Very interesting… 
You better be ready with your 3kg Space Junk!! It is going to ROCK!
You should build a other 3 kg!
Come on!
Jon will have seeker3 back on the ring!
I will have my new one “Pegasus”!
The guys from ETS will there killer 3kg sumo “Phsycho”!
We need more!
We could get other 3kg from around the world to be shipped to us! Hey Pete!
Interesting!
ciao!!
J-
My 3kg kinda sucks, but whatever. It was my first robot.
To get this topic back on track…
I got my new PCBs today…
http://www.huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/PCB-01-small.jpg
huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/PCB-01.jpg
- Jon
Dave, where do you get your circuit boards made? Are they expensive to have made? All of my circuits are are made using the old fashion basic point to point wiring with 30 gage wires.
As to the earlier question reguarding recharging the 8.4V batteries often on my 3kg batteries. Per the Japanese rules on 3kg sumo, you have 30 seconds between each match to get your robot ready. So my design takes that into account. I can swap out batteries in a heart beat. Now in reality, I rarely have to change the batteries. One full charge will get me through a tournament.
Pete
Its Jon, not Dave (Dave is my brother)…
I get my boards done at APCircuits in Calgary.
Seeker 2 has point-to-point wiring, but I decided I really wanted a more finished look and more reliable electronics with this robot.
- Jon
Sorry Jon,
So tell me, the robots that Dave brings down to the Robothon, are they his or is he bringing yours to bring havoc on our robots?
Pete
Generally the robots he brings are his own. I think last year he brought a couple from Bob Cook, including Thin Man.
I’ll have to see about sending mine down - it really depends on when Robothon is in relation to the CNRG, which is my main event. This year I think we’re aiming for early/mid November, so if Robothon is in September again, it might be doable…
- Jon
Finally got some more work done on Seeker 2x…
http://www.huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/Seeker2x-09-mid.jpg
huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/Seeker2x-09.jpg
I have the main board populated, and all the sensors are working. I’ve got the debug menu written, and can test all the sensors and the motors. I’ve also got the main finite state machine started, with the first few states programmed. Having a 7-segment LED is pretty cool - I can count down, and do neat patterns, and so on.
- Jon
Nice job on the Seeker Jon!
I notice that you are apparently not using encoders on your servos. Do you do any PWM control of them?
I’m aiming at a slightly larger 'bot, might even be the appropriate size for a Micromouse. But the end-to-end length of motors and encoders may make that impossible.
Alan KM6VV
No, my gearmotors do not have any encoders, and yes, I do full PWM on them to control the speed.
End to end length of the motors and wheels is just under 4"…
- Jon
Yeah, that is tiny!
What do you use for feedback?
Nothing. You really don’t need it on a mini-sumo ring…
- Jon
Sweet Looking robot. I can’t wait to go up against it some time.
You going to bring it to San Francisco next June?
Pete
Thanks Pete. Assuming I actually get out to San Fran next year, I will bring it, definitely.
- Jon
So, the 2009 Canadian National Robot Games are almost upon us (2 weeks from today, in fact). I decided to do a final push and finish this robot…
Its almost done - all that is left is molding the right tire, doing the front scoop, painting, and some software work.
http://www.huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/Seeker2x-14-mid.jpg
Larger version: huv.com/miniSumo/seeker2x/Seeker2x-14.jpg
Yes, the lid (and a few other pieces) are printed. Yes, I have a 3D printer now (Dimension uPrint).
- Jon
Nice job Jon!
It must be a real treat to be able to fab parts like that! Not your usual hobbyist tool.
Alan KM6VV
Yeah, its definitely a nice side effect of doing full time R&D in robotics…
- Jon
As always, excellent work Jon!
Looking really proffesional fabricated.
A 3D printer… wow. Congratz!
I’m not envy, not at all… 
So, Seeker 2x is running now 
Here’s a quick video:
- Jon