Nemo - Plastic Antweight

Say hello to Nemo! Nemo is a one-pound plastic robot based on the battlebot Malice, but he's about as beginner-friendly as a spinner can get! He only requires three printed parts, and there is plenty of space inside to fit whatever components you have on hand.

This is the first iteration intended for students of Utah State University's Combat Robotics club, but anybody is free to use it! I will be releasing a second iteration shortly, but if you want to print this sooner:

1. The spinner and top plate clearance is pretty slim. The "Lucky Fin bar" is slightly shorter on the top to counteract that, but you may want to place a washer or two in the two front screws to give it more space.

2. There are only three parts that are essential to this bot's function: The body, weapon bar, and top plate. See the settings set in the GCODE file for ideal print settings. 

3. There are two types of chassis available: "Frying nemo" is the one I've used in competition, and has an attachment area for thin, long forks to counter wedges. However, I also included the "Nemo-No-Forks" Chassis, which has those removed if you want a more traditional horizontal spinner. Forks can be attached with 25-30mm M3 screws.

4. WHEELS! I'm personally a fan of Repeat's eco hubs on foam wheels. As a USU kit bot, it is meant to run 2 inch foam tires, but I found the no-fork runs well on 2.25 inch tires too. If you want to stick with the "Nemo" Theming, put thin foam wheels on the right side, and thicker wheels on the left. I promise it doesn't impede driving. 

FILAMENT: For my first competition, I printed all the parts out of Polysonic PLA Pro. I definitely recommend it, but I'll share other filaments I've had success with in previous robotics projects:

• Overture Super PLA+: Probably one of the best materials you could use in the plastic ant class! This material has an insanely high impact resistance, and tends to bend rather than crack/shatter on impacts. My next iteration will use some for the weapon. 
• Duramic PLA+: A favorite of the community due to its strength and durability for the cost. You can easily find these on sale on Amazon, especially for black filament. This is what I usually recommend for most beginners in the class. 
• ABS/ASA: ABS in particular is the benchmark for comparing durability of PLA+ blends. It also benefits from a lighter density and high heat resistance. USU students also can get this stuff printed for them at the Merril-Cazier Library, so no need to handle the toxic fumes or tricky printing! For future iterations of Nemo, I'm considering using this to make the top plate.
   

PARTS: These are all linked to Palmbeachbots.com, but you can pick up these parts from other combat robotics websites as needed. 

• Repeat Robotics mini brushed Mk2
• Repeat Robotics Budget Ant DESC
• Fingertech Switch
• Fingertech Foam wheels (2 inch, 0.75in thick)
• Repeat Robotics Gold foam eco hub (3mm, 0.75in) (I also recommend Fingertech's lightweight twist hubs, I just liked the aesthetic of the gold hubs with the orange bot)
• Palmbeachbots D2822 Brushless motor (Use a motor KV no higher than 1800. The orange flashhobby motors from Amazon will work, but these are more reliable)
• 35 amp brushless speed controller
• Weapon bearing
• Assorted metric screws: You'll need 2mm screws to secure the repeat motor to the bot frame, and 3mm screws to secure the weapon motor and top plate to the chassis. If you want to use forks, you'll need 25mm long M3 screws. I also recommend heat-set inserts for the M3 top plate screws, but I got away without them.