Foot plate re-skim

In order to get the best results from the foot load cell sensors, I needed to get a better surface where the two parts mate. I managed to do some of the parts on my CNC machine, but these parts were easier to do in my rubbish lathe. I had to make up a holding jig to get them in the reverse jaw chuck. Actually the finish wasn't too bad as long as they were machines at 2500rpm.

This plate was initially skimmed on the CNC machine, hence the tool pattern. Once I had made the jig I re-skimmed them in the lathe.

Tidy Up!

 

Before

 

After

--
Matt Denton

micromagic systems ltd
www.micromagicsystems.com
www.hexapodrobot.com

Further Fitings/Improvments

 

The HexEngine back in position. I switched the LEDS to the opposite side so that the operator cans see them if required, it was a bit of a fiddle as it involved rotating the entire PC-104 stack inside the CAN, but worth it I think.

 

Remounted the WiFi antenna to the outside face of the bulk head, this is so that there are no cables needed on the cab.

Testing the new seat

After finishing installation of the tank, battery box and seat support, I decided to give the seat a test.. position is good. I think it could do with the front fixings raised slightly using some rubber stand-offs, but otherwise all good!

Tank suport posts

 

I picked up the aluminium tank supports and fitted them, they have gone in no problem and look the part. Having the support posts in place I decided it was time to fit the seat bracket and battery supports.

 

Decided the battery strap worked better fitted across each battery rather than across them both, I have a second strap I need to chop down and fit.

 

And finally with the tank and seat fitted.

HexEngine Mount

 

The HexEngine fitted to the tank bracket.

Glueing the heatsinks onto the tank

 

Here is the Mantis at the end of the day with most of the power pack back together. I still need to finish the tank, but currently I'm waiting for a few parts from Stauff.

Tomorrow I need to size up the cooler return pipe, the cooler suction pipe and the case drain pipe. These are the last of the hydraulic cables that I need to re-place with the new layout. I also need to chase up Stauff, which are taking forever to get back to me with price and availability info on some of their products. I have the aluminium stand-off's for the tank and the seat being made by D&T, they should be with me some time this week. Also need to look at gluing the heat sinks to the back of the tank.

Bulk head Re-Assembly

I collected the bulk head frames from the powder coaters this morning and re-assembled the bulk head, tank and seat support.

 

Here is the relocated isolator switch and throttle control which can be reached by the right hand while seated. The throttle was previously located on the cab frame, but I think it is better off here so the cab can be removed if required. I'm going to look for a new home for the manometer also. 

Here you can see the rest of the electrical system reinstated. I have a few bit to finish with the electrics and then test it but its pretty much there.

A front view of the new tank without the seat

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New Seat

 

The new seat arrived today, this is virtually the same as the previous seat but does not come with the mechanical suspension unit. This seat only has the fore/aft adjust and recline. I took the head rest and arm rests from the old seat and fitted them without too much trouble, but for some reason this seat does not come with the lap belt fixing point, so I had to remove the back rest and drill a couple of holes. It's back together now with lap belt installed. With the new seat support and battery compartment underneath I had to get rid of the suspension unit, hence this new chair, which means a weight saving of at least 12Kg.

Also spent some time getting webots running on my Dell Linux machine ready for code development. Webots doesn't run that well on this machine, the frame rate is pretty slow but usable. However, it crashes out when resetting the simulation, which is a pain in the arse, so will need to spend some time looking into the reason.

Power distribution re-wire and battery box

 

I've just about finished re-wiring the power distribution box and the new link cable between the ECU and engine relay/distribution box. Just the ECU cable ends to crimp.

 

Here are the batteries in their new location under the seat bracket, with the battery isolator located next to the batteries. currently I have a ratchet strap holding the batteries in place, however I will replace this with a simpler buckle strap system as the ratchet buckle is a it bulky.

Bulk head fitting test

 

Here is the bulk head with tank fitted, along with the battery tray and floor pans.

 

Here is the rear view with the power distribution box in its new home.

More chassis and tank shots

 

The chassis with bulk head and tank removed. Below is the tank fitted on the bulk head.

A helpful hand from a friend

 

My friend and colleague Adam Wright came in for a couple of days to help with the metal fabrication of the bulkhead and various other brackets for the oil cooler, tank and seat.

 

Here you can see the Mantis without the bulkhead fitted, It's been a while since I have seen the chassis looking so bare!

New Foot Assemblies Complete

 

Finished the remaining foot assemblies, now just need to get them fitted, calibrate them, test them, re-write the hexengine to remove the fourth axis....etc..... 

Tank

 

I got the tank loosely mounted into position to see how it looks, pretty good I think. Although I'm still tempted to try anodizing it black. However, I'm told the weld will come out a different colour and look bad.

My first USB interface project

 

Nothing to do with the Mantis but this is my first USB micro controller project utilising a dsPIC and an FTDI USB interface chip. The FTDI chip is really easy to use and is working very well. I had to tweak some of the default settings on the chip to get the serial latency down as low as possible, but initial tests work well for my application.

New Foot Mounted On Leg

 

I picked up the new anodized foot and leg parts yesterday, and today picked up the rest of the components required to attach the new foot to the leg. The assembly went together well, only a couple of small issues that I soon overcame.

 

Here is the rest of the foot mechanism held in place with the M20 bolt.

 

I may have to make an aluminium cable guard to protect the two cables from damage. Otherwise the new design looks great!

New Foot Assembly

 

 The new foot assembly with the pancake load cell sandwiched between the ball joint and tibia mounting hardware.

 

The small box contains the strain gauge amplifier.

New Hydraulic Tank

 

I collected the new hydraulic tank today, looks ok! Apparently anodizing this would not be a good idea as the weld will come out a different colour, so I think I will leave it bare aluminium.

Inside the hydraulic tank.

Side view of the tank.

The last of the tnk parts

 

Here are the remaining parts I required for completion of the hydraulic tank.  Te suction pipe I found on ebay, the 1.5" BSP threaded boss I had made by D&T Precision. These parts will be welded to the back of the SAE fittings as shown, prior to being fitted to the tank.

Don't leave the cnc machine unatended!

 

I should have learned this lesson by now, I left the machine skimming the outside face of the last of twelve of these parts.. and look what happened. I thought of having another made, but I think I will just use it as is to remind me :)