Unfortunately, larger rams meant less room for the batteries, so we had to change to something smaller. The first task was to borrow some smaller batteries, and check the performance.

Pictured left are a couple of Hawkers (from Distel) that I strapped in for testing. The performance with these was easily as good as the rather old ex-wheelchair 30Ah dryfits I used to use.

Sadly, they weren't mine, and Distel had sold out of them, so I bought a set of the 18Ah Kiel's from Bull Electrical, at £15 each. Though they definitely aren't as good, they're perfectly adequate, and good value for money. Mine also improved noticeably after they'd been cycled a few times.

The only problem was that a pair of the new batteries weighed 12 Kg less than the old ones!. The combination of less weight at the front (means less grip from the driving wheels) and more valve gear in the back (more weight to drag around when turning) seriously upset the maneuverability. The only cure was to lighten up the valve-gear in the back of the robot, and to put a 6 Kg lead weight in the front of the battery compartment.

The end result is that Chaos 2 still only weighs about 83 Kg, and any attempt to beef up that vulnerable back panel would add weight at the back again, which would probably bring back the maneuverability problems.

I've got the best part of 20 Kg to play with, and I can't do anything useful with it. Oh well, sounds like it's time for a new robot!.