Best Stores in India for buying Robotics/Electronics Equipments

Websites 

 For AmpFlow motors click on this link - AmpFlow motors


Best Stores in India for buying Robotics/Electronics Equipment. Please Comment below the addresses of the respective store/shops from your city so that others can know. :)
Or Simply Mail the details to python00078@gmail.com.

*Mumbai

*Pune

*Kolkata

*Surat

*Bangalore

*Ahmedabad

Best Services available for All kind of machining, Water Jet machining, CNC parts

Best Softwares commonly used.
      *Solidworks
      *Creo Pro engineer
      *Autocad

For batteries, you can order from here :)

TECHNOVANZA, VJTI 2014

                                                           TECHNOVANZA, VJTI
In order to make this blog complete, I decided to put all video links of recent events together at one place. And in process of doing so, I found that I need to create a different post for this college events.So here it is, the list of links of the videos of Technovanza of VJTI College :)

In no particular order,ENJOY!!! :)

• Death Warriors v/s Neolashers 

• Death Warriors v/s Snipers

• BOB B vs Zeus 

• Drums v/s A.O.D.

• BOB A VS ZEUS

• Sniper v/s Rampage

• Death Warriors v/s Zeus

• Death Machine v/s LJ 

• VJTI Robowars 2014 Round 1

Send us Links for more videos so that we can put it together at one place..i.e. Here ;)

Build Reports of Famous Indian and International Combots

Build Reports of Famous Indian and International Combots

1. RIP - Rust In Peace, Pune, India

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B83y9kAfFDqcQWJiM3RHUHNfTlE&usp=sharing

2. Shivaji Raje, Pune, India

Unavailable

Send us your build report so that ohers may appreciate your work by learning from it :)

RoboWars TechFest IIT, Bombay(2-4 Jan 2015)

                                          RoboWars TechFest IIT, Bombay(2-4 Jan 2015) 

Recent Event at IIT Bombay had some very good fights during the course of event. And hates off to the organizer team for the arena _/\_

Here are some YouTube links to the videos. Enjoy.Way to go ...

  Astro Vs. Bob 

Bob Vs. Zeus 

Sniper VS Innovators

Zeus Vs. Virgin 2.0

Robo wars( IITB TECH Fest) 2015 

Robowars 2015 epic battle Round 2 

Robowars IIT bombay 3-1-15 

Robowars Techfest 2015 Sniper VS. Lifter bot 

SNIPER VS DEATH WARRIORS 

Morpheus (NMIMS, Mumbai) and GCET

Some Old Videos

• R.I.P. v/s Virgin 2.0 

Send us Links for more videos so that we can put it together at one place..i.e. Here ;)

Abstract(build report) of Rust In Peace bot

Hey Guys...This time I take the chance to present you abstract(build report) of Rust In Peace bot, Pune.
I thank One of the creator of the bot +Rohit Patel  for providing me this report.
This bot along with Shivaji Raje, Pune bot has inspired people engage in this sport. Since we are not veteran in this sport, we have many things to explore in this area(many ways of fun I should say:) ).
So without much ado...download it from here and don't forget to thank Rohit Patel for this ;)
I would very much want to have a build report of Shivaji Raje as well.It will just be a blast of information then...Click on the link to find the abstract..Cheers ;)

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B83y9kAfFDqcQWJiM3RHUHNfTlE&usp=sharing

Things to keep in mind before you make a combot

Things to keep in mind before you make a combot :)

*First,If you are intending to participate in a competition then start as early as possible. Testing is one of the most important thing because you don't want to be repairing your bot for the problem that was uncalled for just after you made the bot.

It is usually a scene at the event that guys are running here and there for tools and batteries(ohh yeah!) just before fight is about to start!

*Always call the organizers/in charge of the event  about the floor of the arena.(mentioned in arena article)!

*Check availability of the parts...remember you will always end up compromising for some parts ...so be prepared for that as well.

