Youtube Channel: Drone How
This Video: DFRobot Devastator Tank Mobile Platform Review
DFRobot Devastator Tank Mobile Platform http://amzn.to/1SBADfD
Arduino Mega for DFRobot Devastator: http://amzn.to/1MvoBIJ
Motor Driver for DFRobot Devastator : http://amzn.to/23wCkGK
Battery for DFRobot Devastator : http://amzn.to/23wCttJ
Today we’re going to take a quick look at the DFRobot Devastator Tank Platform. This is small tank robot chassis that measures about 8 inches by 8 inches by about 4 inches tall and is great for arduino and rover robot projects. Lets take a closer look.
The Devastator is a DIY kit and takes some assembly. All the parts are packed in clearly labeled bags which correspond with the instruction manual. They also provide all the tools you need to assemble the kit. The chassis is made up of four parts- the two wheel mounting plates which mount the wheels with independent spring-loaded suspensions on each non-driven wheel. The dc geared brushed motors mount to these plates and connect to the driver wheel using a metal coupling. The bottom plate joins the two wheel mounting plates and this is where your arduino and the other components would be located. There’s plenty of mounting and tie-down points on this plate. The top plate acts as a cover and also gives the chassis its rigidity. DFrobot also provides an on-off button and and DC connector jack with the kit. These mount on the top plate. Makes it easy to swap out batteries. And talking about batteries, the motors are 6V motors, so you can run them on a 2S Lipo and that should give it enough power. The top plate also has tons of mounting points and slots for servos, cameras, gripper arms and all kinds of sensors- both on top and the front. It has a dedicated sub micro servo mounting slot on top, which is great for a sonar sensor pan or as a 360 degree camera pan mount. The back is open and this is great if you want to snake in a usb cable to program the board. All the plates are made from aluminum and have this sleek looking anodized coating on them. The tracks are metallic and mate with the drive wheel really well. I wouldn’t say its for rough off-road use, but its really good for indoor projects and outdoor projects on harder surfaces.
So my overall thoughts about the DFRobot Devastator. The Devastator is a nicely designed, compact robot that’s great for arduino or even APM projects. It has lots of mounting points, is pretty inexpensive and more than anything, it just looks really cool. I’ve put a link to this chassis in the description below, so feel free to check it out. If this video was useful, please hit LIKE and subscribe for more reviews.
