Using a slide rail attached to the flipper the "adjusting
rod" problem is solved.
The flipper is also an awful lot stiffer, which is a good thing
as the SD-200 servo is capable of lifting a lot more than the antweight
limit of 150g.
The robot can also self-right, with a little help from the yellow
horns you can see on the top of the flipper. Screws on the side
of the robot stop it from resting on its side. There's also a little
bit of Dycem (grip material) at the back to prevent Electra from
sliding, which it was doing when trying to self-right.
This version of Electra competed at the Grand Antweigh Competition
at the University of Brighton on 12th July 2003, where is came joint
4th.
We're still struggling to keep under the weight limit, depending
on which scales Electra is measured on. The next step is to move
from NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) to LiPo (Lithium Polymer) batteries.
They're an awful lot lighter... 27g versus about 8g. The slide rail
is also a bit rough.