Arena

                                                                             Arena

One of the important parameters which decide winning or losing of your bot ?
Surprised How ?
Once we landed at a competition where they kept a SURPRISE elimination round in which bots were supposed to traverse a certain distance on the ground.yes...bare-naked ground!
We had an anti-wedge fitted which sunk into the ground right at the moment we kept it on the floor :(
What a sad moment it was!

Alright now off to the arena...

In international competitions people have SAFER arena.
Generally, It weighs up to 35 tons, has 48 cross 48 ft steel floor and is 24 ft high. Walls are made up of Lexan(a highly resistant polycarbonate ) which is 1 inch thick at the bottom and 3/16 th inch at the top and 8 cross 8 ft entry doors.
Whereas in India we have smaller and unsafe arenas which needs to be changed.

 How do we do that?

Cage : For the start, choose 1/4" polycarbonate for 15 kg category. It's better if you go for 1/2", that way you can use it for other heavy weight categories as well. Stacking a 1/4" inch poly. over 1/2" inch is a good idea so we don't have to replace the whole sheet after hits of the bots.

Floor : Arena floor materials

Other things : Lighting, Hazards.
http://blogs.solidworks.com/Arena

Warning : Please confirm from other organizers about the thickness of the poly. for the weight category of your choice.

Update on Indian Arenas soon ...

Wooden Arena

Open at the top arena...umm dangerous if you are not wearing IronMan suit

Even this isn't safe!!!

Image credit: http://www.teamtornado.co.uk/photos/rm21fo1.jpg

That's what I call an arena :)

Cool..Isn't it?

Optimizing the time for making a robot

Optimizing the time for making a robot....

Sure experience is the plus factor but you have to know few things about mechanics,motors and li'l bit electronics.
It generally starts with a designing process.
There will be times when you will not have what you want.You may have to compromise. You are going to apply your sense of JUGAAD which you are definitely best at by birth :)
In no particular order...
1. Check availability of parts and workshop tools
2. Find a place where you can keep all your components(putting things here and there consumes a lot of time).
3.Divide your building process in number of days available before the competition,so that you have your buddy ready and tested.
Update soon...
Suggestions are welcome

Sport Spirit

                                                            Sport Spirit... :)


This may seem unimportant to you but it's really necessary. Patience and persistence is what you need :)
Also building a bot is not a tough task as they say.
  The most important thing is you "Use your imagination"

Usually people who participate in this kinda competition become aggressive when they feel they are biased.When you are in this type of situation, please handle that situation with sportsmanship because that way it's easier to handle the situation.
Make good relationship and behavior with your opponent because it's not the last time you are competing with them.  You may need his support anytime soon :)

Sad reality of Indian arena and bots 10/12/14

10/12/14 
12:17am
 Sunday
General Discussion...

1. It is very sad that in India, people refrain from making SAFER ARENA owing to the large amount of money it takes to make one.We generally have open-from-top-arenas which in no way assures safety of the contestants and spectators as well :(
You might probably have heard about the recent accident in IIT Kharagpur. It is definitely a shame that leading institute like IIT Kharagpur doesn't provide safe arena.


2.Cutting short the bad part,we finally have arrived at the moment where some TRUE enthusiasts from Pune are trying to make an arena according to the international standards. Arena will be provided to the institutes on reasonable amount of rent. It is going to cost about 50 Lacs for making it which is a huge amount.

The time is not far when we will be hosting an international event :)

Check out this post : Robot arena

Transmission Elements

 Transmission Elements

Shaftings

Bearings 

Couplings

Belt/Chain


Shaftings - It is the essential element for transmitting power. It's made up of steel and may be cold-rolled or turned.. To avoid unnecessary loss of power due to friction in bearing to facilitate fixing wheels or pulleys at any point, it's important that shafting should be round and straight.

Power transmitted by shafting-

horse power=2*pi*NT/4500

N-Speed of the shaft

T-Torque on the shaft

T = pi*d^3*f/16

Couplings  -  Coupling should always be placed as close to the bearing as possible and should support and align two ends of the shaft rigidly.

