Lynxmotion Tech Support

Hi,

I'll try to shortly explain how I made the "molded" thorax (upper body plate).

It's a very easy method and you'll need very few tools. I used some different hammer's, a heat gun and high pressure air for fast cooling (not necessary but useful). A picture of the tools:



At first I used a bandsaw to saw out the lower and upper body plates:



Finished cutting:



I'm sorry for not having any pictures when I did the actual process.
Next step in the process was to make a solid frame for holding the body plate in a fixed position (especially the coxa positions). I used 5mm aluminium to make the frame. Then I placed the frame onto two wood stick I had laying around:



Then I mounted the upper body plate with the bottom side upwards onto the frame. After that I started to heat up the body plate (ABS plastic) with the heating gun. You've to heat it alot until a critical point when the plastic starts to get very soft. At this point you can easily shape it using different tools like a hammer etc. I used the pressured air for fast coolant.

This picture show my first attempt that didn't go so very well because I was stupid enough to drill the holes for the head section before I started the "molding" process.



Anyway, I think this gives you a little picture of how I did it.

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[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
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Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
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nice work. this explains how you kept the alignments for the servos horns. very neat!

i figured it was a heating process but was speculating about how you got it to look so good. air pressure! "cool" no pun intended!

great work once again. always good to see someone else fabricating their own parts too.

been using shapelock, vacuum forming and loads of other ideas to create parts. so its good to see what you have done has works so successfully!

well done.

_________________
Jonny Poole,
Freelance Concept Art & Animatronics, 3D Art and 3D Modelling, as well as Physical Modelling, Mechanical design, and illustration.
http://www.innerbreed.co.uk/
Create, Innovate, Inspire.

Thanks! I've always been impressed by your work too!

BTW, I'm gonna use Jim's custom made DIY remote for controlling A-pod. I think I'll need one more spectrum receiver at least

_________________
[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
-----------------------------------------
Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
-----------------------------------------

thank you. There is a good community here, and its always nice to see support and intervention on ideas. iv seen lynxmotion grow over the last few years and i feel that if it wasnt for the people of these forums, things wouldnt be moving as quick as they are, and in such a good way.


yeah may as well add one to the list!

take care dude.

_________________
Jonny Poole,
Freelance Concept Art & Animatronics, 3D Art and 3D Modelling, as well as Physical Modelling, Mechanical design, and illustration.
http://www.innerbreed.co.uk/
Create, Innovate, Inspire.

Hi Zenta!

Thanks for giving us a view in your kitchen! The pictures explains it all! This clarifies how you mentioned to keep the holes in to place while moulding the body part. And I wish I had a bandsaw!

Xan

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[b]Share, Use and Improve![/b]
Digging trough: [i]Theory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control[/i]
Xan's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/xanore

Thanks Xan!

I'm using the bandsaw, XYZ milling machine and other machines we have at work. So I don't have them at home . I'm trying to convinse my boss that we also need a CNC machine, but no luck so far

_________________
[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
-----------------------------------------
Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
-----------------------------------------

We actually have a 3D printer now... but they won't let me play with it.

WOW! I've only seen those on vids...

I wish we had a milling machine. the only thing we've got at work are pc's, pc's and even more pc's... But they are fast though

_________________
[b]Share, Use and Improve![/b]
Digging trough: [i]Theory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control[/i]
Xan's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/xanore

It feeds material from two spools up to a heated head on x-y-z rails. one material is the ABS or whatever it is building the shape from and the other material is a support plastic that disolves in a heated ultrasoinc cleaning tub after the build is complete. I don't think the model we have has as high a resolution as some of the liquid in a tub types (only 0.01" I believe) but it's reasonably fast and not too messy even.

Hi Zenta!

Your project is off to a very good start nice work over all.

I have a few questions for you...

Have you given in thought on how you are going to solve your large power needs either though li-poly battery packs or some other battery chemistry?
Also are you adding wireless 2.4 GHz video to the "head" so you can see cans though it?

docdoc

Thanks!



I'm going to use LiPo for powering and two Turnigy UBEC switch regulators. I posted the battery in another thread. I'm gonna use this:



Closeup pictures of the regulator:





I've been thinking of it but I've no experience with the CMUCAM's or Blackfin. Do you have any suggestions?

Would be cool try one time!

_________________
[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
-----------------------------------------
Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
-----------------------------------------

heya Zenta...

Sorry I too have no experience with the CMUCAM or Blackfin....
I've heard the CMUCAM will shut down if exposed to direct sunlight though so if you are going to get into that I would suggest a filter for that situation.

Also you could always use a wireless camera attacted to the head to send data back to a main computer and use a very easy yet powerful program Roborealm
then the computer could send data back to a SSC-32 (via bluetooth or wireless 2.4 also) which they have got programed into roborealm.
This would allow you to find-> approach-> and grab certain color cans. From there its really up to you what happens.

Nice tutorials on it -> http://www.roborealm.com/tutorials.php

I thought you were originally going to RC control it then it would be a simple matter of hooking up a small LCD with the receiver for a 2.4 GHz camera.

docdoc

Please... stop showing off that massive Lipo of yours! I can't take it anymore!

_________________
[b]Share, Use and Improve![/b]
Digging trough: [i]Theory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control[/i]
Xan's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/xanore

Hi docdoc,
Thanks for information, I was aware of the roborealm but I've no experience about that either. I was hoping to have a solution without the need for a PC. But it would be fun to add a wireless camera. And the roborealm looks very interesting. I've seen some cool stuff other people have done with roborealm ex. ball tracking.

_________________
[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
-----------------------------------------
Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
-----------------------------------------

Another point of view:

_________________
[b]Kåre Halvorsen, Zenta[/b]
-----------------------------------------
Zenta's blog
http://zentasrobots.com/
Zenta's YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/ZentaOlbaid
-----------------------------------------