Post-gig upgrades, after their first proper outing

After their first proper outing, I did what I always do. I went straight past “that was great” and into “right, what tried to ruin my life during load-out?”

The robots performed brilliantly, but transport is where reality lives. If these are going to be a repeatable festival thing, I need them to come apart quickly, travel safely, and go back together without guesswork.

So this round of upgrades is about one thing. Arms off, head off, no drama.

The shoulder fix, box tube as a sleeve (Bob-approved)

Easy to slide off box tubing
Easy to slide off box tubing

This one came from my good friend Bob, very much in a sidekick role, but annoyingly right. The suggestion was to use box tube as a sleeve.

The box section slides onto the shoulder extrusion, which means it self-aligns and cannot twist like a round tube would. Then with a couple of bolts it locks up rock solid. The joint suddenly feels like a proper engineered interface, not something you are politely asking to stay put.

That one change makes the shoulder and arm area feel much more modular and repeatable, which is exactly what you want when you are rebuilding on site, slightly rushed, and pretending you are totally calm.

Another win... big plugs

Big plugs... big bad plugs
Big plugs... big bad plugs

No, the wiring is not suddenly a zen garden of perfectly separated looms. It is still busy in there.

But now it is busy in a way that I can disconnect quickly.

I have added nice big connectors so I can remove both arms and the head without having to perform major internal surgery inside the torso.

The workflow is now simple. Unplug the chunky connector, undo a small number of bolts, lift off the module, then get on with loading out.

Why it matters

This stuff is not glamorous, but it is the difference between a robot that is technically impressive and a robot that is actually gig-able. The performance is the fun bit. Setup and breakdown is where the stress hides.

And I would like less of that.

Next up

Next I will keep pushing the modular approach. More repeatable mounting points, fewer awkward access bolts, and more assemblies that come off as units rather than puzzles.

Bob gets sidekick credit for the box tube sleeve idea. It is one of those simple mechanical fixes that suddenly makes everything else easier.