Coupling insert

Iron Jaw Coupling

Simple Coupling

Bearings -  The support in which shaft rotates is called bearing.Proper lubrication of bearings is necessary.

Belt drive - It is one of the most effective devices for transmitting motion and power from one shaft to another by means of thin inextensible band running over two pulleys.

Velocity ratio for belt drives 

                                              = (RPM of follower)/(RPM of driver)

                                             =(Dia. of driver)/(Dia. of follower)

If t is thickness of the belt then,

To calculate approax. length of the belt following formula is used ....

Horse power transmitted by the belt = (pi*D*N*P/4500) hp

where P is the driving force in kgf and D is the diameter.

Pulleys - 

Chain Drive - 

Gear Drive - 

Call For Help

Hey Everyone, I just thought this blog will be more helpful if I could provide the information of available robotic parts/components to you :)
We always face problems when we build high velocity bots because we can't have AmpFlow motors(which people mostly want to use in their bots here) in India easily without paying 33% custom duty :(
Same goes with high discharge batteries. So if anybody knows someone having motors/batteries/components for sale, just get it out of your mind in the comments :) It will be very helpful for other readers(and me).
Update...

Order batteries here(Click on the image)

Hello Friends, I felt that people should know who is writing the blog or at least few things about the writer. :)
It's been just 8 months before now that I actually came in contact with this sport...So I will share almost everything I know about this sport.
 I am writing this blog for beginners. From all the information I can gather from the internet and friends I try to put it in a way that it's easy for you to understand.
I welcome suggestions from friends who can guide me to organize the contents of this blog better and rich of information. :)
 Thanks in Advance.

Major Events in India of Combat Robotics

                                          Major Events in India of Combat Robotics 2014

In India,  This sport is popularly known as Robowars and is included in the major technical events of Technical Festivals that are held every year. Also it is one of the most crowd pulling events.


If you know the details of any of the following events,Then Please PM me or comment it below :)
Thanks in Advance ;)
Here is a list of some recognized fests...
*.Technovanza,VJTI Mumbai
    Starts From             :     28 December, 2014
    Ends At                  :      30 December,2014
    Prize Money           :     RS:80000
    Weight Class:         :     Middle Weight
    Website For Rules :      http://www.technovanza.org/

*.TechFest IIT, Bombay
    Starts From             :   2 January,2014
    Ends At                   :   4 January,2014
    Prize Money           :    RS.90,000
    Weight Class          :    Middle-weight
    Website For Rules  :    http://www.techfest.org/

*.TechKriti, IIT Kanpur
    Starts From :
    Ends On :
    Prize Money :
    Website :                      http://www.techkriti.org/
*. MindBend, NIT Surat
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :                 Middle-weight
   Website :                        http://mindbend.org.in/
*.Apogee Strike, BITS Pilani
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :                 Middle-weight
   Website :                        http://bits-apogee.org/
*.Cognizance, IIT Roorkee
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :
   Website :                      http://cognizance.org.in/
*. College Of Engineering, Pune
   Starts From                   :
   Ends On                        :
   Prize Money                 :
   Weight Class                :      Middle-weight
   Website                        :       http://www.mind-spark.org/
*.Anna University, Chennai
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :
   Website :
*Pragyan, NIT Trichy
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :
   Website :                               http://www.pragyan.org
*. Robotix, IIT Kharagpur
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class            :          Middle-weight
   Website                    :          http://www.robotix.in/
*. Quark, BITS Pilani,Goa
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class            :          Middle-weight
   Website                    :          http://www.bits-quark.org/
*. Atmos BITS Pilani Hyderabad
   Starts From            :             9 October,2014
   Ends On                 :             12 October,2014
   Prize Money          :
   Weight Class          :            Middle-weight
   Website                  :             http://bits-atmos.org/
*.
   Starts From :
   Ends On :
   Prize Money :
   Weight Class :
   Website :


Check out Some Special Deals here at Amazon. Click the icon :)

How to balance single tooth drum ?

