Sept 14, 2002
I have decided that I need to enter Belladonna in the upcoming Fuzzyland event. I simply can't miss the opportunity to compete at this event. Even though it will mean a couple of compromises in the design, I have decided to "go for it" and just do with what I have, hopefully the bot will still be fearsome and dangerous. As the title says I need to lose approximately 72 oz. or 4.5 lbs from the design. At first look this seemed next to impossible without totally destroying performance. With a couple of new estimates the prognosis looks far more positive. A new petal design looks to lose about a pound of UHMW while moving the point of ground contact further back towards the feet. This will result in better turning and speed as the feet have to work against a shorter "lever" to move the weapon around. The feet will also feature increased traction, as the bot can go much faster when the feet aren't bouncing against the ground. In addition a new blade and blade holding design will deliver more power into the opponent. The old design was powerful but only for 1 or 2 hits before the collar came loose and the blades "free wheeled" sometimes spinning sometimes not. I have also found a way to relieve some of the stress the weapon motor shaft sees thereby reducing Belladonna's appetite for EV's. There are several other upgrades/changes planned, all of which hopefully to be detailed in this report. 5 weeks to go and very little budget will be tough, but I think I can make it. Stay tuned for more.
Sept 18, 2002
Oct 5, 2002
