demolition Machine is going to have a chassis not unlike Punjar from BattleBots.
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This is a toy trick ramp I tracked down specifically for a rebuild of one of my old robots, now named The Real Crash Override.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13392205_1023226964413039_5452946072752567408_o.jpg)
Crash Override, originally designed and built in 2001, was scrapped before it ever competed. I wasn't happy with how the build came out and instead went with rebuilding Metalhead out of those parts at the time. Its original design and iteration was a boxy wedge with a saw set inside the ramp, kind of like Ankle Biter just with a longer chassis.
In the robot's new iteration I'd like for its design to be a "spiritual successor" of sorts, that's where this goofy ramp comes into play. They were manufactured about a decade ago for the "Fly Wheels" rip cord toys, but they're made of soft plastic that deforms without cracking. Ever since I first saw one in a store I'd had my eye on it for a potential robot design. Now I have to get them on eBay. :P All of the robot's parts fit inside the "shell" nicely, it just needs to be mounted and all of that. I intend to cut a slot in the deeper curve (that's the front) and set up this rad dado blade I have.
Since this photo was taken I've since peeled off the original stickers and laquered it down to remove all the sticky residue and such. I haven't yet settled on a proper design for the robot's paint job.
The Real Crash Override will eventually be a 3 or 6 pound robot for the DARC competition in Dallas, like Metalhead 2016.
(PS: The robot is called "The Real Crash Override" now thanks to some unsavory net-dwellers commandeering the name for some stupid front of theirs. I came up with the name first and I intend to keep using it.)
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Would kickflip/10
I love stuff made out of found objects. Robot combat is way too engineered for someone like me to be able to compete nowadays. Props to you for keeping the dream alive.
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Would kickflip/10
I love stuff made out of found objects. Robot combat is way too engineered for someone like me to be able to compete nowadays. Props to you for keeping the dream alive.
That's what I'm all about. I'm one of the few builders that doesn't really care all that much about winning, like legitimately doesn't care. We'd like to win a match or two, but by and large my team and I just do this because we get to hang out with each other and work on stuff that we think is cool. :)
I used to be super devoted to being the #1 builder back when I put together Metalhead and stuff, I think me winning the first ever tournament I competed in got me off on the wrong foot. I was legitimately pissed off and upset when Metalhead 2 not only failed to repeat, but lost in round 1. By KO. I realized that "caring too much" was starting to make me hate the sport so I managed to pull a 180 on that.
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the joy is in things getting destroyed in cool ways and if it is the thing you made that gets destroyed well thats cool too. something got destroyed and that rules!! party on garth :beer:
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Thread necro with some new content and some old content that I've never posted before. This content is cross-posted from the Facebook page for my team, Twilight Foundry Robotics (https://www.facebook.com/twilightfoundry). There are some extra pics and stuff in the albums there, in most cases.
Up first is Metalhead, the first robot I ever built (in 2000). Its innards have long since been repurposed and/or destroyed so only its shell remains. It's photographed here with a stand-in "weapon" to show roughly what it used to look like. (Ironically, a couple of weeks after we took these pictures we actually found Metalhead's original blade under a bunch of crap.)
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13403828_1025588044176931_6856152185197415018_o.jpg)
Metalhead was built to compete at an event sponsored by and held at a local school. Most of the bots there were built from toys or model kits. Metalhead was the only one with a spinning active weapon and it almost didn't get to compete because people were worried about it breaking off and hitting someone or something, but we were able to fight with it anyways. After passing safety, its weapon motor died literally a few seconds into its first ever match meaning we had to fight as a wedge the rest of the tournament. Still managed to win though. Yay?
Metalhead was rebuilt two more times, but never managed to make it beyond the Round of 16 (a.k.a. literally round one) at the events it was brought to. Metalhead 1 was far too slow, so the second version used a lighter chassis made mostly of compact foam and layered cardboard; its Hazard-style blade was also swapped out for two tilted horizontal blades at its front spinning in opposite directions. In Metalhead 2's first fight it got put up against a quick rammer, the eventual runner-up, and its frame ended up getting destroyed which knocked it out. Metalhead 3 was just a wedge made mostly of cardboard and lost in a close judges' decision to another wedge.
