BUILD REPORT: The Quest for a Different Kind of Flipper: Inspiration and Early Attempts
By Zach O’Donnell
May 2013, Page 26
I have been building fighting robots for several years, and starting in 2009 I managed to build a 12 pound robot named Scurrie that won several competitions in a row. After some time, I was also successful with a 30 pound shell spinner named Tetanus.

Then and Now — A Decade Later With Christian Carlberg
May 2013, Page 30
Last year, the Combat Zone published a series of articles covering the history of the sport by recovering the undocumented, nearly lost information about each of our sport’s major events — past and present. Now, 10 years after the demise of major television coverage, we tracked down some of the most famous names from that era to gain their perspective on what some see as “the glory days” of the sport. Our first victim is competitor and host of “The Builder’s Corner” from the BattleBots™ series.

EVENT REPORT: Motorama 2013
By Pete Smith
May 2013, Page 32
Just this February, the Northeast Robotics Club (www.nerc.us) hosted the 11th annual combat event at the 2013 Motorama motorsports extravaganza and custom car show (www.motorama events.com) in Harrisburg, PA.

BUILD REPORT: Mini Bot Hockey Bots — Part 3
By Pete Smith
April 2013, Page 26
In Part 2 of this series, I discussed how I made the chassis and drive train. In this part, I will show you how I wired the bots and set up the transmitter and receiver.

Is This the Future of Combat Robotics?
By Pete Smith
April 2013, Page 29
There have been whisperings and rumors of a revolutionary new drive system for over a year now, but details have been hard to come by until our photographer got a picture at a recent late night test session in a barn in rural Pennsylvania. Our contact (who wished to remain anonymous) could give us only a few details of what she called “hoverbots.”

PARTS IS PARTS: Product Review: FingerTech Robotics Power Switch
By Mike Jeffries
April 2013, Page 30
For as long as I can remember, there hasn’t been a power switch designed for the 150 g to 3 lb combat robot classes that is readily available.

EVENT REPORT: GCRS 11 — Robots, Birthday Cake, and Off-Road Trucks!
By Andrea Suarez
April 2013, Page 32
GCRS 11 continues its series of events hosted by Jim Smentowski, owner of The Robot Marketplace. The events give Florida Insectweight robot builders a chance to get together for a day of robot battles with some new competitors, as well as to continue some long-fought rivalries!

BUILD REPORT: Mini Bot Hockey Bots — Part 2
By Pete Smith
March 2013, Page 26
In Part 1 of this series, I covered the design of a new mini bot.

PARTS IS PARTS: Product Review: OrangeRx T-SIX 2.4 GHz Transmitter
By Pete Smith
March 2013, Page 30
The OrangeRx range of 2.4 GHz spread spectrum DSM2 receivers (available from HobbyKing) has proved to be very useful in combat robotics over the last couple of years as they provide a cheaper alternative to the Spektrum receivers required by the popular DX6e and DX6i transmitters.

Building a Large Scrolling Display — Part 2
By Pete Smith
March 2013, Page 32
Buoyed up by my success in getting one panel to work, I decided to add a second panel to increase the impact of the display and to make it a little easier to read.

BUILD REPORT: Keres: 150 g Fighting Robot
By Mike Jeffries
February 2013, Page 30
Keres was built to test some prototype Mini-Spark gearboxes from FingerTech Robotics.

BUILD REPORT: Mini Bot Hockey Bots — Part 1
By Pete Smith
February 2013, Page 33
Playing bot hockey is great fun, and it’s a big hit with the crowds at events. I have my own full team of 15 lb class bots.

EVENT REPORT: PennBots — The Second Annual Battle at Yellow Breeches
By Dave Graham
February 2013, Page 36
PennBots — the Robot Club of Pennsylvania — hosted their Second Annual Fall Fling on November 17, 2012 at the Yellow Breeches Middle School in Boiling Springs, PA.

PARTS IS PARTS: Product Beta Test: RageBridge from Equals Zero Designs
By Mike Jeffries
February 2013, Page 39
Iwas lucky enough to get a chance recently to test the new RageBridge dual channel brushed DC motor controller from Equals Zero Designs (e0designs.com).

PARTS IS PARTS: Prototype Testing: FingerTech Robotics Mini-Spark
By Mike Jeffries
February 2013, Page 41
In the 150 g weight class, there are only a few options for drive systems.

Building a Large Scrolling Display
By Pete Smith
February 2013, Page 43
Ioften attend shows where I’m either demonstrating combat robots and bot hockey, or as a sponsor providing prizes of Kitbots products. In order to inform the public about the event or the products, I have several banners to hang up on the walls, plus I also hand out business cards and information sheets when I have the time. It would be useful, however, to have a more eye-catching and informative way of passing on the information.

EVENT REPORT: Seattle Bot Brawl
By Doug Brown
January 2013, Page 30
October in Seattle brought cool temperatures, wind, and rain outside. However, inside the Seattle Center Armory, the competition was heating up at the 2012 Seattle Bot Brawl.

Mecha-Mayhem Moves to Cleveland
By Dave Graham
January 2013, Page 33
The fall of 2012 posed a challenge for the members and supporters of the Chicago Robotic Combat Association (CRCA).