Open Source Arena Project.

This site is promote the idea of a modular arena.  An 8 x 8 Arena could form the basis of a local Ant to 12lber Competition and that 2 or more arenas could be fitted together to build 12 x 12, 12 x 16 and finally a 16 x 16 arena big and strong enough to host Light and perhaps even Middleweight bots.

The arena would be based on Modular Walls, Floor Panels, Roof Trusses.

The wall would be designed to hold a minimum of 1/4" Lexan  all the way up to 2 x 0.5" panels. Floor Panels would have room to accommodate Pits or other hazards as desired.  Roof trusses would be designed to be able to span a maximum of 16 feet whilst carrying ply roof panels, lights, shrapnel blankets etc.

A target assembly time of 2 hours would allow quick set up and knock downs whist a maximum panel or spar length of about 8ft would ease transport and storage.

Initial questions:

Is there a pressing reason to keep panel size to a maximum of 8 x 4? Is this a standard Pickup or Van Bed size?

What would be a practical maximum weight per section?

What tube sections and tube wall thickness would be required?

What grade of steel would be best from a strength/welding/cost point of view?

Drawings and CAD models of all parts would be made available on this site to allow others to build matching parts so that it will be much easier to set up and hold local and regional competitions.

Comments and questions welcome on the RFL Forum or to Kitbots@nc.rr.com