Metalhead is currently being rebuilt as a 3 or 6 pound robot to compete at the upcoming "DARC" event in Dallas, TX.
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Next is Terminal Impact, built in 2001. When we built Terminal Impact we basically took everything we had learned from putting Metalhead together and ramped it up to 11. Terminal Impact was an immediate favorite at the second event held at the same school and ended up becoming the champion.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/12898192_985541518181584_8331020335759491758_o.jpg)
After winning one event we made some changes to Terminal Impact's weaponry, namely replacing its disc and flails with another helicopter blade that was ridiculously long (like three feet long). Terminal Impact managed to beat one opponent in this configuration, but lost to the same rammer it beat an event prior; they stayed in too close and the robot's blade never really got spinning up to full speed. We swapped the blade out for a disc at Terminal Impact's final event, however we had an electrical issue with the robot and were forced to forfeit.
Terminal Impact is officially retired, however a design for Terminal Impact 2 has been drawn up. It's not very high on the list of priorities however, but I'll keep you posted.
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Now onto the new stuff.
This is a WIP shot of the frame of The Demolition Machine, the newest robot I've been working on.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13346121_1023215861080816_622657911518347735_o.jpg)
Demolition Machine is being built with some of the parts that went into the original Metalhead. Since not much is left from that robot, and because this is my first robot in quite some time, I've elected to make a simple pusher out of it. Eventually, Demolition Machine is going to have a chassis not unlike Punjar from BattleBots.
----------
This is a toy trick ramp I tracked down specifically for a rebuild of one of my old robots, now named The Real Crash Override.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13392205_1023226964413039_5452946072752567408_o.jpg)
Crash Override, originally designed and built in 2001, was scrapped before it ever competed. I wasn't happy with how the build came out and instead went with rebuilding Metalhead out of those parts at the time. Its original design and iteration was a boxy wedge with a saw set inside the ramp, kind of like Ankle Biter just with a longer chassis.
In the robot's new iteration I'd like for its design to be a "spiritual successor" of sorts, that's where this goofy ramp comes into play. They were manufactured about a decade ago for the "Fly Wheels" rip cord toys, but they're made of soft plastic that deforms without cracking. Ever since I first saw one in a store I'd had my eye on it for a potential robot design. Now I have to get them on eBay. :P All of the robot's parts fit inside the "shell" nicely, it just needs to be mounted and all of that. I intend to cut a slot in the deeper curve (that's the front) and set up this rad dado blade I have.
Since this photo was taken I've since peeled off the original stickers and laquered it down to remove all the sticky residue and such. I haven't yet settled on a proper design for the robot's paint job.
The Real Crash Override will eventually be a 3 or 6 pound robot for the DARC competition in Dallas, like Metalhead 2016.
(PS: The robot is called "The Real Crash Override" now thanks to some unsavory net-dwellers commandeering the name for some stupid front of theirs. I came up with the name first and I intend to keep using it.)
What was Metalhead 1's original weight?
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In my absence I've (re)built a beetleweight robot, Kill Switch. Originally codenamed "Gold Split", this robot was built loosely in secret before debuting at DARC Robot Rebellion 1.1 on March 12, 2017 as the latest official installment in the Kill Switch lineage. (The lettering on the armor reads "05GS", "05" denoting the fifth iteration and "GS" being shorthand for its original code name Gold Split.) The working name "Gold Split" was chosen because as a speedrunning term a "gold split" is defined as a substantial and significant improvement in speed or style.
Here is the entire build report for the robot, up to and including the event report.
BUILD REPORT:
Jan 9, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/wskKJmf.jpg)
Initial testing of tread pods.