                                                 How to balance single tooth drum ?
The single most problem faced by  Drum bot builders is BALANCING the drum as the geometry is asymmetric.
The only thing you have to keep in mind is that centre of mass should not be displaced from geometric COM. So that imbalance will not rise.
So here are few easy ways you can balance your drum :)
       * First Way:
            1. Make a CAD model of the part
            2. Then simply click "Find Centre of Mass" button in order to find geometric centre of mass of the drum.

not my design...but like this

MIT portfolio

       * Second Way :
           1. Generally the shapes are such that you can easily find the centre of mass just by using pen and paper.  

Weapon in Combat Robot

Weaponry

The best weapon is identified mainly by amount of energy it can store and impart it to the opponent!

If you look at that way, then best weapon would be the bot itself !!!

So mostly high velocity bots have advantage over low velocity bots but the disadvantage is that "With Great velocity comes great instability! " :P
 Here are few Weapon Design which you might want to choose for your bot.
Remember to choose wisely and keep in mind the surface of arena :)
1. Wedge :
The simplest design :)
This type of bot uses a wedge surface around it's bot in order to avoid head on attacks and at the same time it works as attacking weapon and shield for the bot.Generally preferred for high velocity bots.

Don't use this design if the surface of arena is n't flat.
Works best against lifters

2.Lifters

BioHazard

3.Spinner bots

4.Drum bots

Drum Weapon..not my design some cool dude made this ;)

5.Saw bots

Vertical Saw

Horizontal Saw

6.Flame Thrower bots

Sewer Snake 

7.Thwack bots
8.Spear bots
9.Hammer bots
10.Crusher bots

12.Launcher Bots


Update soon...

Here is a book you should check out :)

                                                            Combat Robot Weapons

Materials

                                                                  Materials 
                                             
Once a great man named VB Bhandari wrote in his literature book called "Design of Machine elements"in a poetic way

Past experience is a good guide for the selection of materials, however, one should not overlook the possibilities of new materials.

Why selection of materials is important?

Materials are what which decides fate of your bot after taking the head-on attacks. So we have to choose materials wisely and economically(not applicable for everybody :P ) depending upon the weight class of the competition. So here are few materials people generally use...

1. Aluminium
2. Titanium
3. Stainless steel
4. Cast Iron
5. Hard Plastics or Polycarbonate

Hardened Plastic as a shield.

6.Last buy not the least Wood. (yeah,people still use it!!!)
         It's fun to watch wood shattering of in a fraction of a time...only if it's not opponents' ;)

Pine Box(Wooden) shattered by the Last Rites

Frame that holds components of a combot should be hard and resilient.
Later on, update will be on hardening the materials by using various heat treatment processes :)
Trust me...you will start loving material science when you will know what it does to your metal/alloy part/block if it's TREATED well :)


*Tempered Aluminium  - Aluminum is light but expensive and not that easy to cut.

Tempering in a simple language is heating the metal/alloy below recrystallisation temperature to increase it's toughness by reducing hardness. Makes alloy more ductile and hence less brittle.

*Titanium  - Very light and strong but hard to cut(Water jet machining) and extremely costly.


*SS
*Cast Iron
*Polycarbonate - light, inexpensive and easy to cut. Go for it.

Usage of technical terms tried to keep precise.

Best Combots around the world

                                                  Best Combots around the world


After posting the post about best Indian Combots...I have been requested( by myself :P) to post about some of the best Combots around the world :)
So here are few best Combots...
* Original Sin - This bot is owned by one of the best driver ...(as far as I think)

*Sewer Snake - This bot is made by a plumber guy...Trust me...He seems(actually is) better than engineers at this sport :)

It used to have a flame thrower!!!

Dude Fellas 

Inside view 

He has also posted a video about his bot on YouTube where he explains his work :)...
Click on this link :)
                                                Sewer Snake Inside Description


here is the link to Official Website where description of some bots is given...
                       
                                                 Best Combots Description  :)

           

                  


Suggest some other bots that you think might make into this list ;)

About Driving the bot !!!

