Finally got my MicroRAX “starter kit.” I’m on my way out of town for the holidays but couldn’t resist playing with the kit before leaving. Here’s a quick and dirty assembly I put together with an 1/8" polycarbonate panel installed. I stuck a couple rare earth magnets on the panel to prove there’s something there. The 1/8" material mounts pretty well but you need to measure carefully to ensure a nice snug fit. I’ll be searching for some sort of rubber gasket that could help ensure the panel fits well without the need for very accurately cut members.
My new AL5A helped out by holding up the panel for the picture
Here is a small update. I managed to build the larger 12" range table. Just got the belts in to do a 24" one too. No time for a video but here’s an image.
Now you can make your own robot factory!
Extending the range of a stationary robotarm should be very useful. I believe a combination of FK for the slider function and IK on the arm would be a good way to solve the control part for avoiding the multiple IK solutions issue.
Well once everyone has finished playing about with their starter kits, it would make a very cool project if someone could build a hexapod platform using the MicroRAX parts.
many of the platforms iv seen use linear pumps, hydrological rods that run up the height of the structure: http://www.fc.up.pt/mat/uploads/pics/Hexapod_general_Anim_02.gif
but recently i stumbled across this. it using the same “linear” movement but along the base. kinda what Jim has presented to us already.
for the hi-res image and a better look at how it works, use this link: 3.bp.blogspot.com/_JDLyl-YCbIA/S … G_3974.JPG
The Hexapod is a parallel robotic device with six degrees of freedom (DOF).
I’m trying a new vendor for these. Still waiting for the first part. If it goes well I will submit a lot of these parts. I’m not sure how much longer it will take.
Here is a pan and tilt I made for a larger camera. By building a frame around the camera it’s possible to rotate it within the center of its mass. This means the servo can easily hold it in any position. 8) I used our old MMT-01’s for the pivot and servo connections. I had to drill some holes to make them SES compatible. This was just for the prototype. The parts I designed specifically for this are not ready yet. There needs to be a little reinforcement where the thing mounts to the top of the base rotate. but it’s not too bad.
Here is an image of the first batch of parts. About 35,000 pieces, 5k of 7 styles. These are the basic building blocks for the extrusions. The next batch will be the servo based stuff. It’s progress! 8)
The manufacturer makes the extrusions 900mm or 35.43" long. I can buy them and resell them, or I can ask for a different length. I think 35" is longer than most bot builders would need. Was thinking about 24" or 30" lengths for easier shipping. Microrax is packaging 8 joining plates per pack and selling them for 9.00 to 12.80 each. I was thinking 10 to a pack for $7.50. Let me know…
No they sell them 8 (all the same part) to a bag. It might not be the most efficient way to pack them, but do we really need to sell them one by one? Hmmm…
Maybe it would be better to go with 2, 6, 12 of each part.
2 for $3.00 ($1.50 each)
6 for $6.00 ($1.00 each)
12 for $9.00 ($0.75 each)
I’ve used MicroRAX for some smaller projects where the longest extrusion was only 4-5 inches long. On the other hand I plan to start another project soon which will require lengths up around 24 inches. I think it would be best to start around 24 inches to make shipping easier then offer other lengths as you get a better idea of what types of projects customers are using MicroRAX for.
Sounds good to me! It would also be convenient if you offered even larger quantities preferably at a slightly discounted cost per bracket. A 6-sided MicroRAX box for example could require up to 24 brackets if 3 were used on each corner. As your MicroRAX frame becomes more complex this number can climb even higher very quickly. I’d like to see available quantities of 25 and perhaps even higher.
I see, I thought you were talking variety packs. The above sounds good because you can kit the parts at the time of sale rather than pre kit everything. This would offer a number of choices to the buyer. You could do something like this 2,4,6,8,10,12 pcs for any plate style and then offer prices for any of the 6 qtys. like you have listed above. Just something to throw across the table as far as an idea goes.
No, no, no, a thousand times no. Everything we sell is packaged and stocked on a shelf. There’s just no way we could keep up packaging things as they sell. Just the thought of trying that makes me want to curl up under my desk and cry. D:
Holy crap, Mike. You all have to remember that anything we sell, we have to stock. So even at 3 different quantities for 7 styles of plates, that’s still 21 separate parts we have to keep on the shelf. That’s a lot of shelf room.
For 6 different quantities, that’d be 42 separate bins on the shelf! (Insider information: There are already more of these plates in the works. So it’s possible to easily double the number of bins used for these plates.)
Eesh. I was thinking bags of 6 and 12 myself. At the rate you guys are going, we’ll be looking for a bigger place just due to these plates!
Don’t curl up on your desk and cry! Whatever works for you guys! To me, you have to spend time putting the parts into the bag one way or the other. By pre-kitting to me, you are using up shelf space and it sits until the sale is made. I say setup a “Taco Bar” and then throw the parts into a bag right before sending to the customer, no kitting to manage, no inventory taking up space. Treat them like screws!
Don’t make me come over there and show you how its done!! jk
