BattleBots Faceoffs - Tombstone Battery Upgrades. No more fires?

[@driwee]

Tombstone was the reason i watched battle bots. Every time Ray brought it out you could be certain there would be carnage and big hits. You go Ray!

[@panhead537]

SAME!!!!

[@Mycrazyworld95]

​@@panhead537same!

[@D2R777]

When I first started watching battlebots, Tombstone won that season. Ever since then tombstone has been my favorite.

[@Deimos000]

Nightmare before tombstone! Greetings from the Netherlands ❤

[@D2R777]

@@Deimos000 How is the weather in Netherlands right now?

[@AsuraKish8n665]

Tombstone is the icon of Battlebots! Truly a leggendary bot

[@Shaun_Jones]

The first thing I ever saw of combat robotics was an introduction video of I believe it was the original Tombstone mulching a cinder block.

[@rhadiem]

Always loved seeing Tombstone rip bots in half, hope you're able to continue that trend. :)

[@Flameblade69]

You never really know just how big these bots are until someone is standing next to them.

[@CyberDreZ]

So excited to see Battlebots live! I got my tickets for November 1st! Literally fell perfectly in line with a trip my wife and I planned, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Can't wait to see how the upgrades work out. TPU really is a miracle filament with its versatility in combat robotics.

[@0b3rz0nK]

Ray is such a chill and sweet guy, who knows when to fight hard. Really thankful to see the inside og the bot. That mix between industrial and RC tech is cool to see.

[@vagabondrobotics]

We used TPU battery boxes in Torment Nexus the 60lbs at robogames this year, the way we did it was add foam in between the batteries and tpu as kind of a double layer of shock absorption. It worked pretty well, great to see tombstone using similar tech!

[@TheDumbTake-xb6rr]

Yeah. A combination of dissimilar materials should work in better absorbing impacts than a homogeneous block But yeah, it's possible to model them first using an analysis tool like Ansys or something like that. That's the best way.

[@dansmith9308]

Nice set-up, hope it helps Tombstone with reliability, will be rooting for you in November! Ever since the reboot been one of my favourite bots.

[@brolohalflemming7042]

Thanks for these videos! Tombstone has long been a favourite given its combination of kinetics and agility. I've often pondered how I would design a bot to counter it, and that would be a lot easier if someone other than Ray was driving it.

[@YancySmithTurboRexPerformance]

You could put a couple of ShockWatch indicator labels inside Tombstone to see how many G's its actually experiencing. That could be useful info for future reference.

[@feelincrispy7053]

That was the most chill merch ad I’ve ever seen

[@ray9368]

I’m a chill guy 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gp8383]

​@@ray9368 I have such a passion for battle bots I remember being 5 years old and wanting to watch but my parents thought it was violent and destructive 😅

[@BotvacProductions469]

@@ray9368 exept for when in the arena lol

[@TrainMasterMan]

C'mon TOMBSTONE! Can't wait to see the new design in action!

[@117Shaba]

I absolutely cannot wait to see the King of Kinetic Energy dominate in the BattleBox once again. We have been long overdue!

[@BotvacProductions469]

0:35 tombstone is clearly engulfed in flames and ray says something and smiles. what a good guy :)

[@JustinWillisDevil240Z]

I think the future of robot combat is gonna ride on builders documenting themselves on youtube and independent promoters making space for said robot combat. we cant rely on network or cable tv. the future of the sport is as high tech and modern as the bots themselves.

[@USArmyVet91]

I hope Tombstone can make an epic comeback. This Bot is the absolute GOAT and wow did I enjoy it just mauling any and all who dared get in it's way! I hope these tweaks are enough to get you and that amazing Bot back on track. You are a LEGEND, Ray. Good luck to you.👍👍👍👍

[@ZachDragonBassist21]

Tombstone vs Cobalt= Explosive Destruction. When Cobalt had the horizontal blade. It'd be the ultimate dream match I and the fans would like to see.

[@scottpeters5467]

Tombstone is the reason I started watching battle bots. So glad Tombstone is still fighting. I can't wait to see Ray and Tombstone battle it out. I hope you win another championship

[@stevethompson3472]

Once upon a time, as nerds are prone to doing, I got into a discussion about what would be the best gear to have during a zombie apocalypse. I stated that I would like to have a battlebot, specifically Tombstone. Of course, the ones who didn’t think of something like that were the ones to point out issues with battery recharging and replacing. Nevertheless, having Tombstone undercutting a zombie horde while you sit safely out of harm’s way, would be a glorious experience!

