Howdy all,
It's been over a decade since I last fought, but I'm almost certainly jumping back in. After a very successful run in my previous hobby, I've all but decided to shift my focus back to robotics at least for a while. Being stabbed in the back will do that to you, though the shift is more about being at a point in my life where robotics works better.
My plan is to jump into CIRC this August with an ant and a beetle. Both will be rebuilds of my bots from a while ago. The ant will be Jack the Donkey, a simple servo-driven wedge. I've got some unique geometry for the wedge I've been contemplating for a while now, but it will be a simple bot.
The beetle will be Deadly Green Munchkin, which I fought with in multiple tournaments. The old version was a modified RC car, but I'm going to build the new version the right way. It's another simple design; four large wheels, long body, spike on the front, wedge on the back. I always enjoyed having a speedster, and that's what I'm going for again.
To that end, I'm still re-establishing a frame of reference on all the parts and specs. Tentatively, I'm planning on using 4 Pololu 20.4:1 motors with their corresponding Dagu Wild Thumper wheels. I'm still figuring out ESC. I have a couple prototype BB-9's from years ago, but I don't know that they can handle the current I need. (I slogged through my electrical engineering classes bored as heck.) Other than that, things are still in the air.
Figured I'd introduce myself with a post. I don't know how many folks are still around from my time. I thought I saw Pete is still around, but I didn't recognize any other MURC guys in the little bit of reading I did. What has the state of the hobby been the past few years?
-Ashley