Feb 4, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/NQ6RNC1.jpg)
Tread pods mounted to inner plastic "skeleton", mounting points for armor added.
(http://i.imgur.com/FaqlMaf.jpg)
Outer wedge shell started, testing positioning and placement.
Feb 22, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/x8XrTf7.jpg)
Reinforcement beams added to mounting points.
Mar 2, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/J4PtJMS.jpg)
Glue applied to outer metal armor and affixed to frame. Clamped to hold in place while drying.
(http://i.imgur.com/xOPTVHe.jpg)
Rear spike plates built and attached to robot chassis.
Mar 6, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/SAic21d.jpg)
Top armor plate made, attached to robot. 6-LED power indicator built and attached to robot.
Mar 8, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/TN397vv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oV3j9Zu.jpg)
Gold paint applied, custom stencils printed, cut, & painted. (Far stencil is morse code for "TFR" - Twilight Foundry Robotics.)
Mar 10, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/pfSLZr1.jpg)
Stencils didn't work as intended, so we had a graphic made out of vinyl to replace the screw up. Robot completed.
Mar 12, 2017
(http://i.imgur.com/YwCxH31.jpg)
Kill Switch in the pits at DARC on event day.
EVENT REPORT:
Round 1 vs. Speed Wedge 3 (Quarterfinals) - https://youtu.be/N5UCLdOxyhQ?list=PL9EWQ7hhmWViZFl62MKTUM14GKpgFlSRp
The plan here was obviously to catch Speed Wedge 3 from its side or back and then slam it into the wall. We came close, but then his wedge beat mine and as Kill Switch was backed into the wall Speed Wedge bent the front wedge plate and bounced Kill Switch up in the air. On the way down Speed Wedge took a huge bite out of the rear end of the robot. We got stuck together until Speed Wedge dropped Kill Switch off on the arena guardrail for a KO.
Round 2 vs. RAID-0 (Loser's Bracket)
RAID-0 destroyed its only speed controller in its previous match and was forced to forfeit to Kill Switch.
Round 3 vs. Project Darkness (Loser's Bracket) - https://youtu.be/q9zxmzuYsro?list=PL9EWQ7hhmWViZFl62MKTUM14GKpgFlSRp
Same plan as Speed Wedge 3, really. Same builder too. The goal here was to drift around to the side and slip under Project Darkness as it turned because the robot was even less stable than Speed Wedge 3. Project Darkness really wasn't able to get a good "bite" on Kill Switch except for the hits where Kill Switch's inertia was used against it, such as the hit that knocked Kill Switch's front wedge piece off and the hit that ultimately flipped it over. Project Darkness caught us on the rear corner on that particular hit.
Rumble - https://youtu.be/yzg0tMm7PIQ?list=PL9EWQ7hhmWViZFl62MKTUM14GKpgFlSRp
Kill Switch also participated in the rumble at the end of the event alongside Mom-Bot, Project Darkness, and Wedgeamacallit. Literally in the first few seconds we rode up on top of Mom-Bot and Mom-Bot's bent up wedge hooked right into our tank tread and pulled the left one off of its track. The motor for that side of drive was also damaged and ended up burning out. We were kind of upset by this because it meant that we were pretty much KO'd and couldn't rock & roll in the rumble, which is what Kill Switch was specifically redesigned for. :(
RESULT:
Kill Switch did not place and finished with 1 in and 2 losses, bringing its lifetime record to 6-10-0. Kill Switch was destroyed in combat and its new iteration is currently in the works. It has been given the code name "Promenade".
What was Metalhead 1's original weight?
Hello one year late. Metalhead 1 weighed approximately five pounds when you factored in the weight of its drive system, armored shell, and its spinning blade system. It competed while weighing about four pounds however because we removed the blade when it blew up in our first round. :gawe:
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:heart_smiley:
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Ian's bots are tough, i do not envy you for having to fight both of his beetles. For a bot made out of wood it seems like Kill Switch held up well!
