STORY: First, there was Dr. Inferno. Then, his son, Dr. Inferno Jr., took the robot combat world by surprise & by storm. Then, I built his grandson, Dr. Inferno ]|[, with my kids to use for demos, education, any paying gigs, etc. The latest in the elite lineage, with a pure pedigree, is great-grandson Dr. Inferno IV. (Hey, stick with what you know, right?)

After being delighted with the simplicity, ruggedness, & convenience of our 3 FingerTech Viper antweight (1 lb) kits, I again turned to a kit for the base: a BotKits D2 beetleweight (3 lb) kit. This kit is easy to build, & the speed, power, & durability are amazing. This is a successful kit that has won many competitions in events all over. Because I don't care about weight, I put in a bigger battery (longer run time!) than what is recommended, & I purchased a 2nd wedge (at least it has 2 skirts if not the classic 4-skirt Dr. Inferno Jr. scheme).

It's been a little while since I designed a bot, & I wanted to try something new: high-speed spinner in a body machined from a big big chunk of plastic, with a smaller chunk of plastic as the head cap.

During the holidays, I attach a jack-o-lantern trick-or-treat bucket or a shiny wrapped present & use Dr. Inferno IV's decorated base for entertainment purposes.

SPECS: The base is a D2 kit with a bigger Lipo battery & a second wedge. The weapon is based on components from a FingerTech 3 lb Beater Bar Assembly,& corresponding Electronics Kit, an egg-beater weapon intended for beetlweights. I kept the motor, speed controller, belt drive, & pulleys; I designed new tri-tip bi-directional inboard saws that both mount to a hefty cylindrical flywheel coupler. This Dr. Inferno can do "the spinner dance" so radically that he'll just tip over onto his side at the hands of an overenthusiastic driver--I might add side skirts in the future. The top is 100% independent from the bottom: separate power switch, battery, radio receiver, etc.; so, if I remove just a few screws, Dr. Inferno IV transforms into a short 4WD wedge powerhouse.

TECH DETAILS: As with Dr. Inferno ]|[, this newest Dr. Inferno will probably never see full-on combat; he will be used for school demos, educational outreach, etc. Therefore, I designed him so that I can run just the base, with the powerful weapon (weighing in at around 0.8 lb & spinning at around 3,000 RPM!) disabled. I chose UHMW for the body & head--it's durable yet easily machined, which was key because I wanted the body to be made from 1 large stout piece of plastic (vs. many small panels & brackets & such screwed together). There are some challenging deep pockets that would be super difficult to mill from metal billet. Base power & torso power each come from a HobbyKing Turnigy Lipo 4S1P 1600mAh battery (so, if I'm running just the base, I can use the weapon battery for a spare base battery if I need extended run time). I tried a more modern radio for this build: a HobbyKing Turnigy Evolution PRO Digital AFHDS radio. The base uses a HobbyKing Turnigy TGY-iA6B Rx, & the torso uses a FlySky FS2A-4CH Rx that is also bound to the same Tx. Because I don't plan on engaging in serious combat, I had the tri-saws made from Titanium (which isn't as durable as hardened steel, but it will throw pretty white sparks). To help Dr. Inferno IV see better, he has 2 pinball machine #89 flasher LED sockets in his head, which can accommodate any color of the rainbow LED bulb.

SPONSORS: Contact me if interested!