Matt, do you use any application to create the kinematic model? Design is of course important but the first thing to create is the model in general. Available moves have to be combined to make one step, steps sequence to create a gait... I don`t think this is a trail-end-error method ;)

Servos have to handle proper torques (? F*r :) ) so you have to change lever width or sometimes put stronger servo...

so the question in short version is: which programs do you use to create hexapods? :)

cheers

Tricky question. Well I design my hexapod parts in autocad, and the general rule of thumb is use the best servo you can afford, preferably heavy duty or metal gearbox. Servos are generally geared for speed for the R/C industry, which is of no use for hobby robots, as in general we need more power less speed. Also the way that R/C servos achieve the extra power at higher speeds, is to throw more current into the servo, which again isn't ideal in a robot application where there are many more servos in use, and we require longer battery life.

I have been fortunate enough to work in an industry where I have tried many servo types, so when I pick a servo its through experience. Its the same when I design a hexapod, I can see how large I can make the leg just by knowing how much a servo can handle... in the early days some of it was based on trial and error! :)

M@

thank you very much for your answer :)

today i have asked my PhD about software used for designing and he couldn`t mention any :) so i guess there aren`t any well-known applications ;)

if you have tested so many servos could you maybe say something about HiTec HS-475HB? i wouldn`t like to discover that this is a total (s)crap after buying 18 units ;D

Ha Matt,

as far as I know you use Futaba servos in your projects - could you tell me which model it is and how big torque does it have?

i`d like to compare prices ;)

Hi,

I use analogue futaba servos, as they take less current and aren't as noisy!. I use 9206 servos, and 3002 on iC. The V3 hex uses 3101/3102 servos. If you take a look at any of my hexapods in the robotics section, you will find a techniical spec at the bottom of the write-up which should tell you which servos I use.

cheers, M@