So, some of you know that I’ve been working on building my own Claptrap. (If you don’t know who claptrap is, check out the video link at the end of the post.)

The first step was to get a 3d rendering of him. Luckily, I was able to find one online. Problem was that it was pretty dirty and everything was one object. Thus began my project to learn AutoCAD and clean it up. I was able to break out all the sides, internal parts, etc, into their own layers. It took a while, but I was happy with the results.

After having all the layers set aside, I was able to create outlines of the shapes I wanted to use. Using this, I can start making full-sized printouts (initially using cardboard) to determine how it will look and make sure all the parts go together correctly. Once I’m happy with that, I’ll move onto the cutting and welding the metal together.

I’ve been waiting for a while to do this part since I wanted to make sure I scale it correctly to match the motor and tire I purchased. Today, finally, everything showed up. I bought a 48 volt 3000 watts Hub Motor and tire that will really tear the place up. I also picked up a controller with regen capability that should be able to manage it nicely. Pair this with my IMU (Accelerometer/Gyroscope package), an arduino to start with, and I should be up and going. (I’ll be moving over to a more powerful microcontroller soon, still designing the electronics.)

A lot of the gear I have is overkill for this project, but hey, anyone else want to see Claptrap cruising down the road at 60mph? 😉 I can’t wait until I get finished with putting it all together and can start on the coding. Reverse Pendulum balancing is tricky to get right, and it might be even more difficult (please don’t say impossible) due to the overpowered gear I have. We’ll just have to wait and see.

I’ll keep this updated with my progress. Wish me luck!

AutoCAD Files: Claptrap DWG file for AutoCAD 2012
Video of claptrap: Borderlands: Claptrap Web Series ep. 1

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Filed under: Projects,Robotics - @ December 6, 2012 2:44 am

Tags: Claptrap, robot design, robotics