JDuffphoto's R2-D2 build diary

My first lightsaber build

2011-12-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

So, I began a couple side projects.

I'm starting on my first personal lightsaber. I originally planned on doing this build about 5 years ago and put it off for my droid build. My build will be a Sith blade and I have the hilt on hand as well as the Petit Crouton 1.6 board. Not sure yet if I am going to go with a Deep Red LEDEngin 5W and overclock it to 1.5 amps, or with a Seoul P4 overclocked. My understanding is the main difference between both is the hue of the red - the LEDEngin Deep Red is much closer to the crimson Sith blade, while the P4 has a slight orange tint. I would love to up the saber to 10W, but not sure that I really want to deal with the headache of cross wiring pads on a 10W star.

I should be able to get a start on this sometime between Christmas and New Years.

Meanwhile, here are some pics of my first lightsaber build. I couldn't post these as this was a gift for a friend and I didn't want to tip my hand too early. I delivered the saber yesterday.

This was my first attempt at scratch building a saber. This one was made from some PVC tubing that I had on hand, an extra blade and a Seoul P4 Red electronics kit from TCSS. No sound in this saber, just a simple on/off LED circuit.

The saber appears to have an orange-ish/yellow appearance in the photos. I assure you, it is a very bright red.

Some news and a couple side projects

2011-12-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I had a moment to update this post. This month marks 4 years as a member of the R2Builder Group and I've made a lot of progress over the recent years.

October/November provided quite a bit of action for Artoo with events - Buffalo's 2nd Annual comic convention at the Buffalo Library, among trick or treat events (Safe and Seen Halloween at Erie Community College, appearances at my church for our annual Trunk or Treat event, Halloween day in my neighborhood, and even an appearance at my children's elementary school for a Star Wars movie night).

Needless to say, we both are getting some much needed downtime before two planned January events.

Ok, well, he is. I've been working like mad with my job as of late and my planned maintenance period has quickly been disappearing. I had planned on disassembling and inspecting the shoulder area and thanks to the generosity of a member of my church, replacing the shoulder panel on the frame with a machined aluminum part that will lock my legs in a three legged position. I have been having difficulty navigating Artoo over bumps as the front casters will catch and stop his forward motion, while the outer legs, driven by the motors, continue moving forward. This brings him to a standing position, with the potential of him tipping forward. Thankfully, he hasn't fallen yet while controlling him and I would like to prevent that from happening at all.

I also plan on upgrading the caster set up in the center foot to better navigate cracks in the pavement or small bumps along the way.

The rear door still isn't installed. I have vacation time coming up at the end of the month, so hopefully I'll have some time to do some building.

I have a couple side projects going on. Based on my E11 blaster project from a couple years back (I posted my progress in this blog - check July-August 2009), I started a Fleet Trooper blaster. I haven't gotten far with it as I put it aside temporarily, but its something that I do plan on completing over the winter. Maybe.

I have also created my first LED based lightsaber. I just completed a fully scratch built saber made from scrap PVC, a sink pipe, spare blade that I had kicking around and about $20 worth of electronics from The Custom Saber Shop. I can't post pics of it at the moment, but I will get some to post soon.

I have also started another more advanced saber. This is a project that I put aside to take on the Artoo build, so it's a good 5 years in the making. One major benefit of holding off is the advancement of technology. TCSS introduced the the Ultrasound saber sound and while I was setting aside money for a build, went out of stock for a long time, until the US 2.0 was released. Both boards had mixed reviews, although were generally accepted as a good board. Advancements over the years brought about revisions in the coveted Crystal Focus board from Plector Labs, and more recently, the Petit Crouton as designed by Plector Labs. I commissioned a saber over the summer with a Petit Crouton (PC) 1.5 board and am happy with the board, however, due to some error (or poor judgement...) on the sabersmith's part, I cannot custom tailor the saber is it's designed (I won't mention the sabersmith, however, I will say that he will no longer see my business as there seems to be a lack of communication on his part to resolve this issue). I am, however, pleased with the board and the construction of the saber overall is nice. Short and long - it's usuable.

