| Speedy | Speedy started out as a way to use the worm drive gear motors that come with the Micro-Cassette assemblies sold at Solarbotics. Kyle's idea was to build a small solar powered Turbot, everything free formed but as he worked on the project he found it was not working out as planed. The body, size and weight, was not going to flip over very well, if at all. So midway in speedy became a Termite. Speedy was completed the day before Kyle started grade 6, September 3, 2001. |
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Speedy - The frame and motors. At this point Kyle had me convinced that the Turbot idea was going to work. It really looked good for a moment, in testing with a battery it was turning itself over. [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - Close up of the first leg design and how Kyle attached them to the plastic gears by way of paperclips. [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - This was the moment of truth, Kyle had to find away to stuff two SE's, two solar panels, and caps into a rather small area. He did manage it, less one solar panel, but the feat came at a cost. Speedy was now two tall and heavy to flip over under his own power. More info on the FredSE used here can be found at Andy's Solar Bugs complete with easy to follow how-to freeform instructions. [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - The two FredSE's Jammed in along with two 1000 uf caps, parallel of course. Very tight fit, Kyle had to spend a long time to find a short in the system before he could move on to adding the solar panel. [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - He just wouldn't give up on the Turbot idea, like talking to wall at times, but after a while he gave in:) [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - The final version, it moves very slowly along and is often banged up by the poppers but still manages to always keep its back pointed towards the light. That's right it make a b-line in the opposite direction of the sun, Kyle is trying to tell me that is so it will be in the light as the sun comes up:) Whatever, he has had a great deal of fun on this one, as always. [click image for larger view] |
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Speedy - Getting a big hand for trying to move:) [click image for larger view] |
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Contact |
Please contact Dave Simmons at devs@idirect.com with comments or questions. For further information there is a growing list of Links on the Links page. |