[@C_M_R_0002]

Tombstone has no chance of surviving, he can only go on smooth ground, he does not have a front wheel, and if he goes on a road he will most likely get stuck.

[@C_M_R_0002]

Tombstone has no chance of surviving, he can only go on smooth ground, he does not have a front wheel, and if he goes on a road he will most likely get stuck.

[@rondickson1491]

Tombstone is by far my favorite battle bot. I think with the modifications you are making. You could win another championship. Best wishes from Virginia.

[@maxoomen6392]

Me and my dad are hyped for the face offs. There is gonna be chaos for sure.

[@K5_RC]

I just started re watching Battlebots season 1-8. Season 5 and 6 definitely seemed rough on those electronics. Many burndowns. Fun to see, not fun to see your favorite go up in flames 😅.

[@martins4446]

Where do you watch it?

[@K5_RC]

@martins4446 KZbin with the Max subscription. Had to watch Season 1 and 2 just the fights in a playlist. 19$ a month unfortunately for the Max subscription

[@elisr357]

Ray and Tombstone are Legends in the game, awesome to see you still using Tombstone and creating massive carnage in the battle box.

[@ruvimsemenyuk8224]

I mean mortician did amazing with this new set up , hopefully the same Will go with tombstone

[@joeysimm5777]

I hope you win next season ray never mess with the grim reaper

[@cadenkorzan]

Lets go, Ray got the Xlx2 in there. She gonna rip

[@p0po429]

I love the design of your robot ❤

[@NolanHolladay]

I've got a lot of faves in BB but the very first time I saw Tombstone in action I fell in love - this thing deals some serious devastation! excited to see what comes of the less flammable version!

[@MarkJacksonGaming]

-- I like it. Been discussing such changes with you for years. The dual actuators for the weapon, when you first start it, momentarily, it's always going to spike to one of them but it is a great step in the right direction. It's the dampening systems that I've wanted to see the most, and that gap between the back of the machine and the battery enclosures. Pending all this works, if there was just some way you could spin that weapon up faster. That's going to be a thing.

[@chriss2031]

Considering how hot and wild the fires raged so far it'd still be tempted to put some sort of light foamy fireproof barrier between the drive and weapon batteries, if just to get a couple extra seconds out of it. Beautiful solution you've got there.

[@greentech1658]

Love to see you Ray back to Carnage

[@D.Jay.]

No. MORE FIRES!!!!! A burning blade of fire!

[@rhadiem]

Add a flint striker to the blade so when it spins it generates sparks! :)

[@TheDistur]

Good luck Ray

[@halbvoll1]

wish you the best Ray

[@thisladsamystery]

Thanks for the video. Hopefully no more Ghost Rider moments.

[@mcleber100]

I love this robot, really cool to see it in detail. Greetings from Brazil.

[@OverlandOne]

It is looking great Ray. Go get 'em.

[@stevesearle9144]

It's interesting seeing one of these robots up on a work bench next to someone close up. It actually looks big sitting next to someone like that. They do not look very large on the tv in the arena.

[@mikedski9698]

Ray Billings And Tombstone The King Of Kinetic Energy Is The Reason I Watched BATTLEBOTS.

[@C_M_R_0002]

Tombstone is my favorite robot, and I hope that you can win the championship, I trust you, and that you drive it wisely, good luck :D

[@toxicdragon323]

I can't wait to see Tombstone win another giant nut or bolt. I feel Tombstone will go far this time. At least I hope he does.

[@necromancer0616]

@Ray Billings, Just one small thing Ray and it's a problem that Scorpios has been dealing with and that is over heating. If anything you could mount a small CPU Fan and drill some holls in those new cases to let the heat disapate. Just tryin to help ;) Good Luck!

[@zeroinfinity5864]

That's mainly only when you over -volt them

[@ray9368]

They are trying to deal with a specific problem, with the brushes on a magmotor overheating. Really in this case (and I love magmotor btw) the brushes just aren’t really designed for the amount of abuse we dish out. I’m curious to see how well his modifications work out!