I've just decided to take it a bit further. I now have a hilt put together and have purchased a Petit Crouton Rev 1.6. I have some more components to acquire, but will soon start on this build. I'll post pics as I go along.

That's all for the moment, more news and some pictures to post soon.

Jon

Recent events

2011-07-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I updated this site. Summer is going by so quickly and I have been busy with lots of non Artoo stuff. Since the last post, he has attended two events - the Buffalo Bison's (AAA baseball) Star Wars night and a Weird Al concert in Buffalo.
Both events went well and Artoo was well received by the crowd, posing for pictures and mingling.

I haven't received pics yet from the Weird Al show, but I did get to meet fellow R2 Builder, Jon Stokes, and had some time to compare builds and ideas following the event. Jon S. was in town with his droid and had the opportunity to join Al on stage for the event.

More to follow as I have more parts in progress, and thanks to Jon S, some ideas on how to finally mount Artoo's rear door.

WIVB Channel 4 contest winner and characters. June 11th 2011

Jon Stokes droid on the left, mine on the right. This was taken after the Weird Al concert at University at Buffalo Center for the Arts, July 14th 2011

Dirty Li'l Droid

2011-05-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had a filming engagement a couple weeks back in preparation for an upcoming event. Time to make Artoo look like.... well, Artoo.

Since Astromechs are mechanics, hanging around the oiliest, dirtiest, grungiest parts of starships, it's only natural for these droids to stay clean for an average of 2-5 mintutes...tops. I had planned on weathering my droid from the very beginning of the project and any little mistake that was made in building has somehow been incorporated into the weathered look.

Nothing like a bit of "dirt under the fingernails" to complete the look.

I used Testors model paints (water based acrylics) and lots of water to create the "oil". Just slop it on and wipe it off. I had to do this quickly, hence no pictures of the process, but the results turned out really well.

More updates to follow, battery boxes are in process and I have two foot hoses completed. Still working on the back door, but I think for this event, I'm going to run with the door off (Artoo will be in a roped off area for safety).

The Race Is On...

2011-03-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

It's been quiet on my post, but I've been working like mad trying to replace parts and get things ready for events this year. I have new parts that I'm working on as well as some older parts that have been sitting a while that I finally installed.

I have been working on construction on the foot shells. The front (center) shell is done and waiting installation, which I will need to modify the center leg to do so. I'm still trying to figure out the best course for that... The outer shells are almost complete. These pics are a couple weeks old and I have made some more progress on them since.

I have my second pic flasher board completed and ready to test. While I was doing that, I also started working on the wiring for the 108 LEDs that will be installed. I have 42 wired and installed at the moment.

Of course, while I'm working, I gotta have some inspiration....

Back in November, I ordered skins from Chani to replace the ones that I made a couple years back. I had never worked with styrene before that time and it really showed in the over cuts and scratches. When I taped the skins together (3M VHB tape), I never got them seated properly and had some buckles. I actually broke an area when I tried to correct it, so I left them and had since intended on replacing them.

These are the new front skins. I glued this set together rather than use the 3M tape again. I was able to seat them where I wanted and make minor adjustments before the glue cured. These are also pre-sanded and have a better feel to them. I painted them with Rustoleum Satin White to match the color and texture of the legs. I never bothered painting my older skin set as I had decided on replacing them almost immediately after I installed them.

Don't get too used to this new clean paint job.... It's not gonna last long, if you know what I mean... ;-D

I added some resin pieces that I have had sitting around....again, I wasn't going to waste time installing them on the old skin set, so I was pretty excited to get the opportunity to install these parts. Just a couple more details closer to completion.

Hope to have more to show in the near future.

Field Trip

2011-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Took the family to Rochester, NY this weekend to celebrate my oldest daughter's 8th birthday. While there we stopped by the Strong Museum of Play. Had a great time just having fun "being kids", and playing with our girls. Of course, walking through a toy museum, they have some of the coolest stuff. I've been through the museum before, but this time, I got some decent pics of the displays.

