Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Yup try out 3m's VHB. It's real good stuff

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...apes/VHB-Tape/

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

How strong is 3M's VHB tape (on a scale of 1-10... 5 being duck tape)?
Is durability with this tape a major concern?

Oh... and has anyone tried to get this stuff donated to them before by 3M?

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

The stuff is ridiculously strong. 9 or 10. The minibot deployer was mounted on a plywood base, which is what we taped (and bolted) to the robot. When we undid the bolts and tried to take it off, the plywood failed before the tape- there were large chunks of wood still stuck to the robot, where they had been ripped out of the board by the tape. For a quick and easy way to put together prototypes and then not have to worry when the "prototype" makes it into competition, the stuff is matched only by zip ties.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

This stuff is ridiculously strong, some of the stuff my kids have done to me for fun:

1. VHB'd the top lid of the toolbox, I thought for about 10 minutes that they had locked it. Silly me, they had VHB'd it shut!

2. VHB'd a sprocket to the tablet and put a small screw into it. Silly me, fooled again, VHB it was.

On a serious note, we have been using it more and more and we love VHB, its awesome stuff. Make sure to buy the real stuff and not the VHB knockoff/cheapo stuff they sell at Lowes or Home Depot.

-RC

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing, but the website said a roll was over $1,000. Please tell me that's not it.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

A small word of caution: while it sounds great for many things, VHB doesn't sound like something you'd want to use to mount electronics. Electronics inevitably need to be replaced at some point and there's no good sense is using an adhesive that will rip the backing off of your spikes, victors, jaguars or digital sidecars. We had this problem when we tried industrial strength Velcro to mount electronics one off-season.

VHB does sound pretty useful though. Thanks for the tip.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

That is per case, not per roll. You can find rolls of name brand VHB tape for around $80 a roll from Amazon and other online retailers.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Second this caution! I'd recommend using zip ties for your electronics panel over nuts and bolts. So easy to install and take out especially when you need to make quick fixes in eliminations! ;)

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Try digikey

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Any purchasable tricks for pneumatics? Any fancy little fittings or valves or parts that many may not be aware of?

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

It's a dirty trick, but one I've used on two teams now: You run out of time before ship day, and the robot is still bare metal.

Solution? Tape.

Gaffer's tape is available in a whole lot of colors, and it passes undetected from about ten feet:

http://chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/33623
http://chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/36749

1618's all-black-everything look was easy; black gaffer's tape is available at any stage lighting shop. (We did paint the big panels, and just taped the rollers and angle aluminum.) For 2815's robot, we went online to findtape.com; for the garnet, black, and yellow on the claw, our total cost was in the $60 range shipped.

I'd still want to use paint if I have the time and resources, but this route is MUCH better than bare metal for my money.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Best advice EVER! We thought duct tape would look obvious! Thanks!

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

Contact local sign shops, many of them use VHB. They may have small leftover rolls that they might be persuaded to give you.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

That's kinda the point of what he said.

Re: Purchasable Tricks and Easy Fixes
 

That's a good point. Also those sign shops make some sweet vinyl decals to make robots look pretty nice. ;)