[@HwSystems]

Good luck! I Hope you will terrorize the arena

[@UNIX32]

I would love to see a battle between Tombstone and Hypno-Disc!

[@billverine765]

Ray I can't wait to see you return to the Championship. With the rule changes you won't get counted out for having one wheel ever again. I always felt you got robbed when that happened. I expect you to create some carnage my fellow old guy. 😁

[@BotvacProductions469]

He said in the match after he fought skorpios that he didn't know why he got counted out because he could in fact drive on one wheel

[@nathanrowe1542]

You guys are amazing I was there watching you guys in CA when the you guys went up against rotator and sadly you guys lost power 2 seconds before for it went to the judges and I even met one of your teammates who sat next to me, my sister, and mom all the way back in 2019

[@kevinmatney2218]

I have been using Castle for over 22 years in RC airplane racing

[@chickenfist1554]

I'm in the RC car side of the hobby where to many they're known as Castle Cremations for their tendency to catch fire lol

[@redstone51]

My favorite BattleBot battle will always be between Tombstone and Witch Doctor!!! Lets do it again!!!🙏👌👏👏

[@TheRattleSnake3145]

Am I the only one that noticed his calendar is 7 years old?

[@momandally8360]

That’s hilarious! I never noticed that! 😂

[@ray9368]

That calendar was a gift from a sponsor so it stays up 😊 I’m glad for their sake that you noticed it!

[@JamesAnderson-d9g]

Alright I'm designing theme parks in Planet Coaster themed to Battlebots, Tombstone will have a Mack Rides LSM Coaster and it will be named Tombstones Grim Revenge. It will be in Battlebot Kingdom: Haunted Hills

[@momandally8360]

Love love LOVE THIS!! 😂❤🎉

[@quyenhuynh318]

I like how tombstones driver is just a happy guy to but there.

[@StevenStyczinski-sy8cj]

With the impact shocks getting ever greater, it would be interesting to see the shock mounting for the wiring. Ray; do you have any idea how many g’s of shock force the wires and electronics need to endure in a big hit? And how much just the wires weigh? With that much current that’s a lot of copper!

[@ray9368]

The weight of the wires does add up, and a lot of times people forget that when they CAD out their designs. It’s probably a couple of pounds at least. I might try weighing it all when I get closer to having it running. I usually use some form of clamping to hold the wires in place. I’ll try to add more specifics when I finish assembly so you can see.

[@StevenStyczinski-sy8cj]

Thank you Ray. In a big hit, steel robots look like jello in slow mo from the outside. Wonder what the insides are doing?

[@FlowlessTensor]

Ayy..good day, Ray Billings!!

[@Jozain-ht3rf]

Can't wait to see Tombstone back in action

[@deefa_damo]

Nice mounting upgrades. Does anyone run accelerometers and have data on the G forces experienced with the bigger weapon-on-weapon hits? Would be interesting to see.

[@soulreaper8789]

You need to add two horizontal vertical plates to enforced the battery box From being crushed Is in my opinion I loved that bot when it frst came out Keep up the good work Hope you win another big nut

[@heronguarezi6501]

What about using 18650 with individual enclosures like on a cordless drill battery. And the CID could isolate the battery in case of problems, protecting the rest of the pack.

[@dillbuckler1239]

Surprised it stays together with those shocking welds

[@jimklyman9602]

curious if you might have room in there to mount a G force recorder to collect some of the force impacts experienced? Could be interesting data!

[@jjamespacbell]

Great stuff Ray, is BattleBots being televised this year? What channel?

[@roboman2444]

You mentioned the batteries getting warm... Any thoughts on designing some 'vent holes" in the sides of the tpu battery slots? Otherwise, the batteries are basically just surrounded with one big insulating sock. Maybe holes/mesh/"grille" on the side facing internal to the robot.

[@ray9368]

Warm in this case is not really hot, so my concern is more about the strength of holding than temperature. This exact setup has worked fine in the middleweight so we’re going to give it a try in the heavy

[@austincharbonneau1206]

Tombstone ready to kick some bot ass

[@user-3bs8jd83js]

Go tombstone!!!

[@snoozieq4584]

I'm still concerned about the temperatures of the batteries and the batteries over heating. A honeycomb design of the battery holder walls still allows for strength and some air flow to keep the batteries cooler.