I'll have some more updates on Artoo soon. Working on footshells, battery boxes and skins. I need to complete this work prior to May as I have a major event scheduled in June.

2010-12-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have had time to update this site. I have done some work over the last month on some details, but nothing earthshaking just yet.

December marks my 3rd anniversary as a member of the R2Builders group.

I ordered Chani's styrene skins and started working on the fronts. It took me 3 months to layout and cut my first set of skins, and two weeks to get the front skins cut from Chani's part run. I didn't even use a straight edge - the scored lines in the styrene were all I needed to keep the blade in line.

The boosters are now glued to the legs. I have been debating whether to replace these or not and decided to put off building the new legs for the moment. I will eventually replace them (and the boosters as well, since I will need a second set anyway...), but for now, I feel that I have reinforced them well enough for them to hold strong.

I have test fitted the horseshoes and plan on gluing those as well. I don't have much of a choice as I don't wish to drill into the leg structure. I'm finishing off the second horseshoe with Bondo before giving it a paint coat. Artoo's next public appearance is in the end of January, and I am hoping to have him looking a little closer to finished by then. Still have a ways to go and I estimate another year or two before I'll call him "done". Below are some recent pics:

Here are a few pics from Artoo's first public event at the Buffalo Library.

Photo by Dan Malcomb. The North Ridge/Fan Force

Dome Drive is working!!!!

2010-10-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't think I was going to get this part complete until after Christmas, but I was able to get the necessary parts in time for Halloween. I'm running an IG32 motor for the drive and the Syren 10a motor controller to control direction and speed.

I had to build a brace to mount the motor to and I based my part on Calvin's motor mount. Still getting some slipping when I change directions suddenly, but overall, the setup was very easy and I'm happy with the progress, and it's just in time for my first public event on Saturday. I have to clean up my wiring mess before then as I won't have a back panel in place and the rear door is off the frame.

Anyway.... Here's a short video of the progress.

12V Power is operational

2010-10-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

With a 3 week deadline before my first outing with Artoo, I'm trying to get things finished up with dome movement and animation features. I've been getting some practice driving and took the droid outside for a spin around my driveway a couple weeks back.

Over the weekend, I was able to get the 12V power up and running. Power is being distributed through the Rigrunner box. My amplifier is powered directly from the Rigrunner, power is also fed to the 12V distribution board and on to my 12ch relay. I still hear the circuits clicking as they close when triggered. Not sure if I'll be able to do anything about that, but hopefully it won't be noticed too much with a crowd of people around him.

I love the LED's on the back power panel and i have been driving him around tonight in a dimly lit room. For the first two outings, I won't have the back door completed so the back panel will be exposed. This can be a cool thing and a potential disaster as well. I like the looks of the wiring and the indicators and think it's a good idea for people to see what he looks like inside, however, keeping control of people who can't seem to keep their hands off stuff could lead to problems. I think for the first outing at least, he's gonna be behind a barrier of sorts. I'll roll him close enough for people to see and touch, but be able to back him off if people get too grabby.

Anyway, here's the progress from this past weekend:

Up close view of the panel

12V distribution board lit up. The board to the lower right is the Sabertooth motor controller, running on 24V power.

My VEX transmitter with the 12ch relay transmitter attached. I used industrial strength Velcro to attach the two together. The 12ch transmitter controls the programmed sounds.

The whole set up.

Test Drive - My Artoo's First Steps

2010-09-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, a very big THANK YOU!! to Calvin Thomas for spending two hours over email tonight helping me troubleshoot and configure the R/C functions. I think it came down to one setting on the dip switch box that really made the difference.

I started this blog on Labor Day two years ago. Two years later, I finally reach the first major milestone in my build. After several hours of bench testing and re-wiring, reconfiguring etc, here are the results:

Prepping for first run.

