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SHAWCRAFT ROBOTICS

My first Dalek was built back in 1975 using the infamous Radio Times plans which could have put me off building anything in the future! Luckily the oversized neck bin proved ideal for a robot I had been planning to build. I have no pictures of that first Dalek or subsequent robot unfortunately.

I remember well being in school designing joints in my head and getting a feel of mechanical engineering while teachers banged on about unimportant rubbish. I occasionally asked them for advice on either engineering matters or how to solve computational problems I was experiencing at home like.. how does a computer work and how could I use one to give my robot a reprogrammable 'brain'. The usual response was a dim look and a few grunts about not being in their field!

In 1996 I started building my later dalek. I decided to use steel for most of the external panels. After six months I started a second steel dalek, identical to the first and built them in parralell.

After around a year they were painted and fitted with motors etc. to make them remotely controlled which is where the development stopped.

I built a Dalek as a giveaway prize at The Day of the Daleks convention which was held in Liverpool in 2000.

I then built plugs and made moulds for my latest fibreglass daleks. These are much lighter than my steel ones, which weigh in at around 30 stone each now.

The fibreglass ones are easy to disassemble and transport and can be fitted with radio control. his Gold Machine has radio control and a radio linked voice modulator with auto. light flash.

The Gold second movie R/C Dalek.

This gold dalek was fitted with radio control for display at Dimensions on Tyne 3 held in September 2003. It was alot of fun operating it in the hotel and talking to passers by from a remote location. The motors and control installation proved to be very reliable and robust and has since displayed at a few more events and has appeared on a t.v. show.

The radio control is a six channel unit and therefore could operate the arm/gun and dome/eye. I haven't yet installed these functions as it is quite impressive as is. I do intend to install a wireless tv camera and so will power the dome and eye elevation in order to aim the camera where I want.

I hope to make these modifications this year but I do have a habit of running out of time.

Side view of the R/C chassis, speaker, battery and right motor.

I have built a second radio controlled dalek which also has a proximity sensor. When the sensor is triggered by a passer by the dalek starts to shout at them as the lights flash in unison. As this is happening the dome intermittently turns left and right.

The dalek can either be set to guard with just the sensor features or it can have the radio control and the sensor features on together. In this mode the dalek only has to move near stationary people to trigger the voice and dome turn, all the operator has to do is steer the machine.

The R/C machine exiting the workshop

This picture shows the Radio Controlled chassis and the large speaker mounted to it, along with the R/C transmitter and the radio linked voice transmitter.

The black base is mounted onto the chassis using just four small screws. All of the weight of the structure above is mounted directly to the chassis. The base just hangs in place.

Most of the machines weight is in the chassis, battery and speaker. Consequently the centre of gravity is very low. There is no danger of the machine toppling over on any reasonable gradient or under any cornering manouver.

This picture clearly shows the diminutive size of the main drive motors. The drive wheels take around four hours to machine and fit to the motor output shaft.

Also in the picture is the 12 volt battery, the back of the speaker and the voice modulator unit.

The two speed controllers and the radio link are also visible.