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Ian's bots are tough, i do not envy you for having to fight both of his beetles. For a bot made out of wood it seems like Kill Switch held up well!
Yeah I was a little peeved at that, but it's no different from me repeatedly getting drawn to fight Russ Barrow's Dark Forces robots all the goddamned time 10 years ago. Wish it would've played out differently but oh well. Kill Switch was fully functional at the end of both matches, it was just KO'd because it was flipped over both times.
"Made of wood" is a pretty common misconception about the robot. Wood is a key player in the robot's makeup, but it's reinforced in such a way as to hold up better against attacks from kinetic weaponry. This is achieved through a process of applying industrial sealant to it and attaching metal with contact cement. No rivets, nails, screws, etc are used in assembling Kill Switch's armor, ergo the only way to really do damage to it is to eat right through it, something Project Darkness struggled with. Speed Wedge 3 got a good bite on Kill Switch's ass though.
Right now I am working on two beetles myself, with two others on the back burder that'll be driven by my brother(s) if they are interested in building them with me. My two are Full Auto (a rammer) and Hard Vore (full body spinner), and the two "reserve" robots are Telefrag (wedge) and Blood Dumpster (vertical saw). Just getting Kill Switch ready was an ordeal though, because we've lost so many team members over the years. We were down to 4 for this build, and then a few months before DARC one of them up and left over petty political reasons. 2 of the 3 remaining team members ended up battling with illness for the rest of the time until the event.
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that's actually really cool. if only you could make it invertible it could be pretty tough to beat.
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that's actually really cool. if only you could make it invertible it could be pretty tough to beat.
That's the dream, haha. There's two main issues with that though, and that's how heavy the treads would end up being if they were made invertible, and the fact that we'd lose a lot of the rigidity of the robot that its lid provides if we had to cut slots in it for treads on both sides.
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Where did you get the tread pods? I'd be interested to get some to disassemble and make a more robust/lighter version for a beetle design I'm working on.
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knowing RFS and looking at his build pics it seems likely that they were cannibalized from some sort of RC tank
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Where did you get the tread pods? I'd be interested to get some to disassemble and make a more robust/lighter version for a beetle design I'm working on.
They were taken from a New Bright branded RC toy called "Attak Trax" or something to that extent. They sell them at Walmart and Target and stuff for about $50. We found ours at a secondhand store and used it for parts.
The pods are pretty resilient, ours only slipped and burned out a motor because we had to remove part of the guiding track to cut down on weight at the last minute. Had we not removed part of the assembly we'd have been gold.
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i actually really love how the bot looked with the stencil on it and was disappointed to see after further scrolling that it wasn't the paint job itself! regardless, way cool my man
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Hi, I've been neglecting this thread for reasons unknown. Since my last update I've built two robots and retired one of them. Here's an update post of sorts. I apologize in advance for how long it is.
NEW FAIRYWEIGHT -- Telefrag
(https://i.imgur.com/wQuWPnm.jpg)
Telefrag at DARC Robot Rebellion 1.2
(https://i.imgur.com/DKLbb21.jpg)
Telefrag disassembled for repair in hotel room. (DARC Robot Rebellion 1.3)
Telefrag is a fairyweight robot that weighs 149.4 grams, building it was almost a nightmare. Before we feverishly started hacking it apart to save weight Telefrag weighed approximately 200 grams, 33% overweight. It's a wedge with tank tracks, similar to our beetleweight Kill Switch. We were originally going to name this robot something to the extent of "Micro Switch" or "Kill Switch Jr." but nothing really stuck. Due to the size and shape of its chassis we also felt the robot didn't look enough like a scaled-down Kill Switch to carry the name. We settled on Telefrag, a DOOM video game reference, and gave it an appropriate matching paint job (the teleport effect from DOOM).
The robot was built from a small RC hobby tank, stripped down to its bare bones. The robot is extremely powerful as it's running motors identical to what you'd see in a Tamiya gearbox or RC BattleBots toy from back in the day. It's quick, it's powerful, and you can easily beat it by rolling it onto its side (we're working on that but we only have .6 of a gram to work with).
