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Originally Posted by greg544
I am not sure exactly what you mean by put a switch on each motor. This is completely new to us. We will be glad to learn and even a little excited but how do we put wheels on this thing. Do we need to mount the motor on something? What should that be made of?
How are we going to drive this robot? Some kind of wired controler?
Will a guy at Radio Shack know about any of this stuff?
Is there a web site that provideds any kind of instructions?
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A lot of it is going to depend on the nature of the motors in question (which are new territory to me, at least) and the robot itself.
If you're lucky, you'll be able to mount the wheels directly on the motor, then somehow connect this to your chassis/frame/chunk of material holding everything together and call it a day. (Your motors may have mounting holes built-in; if you can find the matching bolt, use them. If not, since the rules seem to indicate you're dealing with small robots, you should be fine with some other means of securing the motor. Hose clamps, perhaps?)
If your robot doesn't move without a push that way (which, if Richard's right, it probably won't), you'll either need to shrink your wheels (requiring less torque), throw in some sort of reduction, or a combination of the two. The reduction could come in the form of gears, chains and sprockets, or belts. (For the former two, I'd recommend looking at
VexLabs; their product may be good for your challenge with a little modification.) This'll raise the amount of precision required in your setup, and probably require some sort of bearing-like mount. You could use ball bearings if you really wanted, but a smooth close-fitting piece of plastic could probably do the job as well. (VexLabs has some bearing blocks for their system; your mileage may vary.)
I'm not sure I agree with Richard's interpretation of the control system rules--if they're providing the controls for these motors in addition to the power, then skip this paragraph. For controlling it, you'd be looking at some sort of three-position switch--on/off/on, preferably a momentary switch to make the actual driving easier. (Momentary switches return to their normal state--off, in this case--when released, unlike, say, a light switch.) One direction would drive the motor one way, while the other direction would drive it backwards. Do this on each side, and you're driving like a tank or a bulldozer. (As the voice of quasi-experience, this is how you want to roll.)
Now throw in some sort of switch-thrower, and you're in business. (Just remember, the less well-lined-up you have to be to make it work, the more likely you are to get it to work. For some reason, robots never quite drive the way you expect them to when you reach the field.)