Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 01:11:36 PM

Title: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 01:11:36 PM
i would like to build a robot like this one. what would i need to do that
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: airman00 on November 08, 2008, 02:22:10 PM
look in the picture and then do research on the parts you see.

Your question is too broad.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Webbot on November 08, 2008, 03:39:06 PM
And don't forget that decent tank tracks are expensive. Hard to judge the size of the robot in the image but it looks expensive !!

If this is your first outdoor robot then I would suggest you might be better starting with 4 wheel drive. Once you get this up and going then the electronics, drivers etc should be easily transferable to a tracked vehicle.

IE - blow the budget on getting stuff working (not just on the initial chassis).
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: airman00 on November 08, 2008, 04:06:34 PM
a little off topic  : But i was curious about this track design
http://www.guzer.com/pictures/wheelchair_tank.jpg
Any advice on finding parts , etc. ?
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Webbot on November 08, 2008, 04:26:46 PM
Back in the 1970s Warwick University in the Uk built a robot based on a tracked vehicle chassis that had been used by the military for remote bomb disposal in Northern Ireland. Although I'm always anxious about googling for anything to with 'bomb' nowadays !!  But I wonder if there any ex-military spares out there? Admin - I think you were attached to navy - so get those motor pool boys to free up some old stuff for us  !! 

We need a kind of hippy co-operative as per the Clint Eastwood fiilm 'Kellys Heroes'. Do this for us Admin and your nick name will become 'Odd Ball' !! (Not an insult - just a movie reference!!!). And don't come back to me with any 'negative waves man'.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 06:19:39 PM
i need help with the wheels. would you have one servo on each wheel.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: dunk on November 08, 2008, 06:29:13 PM
if you want details on building tracks, try searching for radio controlled tank building sites.
there are actually quite a lot of good sites out there on making RC tanks that go into detail on tracks.

as for wheels, yea, attaching a wheel to a servo is the simplest way of getting a moving base.
have a look at this site's $50 robot.


dunk.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 08, 2008, 06:37:55 PM
well you could build it from scratch or I know that mythbusters got a vex robotics kit and built one...
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 07:15:37 PM
can you get a kit for these kinds of tracks
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 08, 2008, 07:35:11 PM
With the vex kit it would not look the same but it will function the same....  and another change is that the small tracks need to go in between the two larger tracks google it you should find the mythbusters project.....                   
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: airman00 on November 08, 2008, 07:52:47 PM
Tada
(http://www.botmag.com/images/articles/vex_5.jpg)
(http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/58c/58c165d728a3818fd2ab31b3ee560e2c_m.jpg)
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 09:31:35 PM
i don't know how to put the second tracks on
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 08, 2008, 10:28:10 PM
basically first off you build two sets of tracks the big one and the small one... then you mount the second one using motors so that the end can go up and down and if you add universal joints so that it breaks the way the tracks are going then it may add support
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 10:36:53 PM
thanks. do you know any websites that show me how to mount it.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 08, 2008, 10:49:26 PM
no, except maybe if you find pics from the mythbusters show....  vex or smaller and less complex build would be your best guess... I went to a first competition last year and a they had one of the designs you want to build and they guy wouldnt tell me the exact price top build he just said EXTREMELY expensive... and thats with out erroe and having to buy new parts....
um anyway anymore questions ill be back on tomorrow... I just won my first FLl championship of the season today so I was really excited bout that
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 08, 2008, 11:05:15 PM
what is FLl ???
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: madchimp on November 08, 2008, 11:39:51 PM
well the robot in the picture is a PackBot made by iRobot used by the use military and I'm sure other government agencies on their site http://store.irobot.com/corp/index.jsp (http://store.irobot.com/corp/index.jsp) they have other bots and a pdf with accessories including replacement treads for the PackBot but no prices, I'm sure it's one of those things if you need to ask don't bother lol.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 09, 2008, 07:25:41 AM
first lego league the thing that got me into robotics..... www.firstlegoleague.org (http://www.firstlegoleague.org)
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 09, 2008, 09:04:56 AM
how do they attach the two wheels.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: jamort on November 09, 2008, 11:23:42 AM
my guess would be the rotors or whatever is driving the robot is split and has something running down the middle thats how it appears to be.....or to go cheaper you could just put a piece od aluminum on that side and attatch everything...
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Rebelgium on November 09, 2008, 11:45:59 AM
no offense duderobot, but judging by the questions you ask you seem WAY to inexperienced for this type of robot.
Try it later, first make the 50$ robot, then a 4WD/tracked robot,...

these types of robot are extremely expensive and hard.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: duderobot on November 09, 2008, 12:09:36 PM
ok
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Admin on November 13, 2008, 03:02:14 AM
duderobot, read the tutorials on SoR - you'll learn a lot!

Quote
But I wonder if there any ex-military spares out there? Admin - I think you were attached to navy
Nope, I worked for the bio-chemistry section. They only have spare pathogens ;D
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: MaltiK on November 13, 2008, 07:02:27 PM
http://www.solarbotics.com/products/gmtpkg/
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Rebelgium on November 14, 2008, 05:30:39 PM
http://www.solarbotics.com/products/gmtpkg/

FYI, those wheels are about 1.5cm in diameter, and those motors are pretty weak.
This kit is only suitable for very small robots.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: Metal Slug 2 on November 16, 2008, 12:00:10 AM
http://www.solarbotics.com/products/gmtpkg/

heres some more tracks actually from VEX.  a bit pricey and they don't come with servos either. http://www.vexrobotics.com/vex-robotics-tank-tread-kit.shtml

however, heres a website which can teach you how to make your own tracks! : http://www.rctankcombat.com/articles/track-systems/

i would go with the bike chain one; just find some old bikes in the garbage and salvage their chains and the rear gears.  Just use some WD-40 to get rid of the rust  ;)  it will surely save you some money.
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: MaltiK on November 16, 2008, 06:49:54 AM
Theres a tutorial on how to make reaaally sick looking treads:

http://robosapienv2-4mem8.page.tl/T_1-Rise-of-the-Machines.htm

where the outcome is this:

(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1509/25uu9.jpg)

but it looks extremely expensive
Title: Re: robot with tracks
Post by: AdvsNoob on November 27, 2008, 08:16:19 PM
i don't know how to put the second tracks on

Try a servo on another set of tracks, the servo will give you a 180 deg's of rotation the you can use another motor or maybe a motify servo for the second track, create a plate like this.

(http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6263/trackrotationnm7.jpg) (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

Hope that helped a bit.