It is your right to defend your livelyhood.
The guys at CrustCrawler are actually pretty nice. I don’t know why they have this animosity towards Jim. Their original Web Site seemed to be designed around an anti Lynxmotion theme and their No Plastic graphics are insulting, if for no other reason than I know who the images are targeted at.
Rather than build their business on its own merits, they decided to use a negative theme and bash their competitors.
I did a mini review of the original Hex Crawler:
roboware.org/Gallery/v/walkers/hexcrawler/
I personally think the Lynxmotion kits have a better Cool Factor. My robots have no need to carry around a 7 pound brick so Plastic or ugly gray aluminum, I don’t know which is better. I just know the Lynxmotion robots look better 
Kenny
yea,
actually,there are so many other robot sites,but i chose lynxmotion cause they got great reviews,and there robots look better,and they are cheaper.
When I first started considering starting out with robotics, I took a real good look at Crust Crawler’s products, including the forums, all their videos, etc. At first they looked real good, and I was sure that using an all aluminum chassis was the best way to go.
However, I did not have any real knowledge about use of lexan and other plastic types in robotics. Other kits looked a little flimsy, to say the least, so I had not seen any reason to change my opinion about lexan. Until I ordered SES Electronics Carrier, I really had no idea how strong lexan could be (and how nice it could look). Now I see how high quality plastics can work really nice and look great too. So, Jim won over one person from a must have all aluminum point of view. 
Used wisely, I see now that lexan being a great material for small robots.
That being said, I don’t have any problems with lexan or other plastics being used in robot components when the parts are well made like everything at Lynxmotion is. I did go back and look closely at the Crust Crawler walking videos, and they do indeed look cheesy compared to the great walking of the Hexapods here, and I especially like the CH3-R for the round style.
Just keep doing what you are doing the way you are doing it, Jim, and don’t give a second thought to the childish antics of some companies. There is not any where near the activity on a lot of robotics forums as you have here, and if I may be so bold, the users are not near as knowledgable or helpful elsewhere. 
I continue to look at other products, but I haven’t found anything as good as or as inexpensive for the level of quality anywhere else. So, I will continue to piece together my robots using mostly Lynxmotion components and what I can’t get here I will find a way to get fabricated if I really need something super custom.
8-Dale
Here it is! Bask in the glory of the first totally aluminum hexapod from Lynxmotion!
It is ALuminum, and it is EXtreme, so I have named this robot ALEX!
Alex, your kidding right?
I guess we need a tag for sarcasm.
I think the CrustCrawler dude just soiled himself… 
lol,
Guys,
Just like me to to be contrary, but, 2 years ago I bought a CC Hexrod HD. I had to import to Spain, their customer service was good. The bot was ok once I got the parallax off of it, particularly the placement of the SSC32 for servo control. I love mine. I call it stitch, it’s anodized blue finish makes it look like the disney character. I haven’t tried their other products nor do I participate in their forums. But based entirely on my personal experience the contact was positive and I will probrably deal with them in the future.
Jim
PS: I will say that their designs to be on a slightly larger scale making them a little clumsy indoors…
crustcrawler has some pretty cool robots, but lynxmotion is better. plus lynxmotion robots have aesthetic appeal. plain Grey metal is kinda boring. and crustcrawler is really pricey.
well, will the SCC and all of its nice softwhear support the AX-12+ Actuator?
it seems like a really nice device.
-Or what is the lynx equvalent to it? i need lots of tork, Im planing on building a hexpod modeled after a mantis, which means long legs and joints.
Equivalent to what? The AX-12? Other than the information feedback it really isn’t all that wonderful. People are missing/ignoring that it’s a 9.6V custom servo that doesn’t work (by specification) below 7V, meaning at least a 7-cell nimh pack and neither 2S or 3S lipo packs are directly appropriate, and it’s a multi-drop serial interface which is not directly compatible with any other “servo” based system out there. Also at 7V it is spec’d about 165 oz-in while an off the shelf HS-5645 at 6V is 133 oz-in… not that big a difference really given all the other accomodations you need to make to use it the ax-12. if you’re building a bioloid based on ax-12 actuators and their system then great but to try and integrate them into a system already based on conventional hobby servos seems a bit silly (opinion) as you are going to need a secondary power source (more weight to suck up that additional torque you get) and deal with the different interfaces.