[@redhanui5044]

Tombstone becoming great again?

[@djstr0b3]

Please come back to Battlebots Ray!

[@jareddiamond5133]

I believe that (And I'm not being "That guy" who nitpicks, 'cause I'm a big fan and longtime watcher of BB) the teeth on the blades, when broken will cause an imbalance of stability, thereby causing a few outcomes: 1. The wires could dislodge from their batteries (like the Free Shipping fight from Season 6). 2. The batteries could overheat and catch fire (like the RotatoR and Capt. Shrederator fights). 3. The battery itself could dislodge from its position, leading to strain on the wires, causing them to fray (similar to the first problem). To fix this: 1. Double-checking how secure the wires are connected to the batteries (before and after each fight). 2. Possibly adding a different kind of wire to reduce the amount of heat (because it might not just be the batteries that start the fire). 3. Inserting an metal clasp or "well" with walls deep enough for the batteries to be held in place (yet the walls would have enough of the battery go above it for easy removal).

[@rhadiem]

You may want to use some foam to buffer the space so you see less shock loads pulling on the TPU, hopefully preventing it from ripping.

[@HoJoGoGo]

Will the weight difference side to side be an issue with the drive battery all the way to one side instead of the middle, to balance it out?

[@ray9368]

Against the weight of the robot itself, the batteries just don’t affect balance all that much. In my case I wanted the drive pack kind of separate from the weapon packs - you know, in case something bad happens 🤣

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

You realize now you should add a tiny flame spurter in there, just for a puff or two? Fire it off just after the fights start (:

[@Believer21777]

Ray set the BAR for sure Just to bad Tomb stone is its own worst enemy when the blade hits the floor.

[@billybrant6818]

Why not use multiple smaller motors for the weapon like Bite Force did instead of one big motor? Seems like that would help solve weapon reliability issues

[@ray9368]

If we ever switch over to a brushless setup we would be doing that.

[@coryfrye1352]

Is any of these fights gonna be on KZbin ?

[@ray9368]

That’s the plan. This series is being filmed for KZbin specifically

[@jampam-jf8mt]

One of my favourite robots. I have to ask why is there a Macdonald's logo inside the battery compartment?

[@ray9368]

Robot destruction - I'm lovin' it! It's just a 3 - this was frame 3 for that season :)

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

I worked for a mobile phone case manufacturer and we used TPU plus a secondary material, D3O. We had TPU in a corrugated type of form with the D3O material. D3O works a bit like wet sand, if you hit it hard it does not move, it absorbs the energy, if you hit it soft, it does move. I seriously think you should get some sponsorship from a mobile phone case manufacturer because it would work out well for them. How come you have not got TPU on the bottom? I have seen some craziness in the battle box, with all angles vulnerable. Also, where does the heat go in this arrangement, or is that not a problem in 3 minutes? Also, does it need a 'Titanic' approach where each group of cells is firewalled off? I wish I was not an armchair fan of the sport as I would like to do things like the battery housing myself! Anyway, Tombstone for the win!

[@Nonexister1]

Is it possible to protect Tombstone's chain. In its last few seasons, you've had a number of broken chains. Also is it possible to make a shock system to absorb some of the impact from transferring back?

[@lantium4174]

Has an Bambu Lab Printer, automatic sub and like :D

[@ray9368]

I now wonder how I have made so many bots without it - one of my favorite tools!

[@BotvacProductions469]

do you have a plan to modify the drive motors so they dont lock up during a big hit?

[@pandaworld7922]

Where can we watch seasons of battlebots??

[@robertthurman9866]

I'd like to see some wedges in front and behind the wheels to protect them. Exposed wheels are not a good idea with the power these bots have now.

[@ray9368]

It's always about weight management really. Anything sturdy enough to really protect the wheels would weigh a lot, and I'd have to take that weight from something else. And I just don't want to do that :) There may be ways to do more of that down the road, but with the current layout it would be pretty difficult to make happen.

[@chehsin]

hell yeah BambuLab user!

[@mattheusspoo]

Great, now you really need to do something to protect those wheels. Tombstone lost several fights already because had one of the wheels damaged and couldn't move properly anymore. Considering you only have two, one single good hit in one of the wheels is already almost game over.

[@toddstewart4404]

Why you don't semi-recess the wheels horizontally as they appear to get ripped off occasionally?

