Page 119 - Build Your Own Combat Robot

Build Your Own Combat Robot
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I nstalling the Batteries: Accessible vs. Nonaccessible
It is best to install your robot’s batteries where they can be easily accessed for re-
placement. Due to the relatively short time period between matches, and because
it can be difficult if not impossible to put a full charge on the batteries if they remain
in the robot, the best idea is to replace the batteries with freshly charged batteries
between matches. To do this quickly, batteries need to be placed in the robot in
such a way that allows for quick and easy replacement.
If the battery is not accessible, so that the builder or operator cannot replace the
batteries between matches, you need to come up with another recharge scheme. If
you’re using a nonaccessible battery, the robot could be fast charged between
matches while still in the robot. Even so, as a competitor, you can count on incidents
of no time to top off the battery charge between matches. In such cases, the battery
must have the capacity to be able to run the robot through two or maybe even three
matches before requiring a recharge. Of course, you need to account for this when
selecting the battery capacity and when installing the battery in your bot.
Now you probably know more about batteries than you ever knew you would
know. The batteries are the heart and blood of your robot. You take care of your
batteries, and they will take care of your robot. The 6-minute run time estimates
are the minimum your robot will need to survive in the competition arena. You
should always have spare batteries when you go to any competition. The last thing
you want to see happen is to watch your winning robot stop dead because the bat-
teries went dead. If your robot can handle the weight and size of larger batteries,
then consider using them to get a little more assurance that your robot will survive
all the way through a tough match.