                                                                 About Driving the bot...
Again...
Most of the people ignore this in India but we must take this into consideration as it's one of the many Winning Factor  :)

Here are some points about How you can make yourself better int this sport :)
*Practice with your bot and get your hand on it perfectly
* Don't always attack the opponent in the front
*Stay focussed
*Read opponent's movements
* Keep calm and watch your moves
*Take tips from opponents (Of course after the match is over :P )


Here is the pic of one of my favorite driver Gary Sin with his bot Original Sin.

Best Combots Of India

                                                     Best Combots Of India

This is the common question that pops into everyone 's mind.(It's obvious!!!)

So here I will try to list out some of the best bots made till date In India... there is a possibility that I miss some of the bots...Please bring it into my attention by providing the description and pics of the bot in the comments below.

 I will update the blog ... :) 

I will not be ranking them as I don't have any rights to do so :P

So here we go...

• R.I.P. - Rust In Peace     

This bot is an absolute beauty <3. .
1. Weaponry -            Double Tooth Drum
2. Motors -                 AmpFlow E30-400
3. Power Supply -      Lithium-Polymer On-Board batteries
4. Transmission -       Gearbox
5. Speed Controller - Sabertooth  2 x 60
6. Wireless -              Yes
7. Weight -
8. Makers -  Pushkin Sonkusare, Rohit Patel, Chaitanya Rokade(Comment if you know all the names)
9. Wins/Loses -
                              42/1..This is freakin awesome because it has registered 42 straight wins and lost                              it's final match against Shivaji Raje(finally :P) that took place in RahulRaj                                             mall.Surat.
10. Materials -  
                             2013 version used H9 Grade Aluminium and the 2014 version used
                            Aluminium 6061-T6. (Please read the material properties by following the links ) 
11. Wheels -        Colson wheels
12.Build Report Link -  RIP build report
This bot has witnessed the transition from wired bots to wireless and has been inspiration to many beginners in India.

H9 grade Aluminium

H9 grade aluminium

• Shivaji Raje 

1.Weaponry -                    Single Tooth Drum
2. Motors -                       AmpFlow motors
3. Power Supply -             Lithium-Polymer On-Board batteries
4. Transmission -              Gear Box used
5. Speed Controller
6. Wireless and wired depending on the events
7. Weight -
8. Makers-                          Shreyas Dhone and college team of 30
9. Wins/Loses -                  Unknown
10. Materials -                   Titanium Plate as an armor
11. Wheels -                      Colson wheels

  This is the only bot which managed to defeat R.I.P. once in a match that was held in Surat.

• Dr. Golu

• 1.Weaponry - Double Teeth Drum
  2. Motors -
  3. Power Supply-
  4. Transmission - Chain
  5. Speed Controller
  6. Wireless and wired depending on the events
  7. Weight -
  8. Makers-
  9. Wins/Loses - Unknown

• Joker

1. Type -                              WEDGE

2. Weaponry -                      Single Tooth DISC(optional)(removable)

3. Motors -                           UNI polar 18v geared motors

4. Weapon motor                 24 volts nissan gtx steering motor 12000rpm
5. Power Supply -                Lead acid, LiPo()
6. Transmission -                 Internal Gear Box within motor
7. Speed Controller-            NO
8. Wireless/wired -              depending on the events
9. Weight -                          12/35/55 kgs
10. Makers-                         B.B Hemanth Kumar ,D.Praveen  G.Trinadh
11. Wins/Loses -                

 4 wins/(SRM UNIV ,Satyabhama University, Kakatiysa University Warangal,Meenakshi college) 

 2 losses(AMS chennai,BANNARI AMMAN erode)
10. Materials -                   Steel Plate as an armor ,en42 metal for Weapon
11. Wheels -                      MS iron wheels with hard Grip with wheel guards for (55kg)

12 Transmission type (weapon)   timing belt.

More to follow..
Send in your bot description to python00078@gmail.com. ;)
LiPo batteries link(Click on the image) -