Subject:
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Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Mon, 25 Nov 2002 22:32:30 GMT
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Viewed:
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1105 times
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"Rob Limbaugh" <lego-robotics@crynwr.com> wrote:
> Here is a drawing of what I was thinking of:
> http://www.abs-robotics.com/ideas/track.jpg
Like the idea, not sure about the colour choice though - you'd have to
ensure the red, green and blue would look like different shades to the Lego
light sensor. I think this would be easier to achieve (and therefore more
reproducible) with shades of grey. Not that it matters much, calibration
wouldn't be that hard when moving to a new track.
> Printing the layout on paper would be expensive for a home user that
> does not refill their own cartridges. Paper won't stay down unless
> taped, and it could be torn easily with a brick corner during a crash.
> But... paint non-adhesive white linoleum tiles a different color (or
> shade) for their function. Tiles and paint are cheap and universally
> available. They are pretty easy to line up against each other, too.
Tiles are definitely better than paper, agreed. I'd like at least black
bands (tape/paint) along the edges, or even a little wall around the edge of
the track. This would encourage a wider variety of approaches - from simple
wall/line followers to beasts with multiple light sensors which try to
remember the track and pick the best line.
Walls could be fabricated reasonably cheapy and easily using a length of
square plastic guttering cut in half lengthways. This would make two
L-shaped strips which could be attached to the underside of the tiles.
Alternatively you could use books, bricks, tins of beans or whatever else
you have handy to support walls made of stips of the same tiles.
> Incidentally, this won't solve collision problems. A forward facing
> light sensor won't solve side collisions or wheel touching. Besides,
> collisions are a good thing... it makes a builder have to trade weight
> for structural integrity and ads an element of excitement to any race.
Collisions should be mandatory :o) Even so, a track one tile wide would be
rather limiting as to how wide you could build your bot and still be able to
overtake, two tiles wide would be better. If you had attached walls you'd
then only need one wall per tile, making them easier to store. A "no
weapons" rule would be advisable too (he says after thinking what great fun
it could be ... then how expensive it could get).
Tim
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
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| (...) This makes robots have to depend much more on dead-reckoning. If you are steering (say) 10% too much - then that error will build up without limit. You'd come out of a 90 degree turn with a 9 degree error - but unless you have two light (...) (22 years ago, 26-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | RE: Newbie has an idea - Nascar style racing?
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| Here is a drawing of what I was thinking of: (URL) the layout on paper would be expensive for a home user that does not refill their own cartridges. Paper won't stay down unless taped, and it could be torn easily with a brick corner during a crash. (...) (22 years ago, 25-Nov-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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