"Small" History, as much as I know, correct and modify as needed.
Deathmobile started long ago, in a galaxy far away. Before I started college, I think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trP0PgqcPNk&NR=1 it was just 2 switches, 1 motorcycle battery, 2 window motors, and 4 wheels. and bunch of aluminum together.
Next come Death Chair, Widgit upgraded the switches to 2 victors, and a radio controller. I remember screwing with it too. I got it to move my ass around.
Then come Arbert, he started/lead a project, the snow plowing thing. He spend shit load of cash on a transmissions and motors. By poly engineering clause, it failed; the whole project. I don't know how much badge was left, but I know the 4 10x3 wheels, 2 shafts, 4 floating bearings, 2 20 tooth sprockets, chains, 2 12V x 20A motors, 2 12A x 40A motors, and a basic expensive huge frame coasted most of the budget.
By Polybots tradition, failed shit is reused. So the Death chair got an upgrade. The chair got all the parts of the snow plowing project. But the battery stayed and there was an addition of 2 more victors. Without a driver or a chair, the platform was able to run long enough, 15 min or so. Ones you put a chair and a driver, the thing would run about 2 min or so. Then I come along again, and I screw with it, fixing/patching the electrical systems, and adding 2 more motorcycle batteries to it in parallel. So it would drive my ass around to put a smile on my face. But the chair that was used was from the lounge, and it was heavy, ass heavy but pretty. So it still could not put a smile on my face. So I acquired a car battery from failed senior project, aka the Poly engineering clause. And Finally it was able to take me around the block. But Since there was enough juice to power the thing, the patches that worked on previous batteries did not hold up, and ended up burning the wires. So there where attempts to fix the problem by other people, then I just cut all of it out and redid the wiring. The big problem was that there where no heavy gauge wires in Polybots, not there are there yet. So I had to make 4 "separate" electrical systems to run victors. By "separate", I mean that I run wires directly from battery to the victor. Then I used a light chair to place my ass on the robot.
AND lastly the PANZER was born.
I call it Panzer, because it put fear into people when driving by and handled like a freaking tank because of the casters up front. You could barely make it turn at high speed. Because I used old frame and Arbert's and dudes 3 day creation, if you tried to go from forward to back at high speed to make it turn, chain would jam up. Ye, so I drooped reverse from helping turn in the programming. Unless Both wheels are required to reverse.
Later on I made a aluminum cannon with 6 standard ports for 6 standard valves with 6 tanks (ye I tied up the tanks), and originally with 3 pumps to refill in under 30 seconds for next shot. All of it works, just the aiming of the cannon doesnt, requires strong and relatively fast servo. And Polybots don't have that. You can load the foam darts into it. But add 2 AA batteries inside if you want it to fly.
You can see me freak out here, I was driving before a lot, so battery died, tragic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALq_5PVCDgY
So then I leave for a while, and the panzer gets hacked to peaces, that was before summer. Most of the systems destroyed. So in the beginning of school year I finished the job, and took out the motors and wheels and bearings, and start a new project based on previous 3, the Botmobile (free to change the name to something better). Sorry Andrew, the thing was in peaces when I got my hands on it, I had no idea that you where working on it.
So before I did most of the things, I got new batteries. 3 truck batteries and 1 car battery. Polybots you own me 20 buks still.
I am using 2 truck batteries in series, to bump up the main power system to 24V. That allows to to split the amperage on the motors to 30Amps. So now all I need is to run 2 victors for drive system, and 2 "seperate" circuits. I am also doing the steering for it, no more casters, hello hard corners. The controls are through andruino, the user inputs commands through steering wheel and pedals.
If 20 tooth sprocket wont give the fun I want, I just run 36tooth, or get better stuff. The frame is from scratch, so I make it to work with all the parts, not making the parts work with the frame.
Project is 50% done minus programming. I run open policy, anyone is welcome to join the project as long as follow this one rule, Follow my command
Also, I use twitter started by Widgy. I post what is happening next and such.