NEW BEETLEWEIGHT -- Full Auto
(https://i.imgur.com/EYMhuPe.jpg)
Full Auto at DARC Robot Rebellion 1.2
With Kill Switch currently being rebuilt into it's 6.0 edition we wanted to put together something in the interim to compete with. I bought four motors of unknown make from AliExpress to make a 4-wheel drive pusher/rammer built around a metal desk organizer I found at a thrift store. That and a galvanized shutter brace that we'd sharpen to a point and use like a train plow. I had recently come across a Facebook page for "demo derbies" with scrap RC cars and this inspired me to make my own with a combat twist.
Unfortunately the motors we bought for Full Auto were garbage and were slow as hell, even though they were rated for 6V and we ran them at 12V, and put our transmitter on its "high" setting. Still, we'd come this far with the build and we wanted to see it through regardless. We gave Full Auto a great paint job and brought it to the event.
(PS: Those wheels on the outside of Full Auto are fake and are there for show.)
DARC ROBOT REBELLION 1.2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgg2iUZqnV4&t=976s
Here's a video of me gabbing about my robots with some fight footage and recapping in the middle of it.
Telefrag went 3-1 and finished in second place. We got a neat little trophy for it.
Full Auto went 1-2 and did not place in its division.
(https://i.imgur.com/o3SAVbo.jpg)
Damage done to Full Auto during Robot Rebellion 1.2.
HURRICANE HARVEY
(https://i.imgur.com/2PH8SBa.jpg)
Twilight Foundry HQ, post-Harvey.
On August 25th, 2017 hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category 4 hurricane smack dab on Rockport, TX. This sh**ty little fishing town just so happens to be where I live, and the destruction was incredible. According to the city, approximately 30% of the buildings in Rockport were destroyed by Harvey. Another 35-40% of them were damaged so severely that they have been condemned by the city and will need to be demolished and rebuilt (assuming the property owners want to do that, otherwise they will just be demolished). That's 70% of the city completely destroyed.
We did not do so well during this storm, as the photo above shows. That's the building where I lived and worked. That's where all of our robots for the past 17 years have been built, and it's gone. Damages are in the tens of thousands of dollars each in regards to property damage and personal losses. I lost most of my music collection, movie poster collection, collection of herpetology/paleontology books, video game magazine collection, and much more. We nearly lost our collection of old bots as well; some were severely water damaged but when all was said and done everything was eventually accounted for.
With no workshop however, bot building has come to an end for now.
DARC ROBOT REBELLION 1.3
(https://i.imgur.com/2OuTXVZ.jpg)
Twilight Foundry Robotics at Robot Rebellion 1.2.
Robot Rebellion 1.3 was set to take place just a couple of weeks after Harvey hit and once I saw the damage done to the workshop I posted a photo to the DARC Facebook group and said "that's it, we're done". I had no plans to attend RR 1.3, however I quickly grew sick and ****ing tired of the drama and bullsh** taking place in Rockport and after getting an earful of BS from some asshole at work over something that was out of my control I just up and left and decided at the last minute to drive up to Dallas the day before the event.
I only had one robot, Telefrag, and it was only going to be me present at the event since everyone else was busy dealing with clean-up and rebuilding things. Thankfully we suffered very little damage to Telefrag at RR 1.2 so repairs were easy enough for me to carry out in the hotel room I was staying in and after tightening some screws and cleaning the tank treads Telefrag was ready to go. Worryingly Telefrag and its radio got some water damage during the story but everything still worked.
Some changes were made to the fairyweight arena that didn't sit well with me because they basically invalidated Telefrag's design. Walls were added to ALL pits in the arena as opposed to just half of them, and because of this Telefrag's effectiveness in the arena was greatly diminished. We had moments were we'd be on the verge of winning by ring out had the new walls not been there, and then ended up losing the match in the end. :(
Telefrag went 1-2 at Robot Rebellion 1.3 and finished 4th of 8 robots.