2010-09-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been kinda crazy with work, home, preparing my kids for the school year, etc. I found some time to continue prepping R2 for a first run with R/C. Before I could do anything, I needed to strengthen some areas and reduce the side to side wobbling. This wasn't coming as much from the shoulders as it was the ankles. I did need to fill the shoulders out, which also adds stability to that area. After several failed attempts at cutting these circles out of wood with a Rotozip, I decided to go back to the old jigsaw method, and had these cut out in no time. These parts sit snugly inside the shoulder between the shoulder hubs and the outer PVC shoulder. I haven't fastened these to the leg permanently as I'm still unsure if I will keep these legs for this droid or replace them with A&A legs and save them for droid number 2. Either way, they give strength to that area and I'm happy with the results.

I cut and laminated the ankle locks. These parts restrict the movement of the foot at the ankle and keep the foot relatively level. They also prevent the foot from turning inward, under the body. I also found that I needed to add a piece of .040" styrene on the inside ankle where it attached to the foot. This also prevented unnecessary side to side movement in this area. You can see where my first cable pass through hole was placed. Looking at the plans for the ankle, there was a hole drilled there and I didn't find any real explanation for it. Unable to bend the cable through there, I consulted my fellow builders (thank you Calvin!!) and re-drilled the hold at the bottom. This connection is temporary, as I will need to re-route the cable in the foot to better conceal it before covering the foot with the foot shells - but for now, it will do.

I had these parts leftover for years. These are rubber bumpers that I got somewhere... but I find uses for them. In this case, this will provide stability, and little cushion for my electronics panel. These bumpers will keep the panel from sliding in or out of the frame.

I needed a solution to hold the electronics panel in place on the frame, but make it removable as I will need to access the battery compartment behind it. I used scrap pieces from when I purchased the frame (this is a kidney shaped piece that is 1/2" thick, originally a cutout from the shoulder hubs...). After drilling a hole large enough to fit and end of a T-nut, I JB Welded the T-nut and glued the whole thing to the frame. Rubber washers will help reduce some of the shock where the bolt passes through the panel.

Electronics panel installed. This is set up only for the foot drives. I have an in line fuse placed on the 24V power cable (30amp fuses). Probably won't do much as I only expect to max out at 14-15amps at start up, but it's there none the less. Since I don't have a 12V battery yet (still on my "to order" list....), the Rigrunner fuse box at the bottom is left disconnected. I routed the cabling from my radio receiver to run 5v power from the foot motor controller. This is just for testing purposes as once I receive a 12V battery, power for the receiver will be drawn from the 12V power distribution (green board at the top/center of the panel...).

I just put batteries in my transmitter and programmed channels 1 and 2 as "mixed" signalling. Just need to find time to test the systems.

Installing components

2010-08-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Now we're starting to look like a robot!

I installed the 12 channel relay into the frame. The circuit is housed in a foam core box that will add insulation, as well as an easy way to remove the whole piece for maintenance. The board is adhered with Velcro to the back panel of the box, and the box is also adhered with Velcro to the inside of the frame.

I pulled these speakers from an old stereo system. I tested with these speakers when I wired up the 12ch relay a few weeks back. They sound great!! Very clear, and much louder than the cheap speaker that came with the Thinkgeek shirt. The speakers will be behind the vents on the front of the droid.

I also came up with a solution to house the batteries. I used angle stock aluminum and JB Weld and created a holder. The batteries fit perfectly and it allows three 12V batteries (2 connected in series for 24V for the foot drive, and one single 12V feeding the Rigrunner board to run everything else).

I'm currently wiring the power/drive board and will *hopefully* test the drive soon. I ran into some issues with the Anderson power pole connectors and the 14guage zip cord that I purchased. The insulation was in the way as I was putting the parts together (30amp power poles). It appears to be just with this particular wire as the 12 gauge zip line that I have goes together fine. I switched to 45amp power poles for anything that I'm using the 14 gauge line to connect and those fit together nicely. More to come on that with the next update.

Shoulder Hubs Installed.

