A Whyachi-Killer if you will..

not sure.. around $20-$30, depending on how everything works out.

I made the top piece! Also, I drilled, tapped, and countersunk holes for the screws to hold it together. Now it looks like something!



It still only weighs 3 grams! AMAZING! If this really works, I'm going to be a happy dude.

Copper comes Tuesday, and so do the raw materials for the cylindrical switch, if I even bother trying to make it. I didn't expect this flat one to work out so well! I'll try to get this prototype done soon, so that I can test it.

I'd like to see it when you're done....thanks

Alrighty Then! Finally figured out how to machine the center contact:



I'll try making the last 2 contacts tomorrow..

Glad to see that it's coming together....

check your pm

WOW!! these are coming along MUCH better than i would imagine! I can't wait to help out with these I left Kevin Smith a message about me maybe getting an internship at syntheon a couple of days ago do you think i should call him back again?

Ya.. I'd call him again..

about the switch:

Just got back from the keys (AMAZING!!)
didn't order parts from china yet because of 2 reasons;
A) The design isn't finalized yet.. some new ideas floating around..
B) The guy I've been using doesn't make anything out of the type of copper I want, so that kind of puts it on hold until I find somebody else who can make them..

I sent you a pm...call me when you get a minute

I have an idea that you might like

This switch is being a pain.. The contacts are currently costing too much in to get made in CHINA! AFTER SIMPLIFYING THEM! The cheapest guy wanted 8 bucks for the center contact, all machined from one side and lacking hex spline, if I bought ten, and didn't get much better in larger quantity. I had a clever idea for reducing machine time and part changing: make them in a sheet. I'll find out soon what it would cost to get a sheet of 100x of the center rotary contact, and a strip of 20x of the fork contact (which I'd need 10 of in order to match all 100 of the rotary contacts). We'll see if it's cheaper! I hope to get some made and about soon! I want to get them to you, just it seems that the planets have to align in order to get these things made cheaply!! NOT EASY! Right now, If I had to buy them @ $8 a contact, if the entire switch cost $40, I wouldn't be making any money whatsoever.. hopefully that'll change!

I ordered the contacts, cheaper than before. We should have 10 units by the end of the month!

It DOES look good.

I'm glad you found my incorrectly posted comments about this--did waterjetting and/or stamping out of copper sheet turn out to be the best/cheapest approach? Maybe Lasercutting? I know that emachineshop.com is specifically designed for hooking you up with shops to do just about any kind of work, but ONE part is typically like $100, but 100 might be like $300, if you know what I mean. . .
Or am I making an incorrect assumption that the Cu parts will be flat?

There is this: I may be seeing a bit of a design flaw (and I may be wrong), but does the hex driver used to turn it on an off actually make electrical contact with conductive parts of the switch? If so, I'm pretty sure BotsIQ will NOT let that go. Is there a way to put insulating material between the two?

On another track, are these things stackable? I was thinking about it the other night, and it would be REALLY COOL if you could 'gang' them together by simply putting one atop another, and have the hexkey operate all of them simulteneously! In other words, could you make these multiple-pole-single throw? (This would have been excellent in SpiderPig's 'divide and conquer' approach) A good design would allow for as many independant circuits as there is room to stack them (or length of your hexkey). Even if they aren't all that good, people will definitely buy them just for this feature. (well, at least I would)

First, you're right. The allen key would have to touch part of the conductive path. I don't see why battlebots wouldn't allow it; you could always use a nonconductive hex key. I could always ask Nola what she thinks.. It's a problem that I couldn't easily solve In this design. If anybody has an idea to solve that, I'd be more than happy to listen! And for the stacking, you wouldn't be able to do it unless you had a nonconductive hex key, or some way to insulate it.

Oh, and I just remembered--I put a comment on basecamp for you about this, but it might make more sense to repeat it here

Your 100amp powersupply is in the mill room at Ransom. I recommend using it to test these switches. It would allow you to not only see if they work, but how much current they can handle as well. I know it's entirely possible you already have equipment to do the same at your house or at Syntheon, but if not then keep this in mind. Let me know what I can do to help you.

Can the Delrin handle the heat necessary to solder to the contacts? If not, then you may want to distribute them with wires already attached. (i.e. solder before assembly) Personally, I'd like it to have a Dean's pigtail (male) on it out of the box, but then you're talking another $4 in materials.

Ha! I'm actually online the same time as someone else!

OK. here's what I'm thinking about the insulating issue: make the center conductive part have a larger opening that's maybe a simpler shape (square?) and have a delrin part that sits inside of it with a hex opening in the center (of the delrin). You may find there's not room for this, or it's too weak, or it makes the center conductor not big enough to carry much current, but it's just a idea to start with.

Well you figured out the problems with that! Like I said, not sure f it matters, but couodsell them with a plastic allen wrench!

Is there such a thing as a plastic allen wrench?

If the side contacts are a bit shorter, and the center contact shaped with a circular portion in the center (think of the greek letter phi--or better yet, the shape of Timothy Higgens' weapon) then you may be able to fit the delrin insert.

Again, just ideas. . .

LOL that was the original idea! Had it all designed and everything, but was worried about arching, and the contacts jostling around inside. I am pretty sure that such plastic Allen wrenches exist.. We'll see!

If you decide on going for the custom key route, I'd suggest abandoning the allen wrench shape entirely for something that was easier to machine, like a simple flat rectangle.

Pretty sure even the whyachi switches have wrench to circuit contact. I can double check if you'd like.

MikeNCR wrote:

Pretty sure even the whyachi switches have wrench to circuit contact. I can double check if you'd like.

No they don't....plastic washers insulate the screw from the contacts

So! first set of contacts arrived this morning! Here's a picture!!




guess what!! THEY'RE WRONG!!! AGHHHH!!!!
JACKY CHAN MADE THEM OUT OF BRASS INSTEAD OF COPPER!!!!!!

I sent him a very furious email (lol) saying that this was no good. We'll see how that goes..

I'm not a happy camper..

OUCH !

Sorry to hear that Will

I ordered from 2 different companies, so hopefully the other ones will be right!

Will Bales wrote:

JACKY CHAN MADE THEM OUT OF BRASS INSTEAD OF COPPER!!!!!!

I sent him a very furious email (lol) saying that this was no good. We'll see how that goes..

I'm not a happy camper..

That SUCKS

yup..