NEW BEETLEWEIGHT -- WILD RIDE // THE PHOENIX
(https://i.imgur.com/Ni91O2L.jpg)
The Phoenix, post-Harvey.
When Harvey hit, we were in the process of working on yet another new beetleweight named Wild Ride. We'd gotten as far as assembling the base parts (drive motors, weapon motor, battery, etc) and left it on the workshop table. When the building collapsed the robot was knocked off of the table and crushed underneath a window air conditioner unit. We recovered the parts, tested them, and decided that it would be appropriate to rename the robot to The Phoenix.
Phoenix's design is similar to Robot Wars competitor PP3D, two wheels out to the side with an undercutting horizontal blade. I wish I could give you better insight as to the motors and parts we're using for this robot, but they're all salvage parts that I know nothing about! Phoenix's drive motors I believe are Chinese knock-offs of the popular "B-series" beetle motors and the weapon motor is driven by an RC car motor attached to a propeller gearbox taken from a crashed RC plane. It all works and looks good on paper, but we're expecting it to probably break in battle.
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good to hear about the bots but really sorry about harvey. glad you got out yourself.
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noo :facepalm: i am so sorry dude i hope everything works out
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We're doing alright. :) Though a minor update, the parts I recovered from The Phoenix ended up getting wet again during a recent rain storm and the battery sat in water until it turned into a brown sludge which got all over everything and ruined the digital scale we use to weigh our robots with. Hilariously, and surprisingly, Phoenix's drive and weapon motors once again cheated death and didn't get ruined. Sooo... I've got another battery in the mail. Thankfully in the year of our Lord 2017, NiMH batteries are dirt cheap.
In other news I've been making progress on clearing out debris and cleaning/testing old robot parts. This weekend I dug up all of the parts to an old robot built by my friend Jason in 2005. He's no longer a part of Twilight Foundry since he's moved away and I guess he just forgot he had parts at the workshop so he left it behind. I took some time to take it all apart and clean it up and after a little bit of TLC it came back to life. Formerly named "Hamsterball of Doom", I present to you: Global Domination
(https://i.imgur.com/cPV3ZOe.jpg)
One look at this robot and you kind of understand what the concept is. It has no weapon and it rolls around by the power of the little module inside of it. I'm not sure if there's some mechanical problems or what but the module doesn't seem to want to move freely inside the ball. I'm thinking I might need a slightly larger ball and may need to carve some of the rubber down on the wheels so it sits in there better. The current ball has some indentations inside of it that the center module gets stuck on so once I get that fixed hopefully this robot will be easier to control.
I don't anticipate winning any fights with it, as this was designed as a proof of concept 12 years ago. I'm thinking about bringing it to DARC Robot Rebellion 1.4 in December and entering it in my friend's honor so his bot can finally see the inside of an arena. Plus, this all just ties back into how I feel salvaging crap after the hurricane. These things were almost lost forever so I feel like these old machines deserve to see the light of day again. That said, it should be a good crowd pleaser and I'm looking forward to getting it restored to 100% for the event.
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Is that Super Turbo Baby Puncher in a Hamster Ball? reminds me of Team Pyramids old bot "The Phaoroahs Hamster Ball Of Death" or something like that.
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Is that Super Turbo Baby Puncher in a Hamster Ball? reminds me of Team Pyramids old bot "The Phaoroahs Hamster Ball Of Death" or something like that.
