Boe Bot Mattracks
Hi Guys,
I have been fiddling around in the shop and come up with an interesting drive system for my Boe Bot. I saw a Boe Bot on the net that had some Mattracks on it but it just didnt seem right. Although it was a great idea the design was not really utilizing the Mattracks very well. It seemed all of the weight was borne by the servos and the tracks could not pivot. I decided to take on the challenge of making this idea work. What I needed to do was to build a system that would cause no radial thrust on my servos, would be able to pivot each track independently of each other, and have some sort of leveling mechanism. The Mattracks I used were from a radio controlled truck that Radio Shack sold a few years back. They have since discontiued the truck, and in August of last year they discontinued the spare parts, however they did have 6 pairs of Mattracks left so I scooped them up. You can still find some Mattrack rc trucks on ebay once in awhile. Anyway back to the project. All of the design work was done with TurboCadCam and the parts were cut on a Taig cnc mill using pvc and delrin. Hope you like the pics
Tom
I have been fiddling around in the shop and come up with an interesting drive system for my Boe Bot. I saw a Boe Bot on the net that had some Mattracks on it but it just didnt seem right. Although it was a great idea the design was not really utilizing the Mattracks very well. It seemed all of the weight was borne by the servos and the tracks could not pivot. I decided to take on the challenge of making this idea work. What I needed to do was to build a system that would cause no radial thrust on my servos, would be able to pivot each track independently of each other, and have some sort of leveling mechanism. The Mattracks I used were from a radio controlled truck that Radio Shack sold a few years back. They have since discontiued the truck, and in August of last year they discontinued the spare parts, however they did have 6 pairs of Mattracks left so I scooped them up. You can still find some Mattrack rc trucks on ebay once in awhile. Anyway back to the project. All of the design work was done with TurboCadCam and the parts were cut on a Taig cnc mill using pvc and delrin. Hope you like the pics
Tom
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Comments
Sweet! I have a set of these (actually have the Hummer that is waiting for my Grandson to get a little bigger!) and you have given me some good ideas - thanks!
Your welcome. If you need any more details let me know.
Tom
I'd like to find some time to "CNC" my Mini-mill, but that's my problem - too many toys!!
Tom
First you will need some mattracks, they come off radioshack rc cars that are no longer sold. You can find some on ebay once in awhile. There are 10 custom made parts on each side of my Boe Bot. You can get away with much less, but I wanted mine to pivot independently on·each axle without the Boe Bot flipping over and without the ball pivot thats on the stock Boe Bot. I also did not want any weight on my servos.·You can see someone elses·simple design here http://www.roboware.org/Gallery/v/robots/boemat/·. I have been thinking about putting together some kits but I have not worked out a price yet. I only have 10 sets of newly modified mattracks and the price will be determined by the availability of more Mattracks. Alot of time went into design an prototyping and I would like to spread it out over more than 10 units to make it a reasonable price. I am currently·trying contact·the company that manufactured the mattrack truck for radio shack and I am also thinking of putting my own mattrack type version into production.
Tom
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Robot vision is the the future, and Vision will take us there.
Post Edited (T0m) : 4/8/2007 12:04:16 AM GMT
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Respectfully,
Jay K. Jeffries
I am presently bidding on one of the Mattrack pairs that is for sale on eBay.
Since I am in no rush and may not have the winning bid, I would definitely be interested in your own version of the Mattracks if the company in China will not produce the original Mattrack anymore.
Regards,
TCIII
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If you are going to send someone to save the world, you·better make sure that they like it the way it is!
Thank you for at least providing a link to the picture you are using on your two auction pages.
A lot of others on eBay are using my robot pictures without asking for permission or at the very minimum, providing a link to the Web Page where they got the pictures. You at least have the decency to site the source of your picture, thank you.
Kenny
P.S.
I believe that I may have another pair of the Mattracks. I'll check.
