Test Bot 4.5 Media Center Edition Service Pack 1
Test Bot 4.5 is the latest iteration in long line of bot designs going back all the way to Test Bot 1.0, which gave the “team” a name. It is an ultra-low profile pusher and lifter with a 30 degree aluminum wedge encircling its front side and a fast 4-bar linkaged-based lifting arm. The bot was constructed to compete in the 12-pound RFL class as well as the BattlebotsIQ 15-pound Mini class under the “Media Center Edition” upgrades.
For 2008, the “Service Pack” upgrades will improve the bot’s durability, especially against kinetic energy weapons, and reliability. The bot will still compete as a 12-pound class bot with optional attachments to fight in the 15 pound class.
Test Bot 4.5 Media Center Edition Service Pack 1
| Weapon | 4-bar electric lifting arm |
| Chassis | 12″ x 12″ base, 1.5″ height UHMW Polyethylene, G-10 fiberglass composite 6061, 2024, and 7075 aluminum weapon parts and wedge skirts |
| Mechanical | 2 custom 14:1 drive gearboxes, 12MPH top speed Four wheel drive Custom 56:1 arm gearbox |
| Electrical | Spektrum 2.4ghz radio control Victor 884 and Dimension Engineering SyRen 25 controllers Custom “default-on” power switch 14.8v, 2.1AH lithium-ion polymer battery |
| Competition | 4.5SP1 Motorama 2008 4.5MCE BattlebotsIQ 2007 National Tournament 4.0 Battle Beach IV Robot Fighting League 2006 National Championship Dragon*Con Atlanta Robot Battles 2006 |
Pictures of TB4.5SP1
Pictures of TB4.5
July 25th, 2007 at 23:00
w00t for the only other (and first) robot to beat Xecuter!
-The X-Contamination people
December 7th, 2007 at 2:53
It may have won the match against Xecuter, but that doesnt mean that it beat us. It was Xecuter’s first go, and had next to no reception. as you saw, after we got the new controller’s, the *hi* hit the fan (well at least the ceiling, lol!)
Test Bot 4.5 Media Center Edition is a greatly built bot and is viewed as a mighty competitor throughout our team!
And as for “-The X-Contamination people” dont hate us just because you bot left the comp in scrape bucket! AGAIN!
December 12th, 2007 at 22:45
But that’s how we roll! we always go out in a scrap bucket! it’s tradition! we nick-named it the Zombie-Bot because within 10 minutes of pounding on it with hammers, it’s up and running and ready to fight again!
Also, are you guy’s going to Motorama 2008?
“X-Contamination People”
December 14th, 2007 at 2:16
That is very true. But one question? did you’s ever think that if you could FIX it by pounding it with hammers, What a huge whirling mass of kinetic energy would do to it? just a thought. But hey, you guys always make it down to near the end, right?
Well last year i was a senior member, and the lead designer/driver/builder of VerteX. And Co/lead-Designer of Xecuter. I have graduated, as has the driver of Xecuter, MaXimum Impact, and Xyrus. I keep in touch with the adviser still, and Kirk says that they are planning to, but as usual with us, it comes down to the last week or two for the final decision. (we are HUGE procrastinators!)
December 14th, 2007 at 2:25
HAAAAAAAAA!!!! I feel dumb!!! i read that last part wrong! so what i wrote pertains to BotsIQ. A couple of us may venture down to Harrisburg. It’s like an hour and a half away. But PKR will not competing. We haven’t scrounged the $$$$ around yet. so if we do show up, it will just be as spectators :(
December 22nd, 2007 at 23:00
Nice bot buddy. Its too bad batteries got ya at IQ. Hope the new version works out well. C ya at Moto
-j Go
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:22
Either way, the competition is all good fun. I’m not going to be able to head to BotsIQ due to finals week overlapping it this year, and I think GT’s team has no plans on going to Motorama this year either. As for the “hammering to fix it” part, that was out of necessity to even build the thing (the most advanced tool in our shop was a drill press).
January 4th, 2008 at 1:07
I’ve Got 2 Questions…
1) does the Syren 25 controller turn the dc gearbox into a servo? How do you control it?
2) if you know, How much torque does your flipper motor have?
January 4th, 2008 at 3:59
It can, but it will need an external servo controller. The Syren takes serial data input, making it easy to interface to a microcontroller. It’s also a matter of rigging a pot or encoder into the arm drive. I could conceivably also hack a servo board into such a task, but the arm is much, much faster than a conventional servo and most likely the board will not have a high enough resolution or fast enough refresh rate. The speed of the arm also requires one GOOD, finely tuned control loop.
I assume you’re asking for raw torque measurements at the back of the arm by the driving linkage. The type of drill motor that I use produces around 0.8 oz-in/amp, torquewise. On beginning a good lift, the motor spikes around 50 amps (This was never reached at IQ because my battery pack was grinding its 2 dead cells into the ground). Put through the 36:1 stock drill gearbox, then the 1.66:1 external reduction, and you have around 2400 oz-in of torque at the rear linkage.
Good enough with a high-amp battery during testing to throw a 12lb test weight a foot or two, but again, it had maybe 15-20 amps of current at most to work with during IQ.
January 4th, 2008 at 21:57
so do you have the motor turn a cam? And the Syren is just working as a speed controller?
January 9th, 2008 at 3:16
Will, we’re the *only* people who use a cam. That’s why I always insisted we call X-Contamination’s arm a six-bar arm.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:05
The motor drives the rear link through spur gears. The end gear is attached directly to the rear link. It is a 4-bar system. No other mechanisms swing or move. And yes, the Syren is running open loop until further notice.
January 23rd, 2008 at 0:11
Ok cool.. and Jeffrey, you never reffered it to me as a 6 bar…
BTW, We turned the arm over on X-Contamination so it flips itself over! there are videos on YouTube.