For a larger mantis you might want to look at other ways to get at torque like indirect drive couplings and small linear actuators, or keeping the mantis proportions and scaling it down might let you use the higher end hobby servos. One thing that would be real interesting to see developed and applied is a tight push-pull cable system suitable for use in small (relatively) robots. It seems like not being required to have servos AT each joint could help shift weight distribution and reduce torque. For example controlling a knee or hip from a servo located at the ankle means not supporting the weight of the servo when standing and, if you consider the asymetrical torque requirements between supporting the body and lifting the limb, makes better use of the torque available in the servo when the foot is being moved. The only reason I am throwing this idea out here is that with the longer proportions of a mantis you may have room in the ankle/tibia joint regions to put a servo for a push-pull type link.
Thanks for the input. linkages are much more logical than direct joints, as the force is put directly where you need it. the robot is 3’1.5’1’ at the base.
lexan is being used for the frame, as of now it is on treads not legs but i plan on makeing this upgrade.
I think now im going to go with lynx digital servos, my reasoning being that i believe i need the control over speed in the machine, analog servos always go there top.
Hey EddieB,
Have you ever used an AX-12 in a project?
I’ve used AX-12’s before. I think they are a good little servo for the price, considering the brackets that are included and the feedback features but they are no powerhouse of torque. Not even close. A real life stall of 200oz/in at around 9.6V is not enough for many projects. And the Hitec HS-5990 and HS-5955 will easily outpower them.
I think Eddie is simply suggesting that due to the high torque requirement of his project, the AX-12’s would not be a good choice.
Hey agavejoe,
Why is the question relavent if I am capable of understanding and applying the data in their specifications to the requirements of an application?
Regardless of how cute and fuzzy they might be in hand, that is only a small part of if they are the best part for the job. The only thing that matters performance wise is what the manufacturer will put down on paper and guarantee. However wonderful they might appear, if you try to empirically design around what you can get it to do vs. what it is specified to do the next person attempting to apply your results is really out on a limb. I don’t think there is a problem with the AX-12 for the price if they fit well into the rest of a systems design. In fact there may be systems where their ability to operate at a higher voltage or use a different style communication may be big benefit. As evolution has suggested though, after looking at the good and bad of them I would not jump right up and advocate their use for this particular application/system without seriously looking at some other technologies first. If the system wants to run in its entirety off 8.4V packs (7S NiMH strings) and the designer is willing to sign off on handling the IK, computing movement trajectories and timing their position updates to make it work smoothly (thus eliminating the big benefit of an SSC-32) in their code then the AX-12 might be just fine to use.
:mrgreen:
The AX12, RX28 and RX64 seem like great little servos. But if its not a stationary bot, you are sacraficing ALOT of weight in the case of the RX 28. 12-16 volts recommended?? thats rediculous. The battery you need is…big if you want any run time. I myself have a 12 volt Ni-Mh pack i use to power my rover, its about a full pound. You could buy the most expensive digital servo on LM with 417 oz/in of torque for $80 less AND to compete with the position sensing and all that, you could simply get one of these openservo.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=188
you still save $60 on the servo. and you need to go up to 16 volts to pass the HSR-5990GT, probably about 14 volts to be equal, thats ~1.4 lbs of battery (2 7.2 volt packs) much more than wat the HSR-5990GT would need to carry (half that). What these AX12, RX28 and RX64 lack is a good power to volt ratio i guess, and you can simply rig up an open servo which can accomplish the cababilities of the AX12 and the the servos for a mere $20
wat the AX and others have in power, they lose and become equal with the standard hobby servos because of the batteries that these servos use
Idk, maybe you like spending more money on the servos because you can 
.
-Jared
{edited out by EddieB} I think it says something pretty cool when the younger guys on this board are posting more technical and relavent analysis then the boys with big bucks for toys. heh, oh well, we can probably say g’bye to most of this thread on Monday anyway… if it lasts that long. history has shown lynxmotion runs a pretty tight ship on this board and odds are the emotional baiting bilge is gonna go away. maybe we’ll get lucky and the technically accurate stuff from chris, evolution, jared, and robodude will get to stick around while the religiously fervent walks. I think the quality and candor of the information presented by the regular posters here is truly awesome.
I have to admit, other than folks expressing opinions about the CC products, the whole bit about the AX-12 being bashed is a bit misleading and I think an important point is being missed. Like most products the AX-12 has its place, niche, ideal situations, whatever where it may be the best product to be applied. I don’t believe anybody has put it on par with Tower Pro servos yet and everything I’ve read about them suggests they are fine when used appropriately. But that’s the kicker I guess… an ability to understand where they may or may not be appropriate. {also edited}
reason for edit: with the flame stuff removed my post sounded out of context so I got rid of that part.