Sounds like the event was an overall success. I couldn't watch any of it because i'm uk based and don't have skype. Besides I don't think skype would work on my dial-up
On Feb 1, 5:20 pm, Frank Pittelli <[email protected]> wrote: > Tank Expo 2009 was a huge success, with 16+ people attending in person > (couple kids and spouses) and 5 people attending online, from as far > away as South Korea. We met a couple new members from Virginia and got > to meet with some veteran members that we haven't seen in a while. We > had video coverage (albeit somewhat delayed and choppy for some > viewers), as well as an international conference call and chat session. > After the lavish Donut Opening Ceremony (which gets more and more > elaborate every year), Expo participants discussed a wide range of > topics and technologies. > > The remainder of this article focuses on the technologies discussed. > Another thread will focus on rule discussions. > > Dr. Sommer from Anvilus Plastic Works showed everyone a 1:6 scale > roto-molded Panther hull that was quite impressive. Made out of ABS > plastic, it was clearly strong enough for battling and had plenty of > nice detail molded into the hull. With just a little work, such hulls > could easily be fitted to a rolling chassis and used in battle. Ask Joe > about the details, cost and where to get them if you're interested. > > Dr. Sommer also showed how a certain type of high-density plastic could > be cut and milled like nylon or delrin, but could also be molded into > any shape desired. Simply by heating the plastic in water for a couple > minutes (not even boiling temperatire), it turned into a sturdy putty > that could be easily hand molded for a couple of minutes. Then, it > turns solid again (slowly changing from clear to white), at which point > it feels like a solid plastic again. Quite interesting material (not > cheap of course), but something to consider for those usual parts and > design problems. > > Joe also showed off one of the most powerful Kiddie Car Motors (KCMs) > that anyone has seen. It's an Italian-made assembly that marries a > heavy-duty Unite Motor (like the MO1) with a very beefy plastic gearbox. > The gearbox is just like other KCMs, only much, much stronger in both > design and power output. The combined unit runs at 175 RPM at the drive > shaft, which is too slow for tank tracks, but perfect for any wheeled > vehicle. No doubt about it, if you want a powerful wheeled vehicle, > these KCMs are the way to go. > > Andy Schwartz brought by a prototype and plans for his latest robot > project, an almost full scale version of Wall E, one of the new movie > robots. Wall E has a track drive system and lots of movable parts, so > Andy has plenty of work for himself in the coming months. Certainly, > Andy will be transplanting lots of tank technology into the robot world. > > Will Montgomery unveiled his new "Monster Jeep" support vehicle, which > marries a monster truck chassis with a plastic 1:6 scale Jeep body. > Stretching the rules in a number of directions, the Jeep will be watched > carefully in the next battle. Will took the Jeep onto the Tri-Pact > High-Speed Driving Test Track to show everyone what it could do. > Zipping along at up to 30 MPH, it behaved as expected, until Will > stomped on the brake ... at which point it flipped over and broke off a > few plastic parts. Ok, just a few quirks to iron out before the battle. > > Doug "Rocket Man" Conn, brought the latest super-computer he plans to > install in his next vehicle. Based on a "pico-ITX" motherboard, the > entire computer was about the size of a small network hub/switch, > operating from a 12V input source. It provides built-in ethernet, VGA > and 4 USB ports, as well as audio in/out. It even has a 40Gb disk drive > inside, although Doug was talking about replacing that with a > solid-state drive for more robustness. Definitely much smaller than his > last control computer, but no less powerful. The only question everyone > had was "How will he fit the 20" monitor into the tank"? > > Frank showed off a couple new electronic prototypes from the Cheap > Control Systems lab being developed for other organizations. The > C6C-Serial version allows the gamepad and servos to be separated by up > to 4,000 ft using a 3-wire tether. Not especially useful in our hobby, > but it might be used to control ROVs used in the North Sea for > maintaining oil rigs. The C6C-Animator version eliminates the gamepad > completely and is used to animate up to 4 servos using random sequences > and variable sweep angles. The C6C-Animator will be sold to scale > modelers who want their museum quality static models to have a little > life by moving the commander and driver torsos back and forth, up and > down, etc. > > Still on the design board, Frank also introduced the concept of a new > cheap product called "Cheap Trash Talker" ... an inexpensive LCD display > that can be easily programmed to display any message you want to show on > the battlefield. The CTT could be mounted to any vehicle and used to > taunt the enemy into submission. Cheap Control Systems expects that a > large 3rd party market of taunt content will be available for download > over time and is currently negotiating with Apple for the rights to > manage taunt content. > > Hopefully I haven't left out any of the technology displayed and > discussed. If so, I'm sure the other participants will chime in. > > Frank "Your Mother Wears Army Boots" Pittelli --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