I wanted to let you know that your mattrack pics are what inspired me to make mine. Thanks for the detailed pics you put on http://www.roboware.org/Gallery/v/robots/boemat/. I found your pics with google boe bot search awhile ago. I dont know who isellubuynow is, but he or she must have found the pics much the same way. I am sure your great pics are what is selling that listing on ebay.
Tom
P.S. I like the video and sound track too.
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Robot vision is the the future, and Vision will take us there.
I will be offering a few sets of mattracks in a couple of weeks. Also the great guys at Roborealm will be adding a module for the Boe Bot and eb500. Once this happens it will open up a whole new area of experimentation with the eb500 Bluetooth Boe Bot, including out door exploration with Parallax tank tracks and hopefully some mattracks
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Robot vision is the the future, and Vision will take us there.
Thanks for the info on Roborealm. The addition of a module for the Boe Bot and eb500 sounds great!
I will definitely be interested in purchasing a pair of Mattracks from you when they become available. Should I contact you by email concerning the particulars?
Regards,
TCIII
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If you are going to send someone to save the world, you·better make sure that they like it the way it is!
Look what is back at Radio Shack - $79.99 right now. Four Mattracks with Hummer and Remote. Not bad - but a sale would be better.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2882884&cp=&sr=1&origkw=mattracks&kw=mattracks&parentPage=search
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
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Never give up when things go wrong.
robosapienv2-4mem8.page.tl/
Post Edited (Steve Joblin) : 9/30/2007 6:27:14 PM GMT
I really like the way you've done your tracks! Thanks for the link to you site also.
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
That is absolutely brilliant. Here I'm thinking of shipping a Radio Shack Hummer all the way to Taiwan just to chop it up and my BOEBot already has tracks on it that can be adapted.
I guess $20 per wheel or $40 per Bot, it·is not bad for the real thing.· But adapting to having genuine matt track suspension is a bit involved.· If TOm were to make kits of just the adapter parts, I'm sure some mattrack owners would buy.· After all, he has the CNC programs done already.
TOm,
Your engineering and design is superb.· Even the widening of the stance is an enhancement to rollover stability.· It just amazes me how the BoEbot chassis can easily adapt to one's imagination.
One of these days, someone will see the light and provide the whole mattrack units with motor·as a robotic component. I wonder if one could find the toy factory in China that makes those mattrack modules.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
Post Edited (Kramer) : 10/2/2007 5:35:41 PM GMT
Tom
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Robot vision is the the future, and Vision will take us there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbf0zaxWjvI
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
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slashsplat
/* Ira Chandler */
BotConnect.com
I picked up one of the Hummer Mattracks. This is really cool. Later, I can put the wheels on, and have 4 Mattracks to play with.
I don't live far from Karlstad, MN where Mattracks is located, but haven't been there. It would be nice if they would market just the mattracks that are on these RC trucks.
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David
There are 10 types of people in this world,...
Those that understand binary numbers, and those that don't!!!
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
And thanks to guys like Whit, Mike green and the other forum all-stars that have helped me in this fun & often maddening new hobby.
Dave
I have a set of T0M's BoeBot Mattracks that I won on eBay.
T0M is an excellent machinist and produces quality designs.
T0M's Mattrack attachment structure keeps the vertical loading off of the servo shaft and transfers it to the BoeBot chassis which is no mean feat.
I suggest that you strive to design a mounting structure that will keep the vertical load off of the servo shaft if you want your BoeBot-Mattrack combination to last any length of time.
Just a thought.
Regards,
TCIII
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If you are going to send·a Robot·to save the world, you·better make sure it likes it the way it is!
Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with the mattracks. I guess I am kinda with Tom C (TCIII), TOm's design is really nice, especially the "suspension" part. A direct mount could be made, but you would give up a little. Maybe you could send a private message to TOm and get some of his mounts. I understand about the the tools to machine parts - I wish I had them too. As you can tell from the photos, TOm's parts are flawless.
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
Thanks for the advice. Its duly noted. Your right Im sure about the servos. It'll be worth going the extra effort to give them better support.
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David
There are 10 types of people in this world,...
Those that understand binary numbers, and those that don't!!!