I am looking into buying a kit so that i may build an airsoft robot
its sort of complicated and this system works the best for what i want to do
i do not own one yet
is anyone in the need of selling their stuff
i checked ebay, but they charge more than the vex site
thanks
The answer to your question is simple and easy.
Do not use Vex equipment (or any other amateur robotics equipment) to control an air soft or any other gun. Period. End of story.
Blake
why not
and really i dont care b/c i already designed it to work with it
i just need a kit
Because the kits are not designed and built with rigorous enough qaulity controls and testing to make them suitable for controlling a gun, even an air soft gun. The software and hardware in the kits are prone to all sorts of unpredictable behavior, particularly when used in “noisy” environments.
However, if you “don’t care”, I won’t waste any more of your time or mine.
Blake
sorry if i came across too strong, i have just been researching this for a long time
I never heard of a bad review
anyway im just looking to buy a vex system
My comments are not a bad review.
But, I am trying to impress upon everyone reading this, the absolute importance of using the right tool for the right job. The Vex product line is an excellent hobbyist and educational suite of products. They are not the right tool for controlling device (like a gun) that can reach out and hurt someone in an instant.
Radio interference, “silent” acceptance of human mistakes by the C18 compiler, the unknown (to you and me) level of testing that goes into the compiler, the master code and other “givens” in the microcontroller, the erratic behavior that can occur when battery voltage is low, etc. These are not Vex “problems”. They are inherent in the nature of mass market robotics kits.
I don’t think that you will find any consumer-oriented hobby/educational system that is suitable for controlling a gun. Find another project that doesn’t put your friends’ and family’s eyes at risk when simple bursts of RF interference make the project twitch.
Take a bit of time to research just how much work goes into attempting to make complex software/hardware systems safe enough to put human safety at risk. You might be surprised by the true size of the challenge.
Buying a Vex kit is a great plan. I have roughly 10! Just don’t connect them guns, flames, knives, powerful vehicles, etc.
Thanks for listening. Be safe and enjoy learning.
Blake
its for educational purposes only
i was asked to create a military robot, and instead of using a real gun i chose to use an airsoft gun
the robot will only operate in controlled conditions
thanks for the concern
any chance you want to sell one of your kits
Are you planning on using this in a school? You might want to ask your teacher and/or principal because in most places bringing an airsoft gun to school would get you expelled no matter why you brought.
I’ll join others on this forum encouraging you to reconsider using VEX (or any hobby-level robotics) for any system that could be dangerous if it got out of control. We understand you have decided on your project and are just looking for parts at this point, but since you posted your intent, we’re just offering the best advice we can.
In one robotics class I ran, a team wanted to make a “military” robot. We settled on a Nerf rocket launcher and it worked out quite well. Another option would be to make a “laser tag” like robot that paints a target with a laser beam like this one.
Please consider these alternatives. If you choose to proceed with your project as outlined, you should always assume that the motors and servos could do anything at any moment.
The real danger is that it will work perfectly and lead you to believe it is 100% reliable, but that is a false sense of security. Even if you have never seen it glitch or act erratically, assume that it will eventually.
Best of luck,
- Dean
I have them because I use them - sorry about not being able to sell them - sometimes you can sneak in a successful low bid on ebay…
Now there is an idea!
Or you could build a transporter that picks up a wounded GI Joe and gets him safely to a rear area.
Or you could build a cargo transport that follows the transporter that is ahead of it (use light sensors).
Or a transporter that carries sensors out into hazardous areas and deposits them (dumping them out carefully, one at a time).
Or a recon device that explores the inside of a building
All are important military functions/needs (right now, in the real world).
Blake
Air soft? What is air soft??
< checks Wiki > :eek:
Oh. No!! That’s NOT a good idea!!
Lets see, where to begin? How about:
“There are old technicians, and there are bold technicians. But there are no old, bold technicians.”
You ever heard of Murphy’s law?
“If anything can go wrong, it will.” And usually something like “If there’s more than one possible outcome, and one of those outcomes will result in disaster, then it will occur at the worst possible time”
Somebody also made a good corollary to Murphy’s Law:
“Murphy was an optimist.”
Please!! All you young people out there, do NOT add dangerous objects to your robot creations. Just don’t do it. Building robots is all about learning and being creative. Doing something like this would be just the opposite of that!
KHall
Ah, some things never change. In the words of Santa, circa 1940: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” (From “A Christmas Story”, for those of you who are too young to remember)
actually my military instructor gave me strict orders to use airsoft weaponry
these airsoft weapons are not like the usual
they are for professional training purposes only
Well, if that is the assignment, then that is the assignment.
The remaining question then is whether Vex is suitable for use with an airsoft training weapon. Vex is marketed primarily to middle-school and high-school students for educational use in non-life-threatening situations.
The best advice I can offer is to design and operate your system under the expectation that it will malfunction at any time.
Best of luck, and please be safe…
- Dean
i have already established that so i am at square two
buy system
does anyone have one for sale
Try searching the forum I remember someone a while back was wanting to sell their kit. However I doubt you will get too much of a discount no matter what so I would suggest that it might be a better idea to invest in a new system that would be in better condition and less likely to malfunction.
If you want to go cheaper i suggest buying a parallax microcontroller, such as the Propeller Demo Board, and then buy other metal, hardware, etc. from other nearby stores. I believe the propeller chip is a good choice for your project because it can simultaneaously do 8 things at once!! (Take readings, drive - set PWM’s, shoot, aim, take precautionary measures with sensors, etc.)
This is a cheaper alternative and works with almost any sensor and electrical component on the market today.
I wish you the best of Luck
Technic-R-C
i already own a futaba 6 channel controller and a futaba micro controller along with a ton of servos
the problem is that i haven’t used them in 15 years and don’t know if they went bad (gotta check)
i am mostly looking for building materials
The VEX system looked like a good kit either the v5 kit or vexplorer b/c my robot needs a camera
My only other thought was to build a wifi-bot, but i have a lack of experience and don’t know which r/c car to purchase that will have a RX2 chip in them
if anyone has any experience please inform me
well, since it’s your kit and considering i’ve made a flame thrower with vex…you should try it!
maybe on the next project
but im still up for any offers