i purchased a RN1 before I actually wanted to build scratch robots. now i understand the desire for custom interchangable parts (brackets) and more powerful servos (even tho RN1 has some of the coolest servos ever) as well as the circuitry … for some reason i appreciate kits that look less like toys where they cover everything up. i kind of like how the wires and the electronics just hang out loosely and naked.
i dont know but the scout with the hsr-5645s look so…delicious right now. is there any chance there will be a new scout next year? i would love to purchase with more capability…
The beauty of the SES brackets is that they are reconfigurable, and that they don’t need to go together in any particular way. If, for instance, you build a BRAT to the “standard” plans, and then decide that you’d really like to experiment with different leg geometries, or that you’d like to add hip yaw, you can do so. Just a little bit of disassembly, the addition of the new brackets and servos, and you’re there. If you then decide that you’d like to experiment with some other leg geometry, you can do that, too.
There is absolutely nothing in the world that dictates that these brackets have to be assembled in one configuration or another. Whether it’s for a 4-servo BRAT Jr., a 22-servo full biped, or anything in between, the brackets are all compatible, and can be assembled and disassembled at will. The SEQ software is just as flexible, allowing you to write sequences for everything from the most basic layout to the most advanced, and all geometries in between. Take them apart. Design with them. Invent something new. If you decide that you want to go back to a previous layout, you can do that, too. We can rebuild him. We have the technology.
i know but that doesnt mean we should stay with the kits we have now forever…i kinda like kits. you dont have to hunt everything down and kits are sometimes discounted prices.
So get a kit, learn from it for a while, and then add on when you’re ready for something more. you’ll get the same parts buying them individually as you would get in a bundle.
The Scout has 6 DOF legs, which includes hip rotation. It’s a very sophisticated and capable design if you think you are up to programming it.
To my knowledge LM isn’t planning a Scout redesign, but if they did, you would already have 90% of the parts anway. The SES isn’t changing. The most likely change I could see for the Scout would be replacing the lexan chassis with an aluminum one, and you could always upgrade to that part if it is released.
And you would have the option of reconfiguring the brackets and servos into a humanoid type in the future if you so desire.
I know what you mean, the kits look more like “experimental” robots rather than a finished product. There are more flexible options when SES brackets are used. You can attach other things to the arms like lasers, cannons, gripers, etc…
S. Karim: I found myself asking that same question as well, but I found that the closest thing to a mod for the scout would be to buy the Lynx 209 chassis (don’t forget the pair of multipurpose servo brackets) and would give it a new look.
The other style, as others have mentioned, is to reconfigure the legs to be a humanoid. When you reconfigure it to a humanoid style, you open up the door for a handful of configuration. I’ve combed around in this section (bipeds) and have found many creative ways to configure legs for humanoid bipeds. Check out steve’s humanoid somewhere in this section, he has incorporated hip rotate as well as a 4DOF arm scheme and some modified/custom parts to boot.
I have a parts list of LM items that I found you need to make an equivalent to Kondo’s KHR-2HV. Of course, the parts list assume you have a scout to begin with since it recycles many of those parts.
If you slap in a servo like the 5955TG or the 5990TG, you would have a humanoid that is formidabble with the kit-based humanoids out there. Surprising to note that Kondo’s kitted servos are 10 to 10.7 kg-cm in torque (roughly 139 oz-in) and if you drop in any of the two servos mentioned above, you’ll have a minimum of 333 oz-in of stall torque. Plus, LM’s humanoid uses metal parts, I often question the strength of these plastic pieces of kit-based humanoids especially if you swap it out with these 333+ oz-in servos…
I wish I had solid works model for SES parts so I can model the parts on my parts list for the humanoid biped. It’s similar to what Jim already has on his site, but the leg configuration was inspired by Kondo’s scheme.
Firstly, I would definatly not recommend the 5955 because they seem to be very fragile. Second, I have read on other forums where they tested some servos for stall torque, they saw that hitec was puffing up there numbers by about 20% (of course, this wasn’t a depth analysis, he could have done it wrong…) Wich is more than the other companies do.
Also, adding the alluminium parts adds some consiferable weight on the bot, plastic is cheap, and very light. Aluminium is stronger but heavier.
I would recommend the 5990 over the 5955, but Sam, where’s the link to where the test was posted?
0.06" aluminum is very close to the same weight of an equivalent sized piece of 0.125" think Lexan or Acrylic. So in practical terms Aluminum is stronger, but not necessarily heavier than plastic.
Here’s the forum, found it, I thought I had lost it… few (it’s only about the 5995)
Two things, The robots (like bioloid) use plastic that’s about as heavy as aluminium? I didn’t find any datasheets telling anything about that… But, let’s say, does bioloid use thinner plastic, just so it holds together, nothing more.
Yeah, I had seen the diferrence between the two chasis (one in lexan the onther in aluminium), they were almost the same weight.
Secondly, I was also (even if I hadn’t mentioned it… you guys should have read in my mind! ) But seriously, like for example, the hitec robonova servos are attached together directly by the horns and screws in the back of the servo, so they don’t have (like the SES) multi-housing brackets, wich add some weight to the robot. But I still prefere the SES because you can do what ever you want with it. If I plan to go in a compitition some day I’ll make my own brackets. The 5990’s will add a lot of power, but not the exact scall of 139/333 because you have the extra brackets to consider.
The Bioloid plastic brackets are incredibly strong - it is much easier to bend aluminum brackets than the Bioloid brackets. They are not at all brittle, and they work extremely well.
Well, I’ll retreive my statments that plastic is lighter or brittle, well I knew like derlin or Lexan is good and not brittle, but I thouht more robots were made with cheap plastic.
Robophilos are 399.99 for the kit version, so I’m willing to bet those are made of cheap plastics, not to mention waaaaay under powered servos if you ever watch the demo videos on youtube.com:
Notice how the upper body sways back and forth after each move… The servos are struggling to hold its position.
Still, if I had my choice between plastic and aluminum, my preference would be aluminum…
It’s all about power(torque since servos rotate)-to-weight ratio in the end and reliability. I’ve often what would happen to Kondo’s plastic joints if it were to have a hard fall (after doing some fancy moves) and it just so happens to fall on those joints. Would it shatter?
Thanks EddieB! 
) But seriously, like for example, the hitec robonova servos are attached together directly by the horns and screws in the back of the servo, so they don’t have (like the SES) multi-housing brackets, wich add some weight to the robot. But I still prefere the SES because you can do what ever you want with it. If I plan to go in a compitition some day I’ll make my own brackets. The 5990’s will add a lot of power, but not the exact scall of 139/333 because you have the extra brackets to consider.