Advanced Enhancements
Convert the Rampaging Chariot to 4 wheel drive
How can you power all four wheels from the two motors allowed?
Design a mechanism to connect the wheels on each side mechanically.
How can you ensure the motors are fixed firmly enough to the chassis so that they transfer power to the other wheel without bending out of line?
Estimated cost: Connection chains/cogs/belts/wheels - £30 depending on method
Make tank tracks to give increased grip
How do tank tracks work and how do they stay on a tank?
How will you make the tracks? For example, pulley belts with a groove carved into the wheels of the chariot, tracks from toy models etc.
What method will you use to design the tracks?
How will you manufacture the tracks and associated parts and what materials will you use?
Estimated cost: Large rubber belts - £15 or Model tracks - £100
Add A Ball Kicking Mechanism For Football
Relevant extracts from the 2015 rules:
For Football, an electric or spring powered actuator to ‘kick’ the ball is permitted.
An additional drill motor or spring is allowed to power a football kicker. Kinetic energy storage devices
for example a flywheel are not permitted.
Machines must not have a scoop or bucket that can hold the ball but may have one pair of guides that
project no more than 50mm from the front of the main chassis
Any additional radio controlled operating circuit that is or could be deemed dangerous, e.g. a ball kicker,
must be fitted with an approved type of radio signal fail safe device.
The following information is provided to assist you devise a suitable device:
- How much force and movement do you need to kick the ball?
Note: The ball is approximately 12 cm diameter, but is purposely deflated to low internal air pressure to avoid it running away. You can easily distort the ball with a squeeze, but it has enough internal pressure to keep it round. This makes it more difficult to kick. - What is going to power the kicker?
Electric motors, springs, solenoids are OK (subject to technical safety checks).
Flywheels, Compressed gas, Pyrotechnics etc. are NOT OK - Is it a one shot device or multiple shots?
- How are you going to reset the kicker?
- Are you going to have an automatic trigger or radio trigger?
Safety:
- The standard transmitter/receiver has a suitable fail safe which freezes the output at the last state if signal is lost.
- You should fit a separate kicker isolating switch (Clearly Labelled) and mount this on top of the robot.
- Springs should have removable locking pins This removable item is not included in the weight of the Chariot.
If you want to use a spare channel on the standard Transmitter/Receiver; note that the radio receiver is powered from the Master Board via the Channel 4 servo lead and the standard 5 volt and 12 volt regulators on the Master Board do not supply enough power to the receiver to drive a mechanical servo. It is fairly simple to increase the power by replacing both the 5 volt and 12 volt regulators on the board with regulators that can supply at least 1 amp. We suggest :
Rapid Electronics – 7812 Regulator 12V 1A TO220 order code 47-3315 price £0.36 ex VAT
or Texas Instruments LM2940CT LDO 12V 1A order code 51-6346 price £0.99 ex VAT
This regulator has to be inserter in the same holes as the existing 12V regulator with the metal tab facing
the centre of the board. To avoid the metal tab touching and shorting to the adjacent pins sticking up from
the board, the metal tab must be insulated by you.
Rapid Electronics –7805 Regulator 5V 1A To-220 order code 47-3315 price £0.36 ex VAT
This regulator has to be inserter in the same holes as the existing 5V regulator with the metal tab facing the
centre of the board. To avoid the metal tab touching and shorting to the adjacent pins sticking up from the
board, the metal tab must be insulated by you.
Front View - TO-220 Plastic Package
Note: These regulators can only supply 1A intermittently unless fitted with a good heatsink. Covering the metal tab with insulating material (as described above) will reduce the tabs ability to radiate heat, so monitor the temperature of the regulator during testing. 90degC is a sensible maximum as the package is technically rated up to 125degC.