Build Your Own Combat Robot (How to)

This book is basically a big advertisement for combat roboting. Otherwise, the authors never seem to decide if they want to convey theory of mechanics or a rough overview of the pastime.For example, they include charts that look technical, like torque vs. rpm, but convey no useful information that can't be reasoned out with a little common sense. The book carefully details various battery properties. But, in the very next section the only thing it says about power transfer that it is necessary to make the wheels turn. They include a few useless formulas that can, again, be easily reasoned, but it doesn't mention anything about how to build or acquire a transmission.The controller sections are also poor. They include electronic schematics that, while not incorrect, are obsolete and overly simplified. Yet, in the same sections the book actually include programming (basic I think) for controller chips.Maybe the one-star rating was a little low, but I feel that this book was a brain-stormed first draft that mistakenly made it past the editor.

It is technical for the beginner. And, I was bummed that mine came with a blank white cover - it was a gift for my daughter who is a robotics nut. She loves the book, but it's nice to have a cool cover too. Yah, yah, don't judge a book... well, I'm taking one star off for the all-white cover.

I highly recommend this book to any first time bot builder. The section on battery technology is a bit dated but still informative. Everything else in this book timeless information. A great book to reference back to from time to time. This is the book I used when I first got started in robot fighting in the RFL

I love it. I love it. Good introductory book for robotics beginners.

Good book

my son checked this book out at the library and really liked it, so we got a copy here. Kinda disappointed, why does it have a blank white cover? it is a fun book though. Honestly, I haven't read it, but my 8 year old son really enjoyed reading it cover to cover.

This is one of the best how-to books I've seen. The authors are true experts in the subject, and it shows in their selection of material. I wish the engineers at Toshiba who designed my notebook computer had read the chapter on batteries. You get theory, practice, materials engineering, mechanics and robotics all presented in one neat package. This is one of those rare books that's perfect for the beginner as well as the expert. It's jammed full of information that would take hundreds of hours to gather from other sources, and most importantly, it's a painless way to shorten the learning curve to become a robot expert yourself.

I bought this book thinking it would supply with enough information about everything about radio control robotic combat, but it didn't. I was a complete beginner, & reading through the book made it seem like you should of anyready known this stuff; and because of this it didn't go into great detail. Now there is a great section on Robot Sumo in the last chapters which was very helpful on building my Sumo robot, but the rest of the book is really nothign to me unless I knew more about the hobby.

Perfect

Great Book

very good book for all rc and robot vehicles