Tom Gidden

Very nice! Obviously, it’d be good to see them operational… video, please 🙂

I finally had major surgery on my spine, so I’m bed-ridden for a few months and not going to be printing or building anything anytime soon. However, I couldn’t resist ordering a Devastator Tank robot platform when I had the opportunity to do so…[Read more]

Very nice! I’m going to watch those videos with more attention later.

I’ve just added a 9-DOF sensor to the centre of my robot, and I’m wondering about adding an optical mouse sensor to the bottom if I can get the optics right. That way, I might be able to get it to drive semi-intelligently: not totally absolute positioning, but the ability…[Read more]

A little bit screechy; not very fast (but probably fast enough); and it weighs quite a bit (0.9kg).

However, it is managing to do all that lurching about while also serving a two-way video call at 30fps! 😀

A little bit screechy; not very fast (but probably fast enough); and it weighs quite a bit.

However, it is managing to do all that lurching about while also serving a two-way video call at 30fps! 😀

I usually just print the part with a suitably-shaped cavity to accept one of the injection-moulded servo horns that come free with the servo. Problem here is the ground clearance: I don’t think there’s vertical room for any of the standard horns. Heck, I’m tempted to just grind the servo splines down to hexagons, or even just a single flat. I…[Read more]

@evilsteve Here’s the flexible mod for old extruders: http://www.cel-robox.com/mod-flexible-filament-with-robox/

@evilsteve I have tried printing the spline pattern, but it always seems to end up chewed eventually. This time, I’m ignoring the spline and screwing directly into the servo, and just having a damn tight Nylock nut interface, possibly with a drop of cyanoacrylate (superglue). I expect it might loosen, though, so I’m pondering just biting the…[Read more]

@click Ah, so that’s what that tube’s for… 🙂 (Just joking, real reason is that I couldn’t find the tube at the time!)

My greater concern was that the mounting lugs for two of the servos broke off under pretty much no force whatsoever, so I’ve had to redesign the bracket to carry the servo more securely.

The suspension mechanism might end up…[Read more]

@click I’ll have another go with NinjaFlex once everything else is sorted, as better tyres is a refinement I can make just by buying new tyres 🙂

Once I actually got the NinjaFlex into the extruder (by unhooking the “trumpet”… “guide”?!) and pushing it in by hand, it printed successfully using a low feed rate. It’s just the result that was…[Read more]

… Slaves, drugs and cider, too 🙂

Oh, this is the NinjaFlex + ABS DM wheel. Looks okay, and the tyre is invitingly squishy, but it’s friable, and the grip isn’t actually that great.

I just finished the first print of this servo + bearing bracket.

The wheels weren’t such a success: dual-material printing NinjaFlex and ABS at the same time is probably not a great idea, and when you don’t pay attention and leave the bed at ~125ºC, the NinjaFlex pretty much permanently bonds to the print surface.

So, I’m just using the wheels…[Read more]

I just finished the first print of this servo + bearing bracket.

The wheels weren’t such a success: dual-material printing NinjaFlex and ABS at the same time is probably not a great idea, and when you don’t pay attention and leave the bed at ~125ºC, the NinjaFlex pretty much permanently bonds to the print surface.

So, I’m just using the wheels…[Read more]

I can attest to this. I think Chris E. is trying to build a working stack of Roboxes on his desk taller than he.

I think he’s making the point that it’s might be more likely to leave PolySupport on Reel 1, while being able to quickly change colours on the more-accessible Reel 2.

@click Unfortunately, they’ll require ‘fixing’. Right now they seem to have a 180º range. Right now, the problem is just finding the time to do it.

Oh, and look… “NinjaFlex Water Translucent” Out For Delivery… 😀

Oh, and @click, re: >>>>>> pattern.

1. Make a circle with, say, 64 points.
2. Stellate it by selecting every other point (or probably every other two points for a “square wave” profile) and scale those points.
3. Extrude it into a cylinder with _two_ steps. Or, just a simple cylinder and “knife” it in half.
4. Select all points on the middle…[Read more]

Oh, and @click, re: >>>>>> pattern.

1. Make a circle with, say, 64 points.
2. Stellate it by selecting every other point (or probably every other two points for a “square wave” profile) and scale those points.
3. Extrude it into a cylinder with _two_ steps. Or, just a simple cylinder and “knife” it in half.
4. Select all points on the middle…[Read more]

I got my four servos today too… the crimping tool’s gone AWOL thanks to Royal Mail, though.

I dithered about whether to just shove the tyres on the servos and mount the servos to the chassis, but I’ve decided to print mountings for four independent axles, being steel bars threaded to the same as the inside thread of the servos, so the servos…[Read more]