milw's blog

And their secret is deciphered- heh heh! So it turns out, in the Tankbot software on iPhone (and presumably on Android), you are prompted to enter the product code from the package. Our Toys R Us non-battling tankbots had codes 1044 for Blue and 1043 for Green. Interestingly, the Brookstone codes are 1880 for Blue and 1870 for Red. Try putting those in the software- voila - a Fire button appears! Another difference of unknown significance, the ToysRUs Tankbots are both stamped 12AB11 on the bottom, whereas both Brookstones are 11AB11.

Deskpets has posted a few photos of Tankbots being manufactured on their Facebook gallery. Interestingly, there appear to be two PCB versions- one like the one i have with multiple contacts in the IC side, the other cleaner looking. I've ordered a couple of the Brookstone versions (only red and blue available there) to see their Battle-supporting innards. Article in progress!

The Deskpets Tankbots are now available at ToysRUs, so we went ahead and bought a couple. I resisted the urge to open mine up for a couple of days, but today the screwdriver got the better of me! You'll need the triangular screwdriver to open these guys up, I got mine from Amazon for fixing our Wii, but they come in handy for this too. Pix already shot, I have to upload them then will link here. Stay tuned!

The Deskpets Tankbots are now available at ToysRUs, so we went ahead and bought a couple. I resisted the urge to open mine up for a couple of days, but today the screwdriver got the better of me! You'll need the triangular screwdriver to open these guys up, I got mine from Amazon for fixing our Wii, but they come in handy for this too. Pix already shot, I have to upload them then will link here. Stay tuned!

I finally acquired a pair of iSOBOTs, the little humanoid robot from Tomy. iSOBOT is driven by 17 servos and is able to do a number of fairly sophisticated moves including kicks and punches, hand stands, and more. These guys are fun to play with, and don't require a whole lot of floor space (they can walk, but kind of slowly, so moving more than about 2 feet is an excercise in patience).

Just a bit over two weeks until the Robogames commence in San Francisco (California)- did you know that there is a 'Robosapien Hacker' category under the BEAM section? I'm curious if any community members will be attending, or even if any have entered!

Poor Pleo wandered into the ComBot arena at the recent Maker Faire, and had an unfortunate encounter with Vicious Verdict who appears to be armed with a lawn mower blade. Many attendees with children were shocked and appalled. Next year, maybe Mio should take on Vicious Verdict! Or perhaps equipping Pleo with flame-thrower breath would even the match. What's your suggestion for Pleo?

This video shows some of the competitions that Leghorn, an unusual 'bot, took part in this year. He came in 3rd in the Lightweight division. This is one tough rooster!