[@tortysoft]

Would it be a terrible idea to float items rather than fix them down? Pad around them with a material that won't stay squashed and let the items move around a lot in that padded space ?

[@ray9368]

Some lightweight items, like radio receivers, can do this just fine. Pad them well, tie them to an internal wire, and they survive just fine. The heavier things though like batteries are much more problematic.

[@breaking4u]

What infill type did you use?

[@kurtkose5238]

Aren't those castle speed controls known to catch fire? I think they got nick named Castle creamations.

[@ray9368]

Castle stuff is usually pretty solid. I have used these same ones in some other robots, but this will be the first time in Tombstone.

[@NetVicious]

What about protecting tires inside frame like minotaur does ?

[@ray9368]

Easier said than done. The tires need to be as wide apart as the weapon spin circle, or the robot is just stupidly hard to control. So they can't get any narrower than they sit now, which would mean the frame would need to be significantly wider. And that is just weight that I would rather allocate to the weapon system :) It's not a bad idea, but then the robot wouldn't really be Tombstone anymore.

[@paydaygh9388]

Are you running bolts that are over a foot long through the TPU battery boxes? Why not use shorter wood screws or lag bolts that thread direct into the TPU to save weight? Edit: Also, if you are doing that so you can use nuts, I personally like to design hexagonal holes in my prints where I glue locknuts in place. That makes it to where you don’t need a backing wrench when tightening bolts. I don’t know how that’ll work for a heavy, though…

[@ray9368]

The bolts are around 7 inches long and really don’t add significant weight. Most of what you describe would fine up to a point but the shock loads seen here are just extreme. Through bolting will be stronger.

[@infofoolygun]

i woold make triangle frame inside box, hangin motor in it, sides of box triangle rips too, n hangin elektronix inside to motor, away from walls nise fites dude 🤩🤣🤩

[@jonathanf2392]

We'll see

[@BotvacProductions469]

i know im asking too may questions, but many people wanna know if you ever use tombstone to mow your lawn

[@ray9368]

The nose of the robot just drags on the ground. In a metal arena it's not a problem, but anything off road it would dig in and not be able to drive.

[@BotvacProductions469]

@@ray9368 you heard it from the man himself, it has been confirmed that he does NOT in fact use a 250 pound death machine to trim his grass

[@chessWoRpire1449]

Let guess Liquid nitrogen bubbles balloon when a fire goes out by hoping it would pop itself. You should Make a mini bot Liquid nitrogen pistol and the mini bot can sabotage your opponent flamethrowers fire will always loses to ice.

[@roysigurdkarlsbakk3842]

Is the fight being streamed somewhere? I'm in Europe and I have noe chance of going there…

[@ray9368]

The Faceoffs series will filmed for KZbin, so it will be available to be seen everywhere. I’m not sure of when they’ll have it up though

[@morgasm4o4]

I can't wait to see the king spin again

[@driver5347]

Maybe use a BYD blade battery?

[@casimirv.schnepf3709]

Tombstone is cool :D ... but why dont you protect the wheels by a pair of frames around them? They are so exposed...

[@C_M_R_0002]

He has fought against very strong robots that break the wheels, the tombstone wheels are resistant enough, not to mention that he faced a minotaur, and being faster he could not reach the tombstone wheels, also (it is just a theory) if he He makes an armor for the wheels, probably they are only glued or welded, and also, maybe he falls on his side due to a crash, and stays like that, unable to move, and maybe, an armor like that makes him a little slower (I don't know). The truth is, but he knows what he's doing, let's just hope he wins) 😎💖

[@anonymously241]

I am tombstone #1 fan!!!

[@BellyLover06]

So is this an older unused frame?

[@ray9368]

I believe this was the frame from either the shrederator fight or the tantrum fight. It still has some scorch marks internally 🤣

[@BellyLover06]

@@ray9368 So it's still good enough to compete at this event?

[@gp8383]

So cool

[@mrDavo111]

Speaking as a non expert, why not use layers of foam, rubber etc? That way the impact is slowly absorbed. Im just worried the 3d print will fracture and youll have the same issue?

[@ray9368]

Essentially, layers of foam is how we’ve always done it. For a long time that did work well, but the impact loads now are just a lot higher. So a more slid approach was needed