The majority of our robots have a spinning disc as a weapon, powered by an internal combustion engine (or by electric motors).

The weapon is one of the parts which requires undivided attention during the creation. So, as a first step, the basic impact simulations are done through the use of CAE programs.

After the dimensions have been approved, the discs are made with proper material, for example steel or carbon and are hardened through heat treatment.

The robot's structure and armor, as well as the weapons, are submitted to a projecting and simulating computational process. But, as said before, the simulations demands a bigger know-how of the team, seen that the structural non-linearity are present all the time during a combat and are constantly the core of behavioral studies of the used materials. At this point a commitment relationship between three factors has to be established: RESISTANCE X WEIGHT X COST.

More elaborated projects are being developed with the objective of minimizing the mechanical losses as well as the weapon starting. Examples are the reductions made by the team.

At the beginning, due to the team's few experience and the great current electrical engines need, we used a starting logic based on electromechanical relays, working as light switches.

Even though they fulfilled their purpose, we had frequent problems with them, such as flaws during starting and restrains.

So, to solve these problems, we conceived speed control devices. These circuits allow us to start the engines, choose their rotation direction, control the engine's speed and improve the use of the engine.

The speed control can be divided in two parts: control and power board. The control board interprets the signs from the receiver and controls the power board. The power board receives the information from the control board and supplies power to the engine. The team has adapted a power board project for high current engines (up to 200A) and has its own project for a low current power board (up to 7A) and a project for a control board with optimized size (approx. half of a credit card).