The original Super Turbo Baby Puncher has a busted gearbox and has been retired. The little module inside the ball of Global Domination is something totally different (and we were planning on modifying another one for use to rebuild STBP but that ended up never happening). Global Domination runs using a "skateboard" variant of the Fly Wheels RC toy, which I've come to find out were actually quite limited in release and are very hard to find today... meaning replacement parts are going to be difficult to obtain. A 3-pound rebuild of STBP has been on deck for a while as "S.T.B.P." because I'm not 15 years old anymore and lolsorandom names like "Super Turbo Baby Puncher" aren't the pinnacle of comedy to me anymore. :dumb)
I'm really only pursuing Global Domination as an antweight in honor of the friend who built it. He drew up the plans in 2005 for a local event that sadly never came to be so the robot has been sitting in the workshop collecting dust for the past 12 years. The module doesn't run very well and there's still some work that needs to be done on it, though I'm concerned that it's going to end up being over one pound. I lost my digital scale in the storm so I can't weigh it to see where it's at currently. :(
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Small update. Been doing some nominal work and cleaning of parts on Global Domination. In the meantime I submitted an official request for weight bonus consideration for the robot to Dallas Area Robot Combat. DARC uses the current SPARC ruleset which offers a 50% weight bonus for "non-wheeled" robots. In my request I sent in photos and a description of the robot and pointed out that it "includes wheels" but the wheels are not ultimately the end point of its locomotion system and thus this would technically classify it as "non-wheeled". The main distinction for something that's non-wheeled but not a walker outright is that its method of movement includes some kind of circular motion or force that aren't ground-touching wheels, in this case the wheels on the inner "module" robot satisfy this definition.
Well, I got word back this afternoon and Global Domination has officially been awarded a 50% weight bonus! :bigsmile: So I've got a full extra half pound to work with now. This is really going to help out a ton as I finish up the robot because I had some concerns that as it stands we'd be weighing in at approximately 1.25 pounds in the robot's current state.
I really hope the robot wins at least one fight. My plans are to retire it after the event in December and return the robot to its original builder inside of a nice display case and it would be really neat to send it home with a little "WINNER" medallion in said case. Otherwise I might just compete with it until it wins a fight and then retire it, assuming it doesn't get totally destroyed.
Also, Global Domination is the FIRST robot in the history of DARC (and I believe it's predecessor SWARC from a decade ago) to be awarded a weight bonus! :gawe:
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This will probably be my final update on my robots for quite some time. Twilight Foundry Robotics has disbanded, and we've withdrawn our entries from DARC 1.4 happening next weekend. This arguably leaves only me as the sole member of the team, and I do not possess the skills or talent needed to bring an idea from concept to fruition with an end result whose quality I would be satisfied with.
The short of it is that nobody who was left on the team really gets along with each other that well anymore, and as such no progress can feasibly be made. (That and the fact that there has been no change since the hurricane and we still do not have a proper place to work on our projects.)
A lot of people have come and gone since the team formed in 2001, but what it ultimately came down to was just simple personal chemistry. Coming back from retirement to build Kill Switch 5 earlier this year was nothing short of an act of God, and even though we managed to build and compete with two more robots afterward the environment and atmosphere under which these robots were created was not one that I would personally consider "positive". The paradigm had shifted and the air in the workshop was stale with disagreement and contempt. That and alcohol. Lots of ****ing alcohol.
I acknowledge that sometimes it's better to just let things go. I am very saddened this is how my team's legacy ends for now, but that's just how life is sometimes. I am humbled and honored to have been able to design and build robots and compete with them with as many wonderful people as I have in the sixteen years it's been since my friends and I formed Twilight Foundry Robotics. We've built over two dozen different robots, been to 12 robot combat events, and won one championship. We've built bots that have been showcased in curriculum buzz reels for things ranging from LEGO Mindstorms to colleges. We've designed mobile props for web shows and light-up costume pieces for convention cosplays. It has been a hell of a ride, and I truly hope someday the Foundry can come back because I know there's so much more for us to create and do.
Thank you all for having been supportive of our endeavors for all these years.
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Shame to hear, chap.
That's a damned impressive run though, you should be extremely proud of what you've been able to do.
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I'm sorry to hear that man. Always enjoyed what you guys had going on, and I've been following for a long time. If nothing else, you proved time and time again that you don't need a fat bank account and a degree in engineering to have fun in this sport.