Quad Crawler material help
I'm trying to build a quad crawler on my own.... shamelessly copying the one sold by Parallax. Here is a picture photos1.blogger.com/img/38/6398/640/DSC00746.jpg
The problem is that it is VERY heavy. That is 1/4" plexigass for the top and bottom. Also, not knowing where to buy nylon spacers, I made some myself by using water line tube from a fridge ice maker. Its too flexible [noparse]:([/noparse]
I would like to replace the plexiglass with metal. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what metal I can use with my 16" 2amp scroll saw? It has to be thing enough not to bend easily with the weight of the robot. What kind of blade to use? Also, is there a place that I can buy nylon spacers?
With the weight being so high, the poor servos are going to burn out quickly.
Thanks for any help!
Todd
The problem is that it is VERY heavy. That is 1/4" plexigass for the top and bottom. Also, not knowing where to buy nylon spacers, I made some myself by using water line tube from a fridge ice maker. Its too flexible [noparse]:([/noparse]
I would like to replace the plexiglass with metal. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what metal I can use with my 16" 2amp scroll saw? It has to be thing enough not to bend easily with the weight of the robot. What kind of blade to use? Also, is there a place that I can buy nylon spacers?
With the weight being so high, the poor servos are going to burn out quickly.
Thanks for any help!
Todd
Comments
I would use sheet aluminum with a metal cutting blade (fine tooth) in the saw. 12 or 14 AWG should probably be adequate, or 10 gauge if you want or need more stiffness. Many places sell nylon hardware including nylon washers. One such source is McMaster-Carr:
http://www.mcmaster.com/ . Use "nylon spacers" as a search criteria.
Sometimes nylon spacers are also used with standoffs, or as standoffs when installing PC motherboards, so you might give a call to your local computer shop which builds computers to order.
Regards,
Bruce Bates