2010-08-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

I spent time over the weekend cutting hubs from a piece of 6" water pipe that was given to me a while back. I cut notches to fit around the frame upright and had originally intended to glue them to the legs, but I'm thinking otherwise right now. I have been thinking for some time about upgrading or replacing parts. He's not even complete yet, but I'm not really happy with some of the work I did. I have mentioned about replacing the skins. I'm not happy with how they are cut, and being my first part that I made from styrene, they are a little rough. A group member (Chani) is offering semi cut skins for a good price and I may grab a set of those. I am also considering replacing my styrene legs with the A&A legs. I plan on keeping the styrene legs for a possible (probable...) droid number 2, so they're not going to waste.

In any case, the shoulder hubs are on, and even though they aren't glued, they still look pretty good.

You can see how rough the skins look. Granted, these have not been sanded yet and that will improve the appearance, but I cut the area around the utility arms wrong and have never been satisfied with how it looks.

The full droid so far.

2010-07-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

I added some more LED's to the front logics. I can't fit all 80 diodes due to the amount of wires looped in. I may opt to replace these logics with a circuit board, but for now, it's pretty convincing. In the pic, you can see some empty holes where I don't have diodes placed. I'm hoping to squeeze one more string of lights into the logics, without breaking a chain....again... I also plan on filling any leftover open areas with an unconnected diode, allowing the light from the neighboring LEDs to reflect through it.

In the below picture, you can see the gap I have to fill between the legs and shoulder of the frame. I cut and glued up some leftover styrene, about 1/4" thick, around the shoulder area to add stability and strength. I have two circular pieces from the frame which will be added as spacers and I'm hoping to either have additional parts made or will cut some plywood to fill in this space, roughly 3/4" thick. This will add additional strength in the shoulders by reducing the amount of potential sway. I strengthened the shoulder on the frame and moving Artoo around the house, I don't find much movement in the shoulders as he is right now. The reinforcement will only add strength. Additionally, I have 6" water pipe that will give me the proper diameter for the shoulders. The water pipe will not add any real structural value and will more than likely be glued in place to the inside of the leg, covering up the shoulder hubs.

2010-07-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

I finished the modification/construction on the feet. The last piece was to create a bracket to hold the axle and chain tensioned. This is one foot. I have yet to attach some Anderson power poles to the wires on this foot. The other foot has then connectors attached already. For all intents and purposes, this part is done until I get the shells to cover it. (Note - The bottom plate that was removed over the motor area will be re-attached before the foot is mounted to the ankle).

Electronics Board Layout

2010-07-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not the most complex board to ever fit a droid. Doesn't run a ton of gadgets, not going to repair my truck while on a trip, and certainly not going to fire jets on his outer legs and make him fly around a room.

But then again, I can't exactly leap tall buildings in a single bound either....

What this will do is provide and distribute power to different areas of Artoo. These are only some of the boards that will be installed. From the top and clockwise: RIGrunner 4005 series fuse box, Chinese made 180watt amplifier (how true, I don't know, but I've heard it's loud...). Multiplex IPD 7 channel radio receiver, R2 Builders club made 12V power distribution board and my Sabertooth dual channel drive board (to drive the feet). Still need to order the Syren10 controller for the dome, which will find a home near the Sabertooth. Although the board appears right side up, the board will be mounted to position the RIGrunner at the bottom.

I couldn't find any circuitboard standoffs so I made my own from styrene tubing found at a local hobby store. I cut them to 1/4" lengths to give some cooling underneath the boards.

I went a little artsy-fartsy with the photos... I miss shooting creatively and just got in the mode to do a little "product shooting" last night. Here's the 12V power distribution board made for the club.

And a close up of the RIGrunner 4005H. The fuses came with the unit, but I'll need to change them to meet my needs. A nice feature of this board is if/when a fuse blows, there is an LED indicator in the board to alert me to which fuse to replace. Nice piece if equipment, used by the amateur radio operators to run their stations.

Artoo On His Feet

2010-06-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is work that I have done over the last two weeks.

During the week, I measured and built the center foot. I had to come up with some creative ideas to mount the casters to the plate since the mount to the ankle kind of overlapped a little. All in all, the foot is attached securely.

You can see a little heat damage on the ankle. Fortunately, this won't be seen when the droid is right side up.

I've had to make some modifications to the frame in the shoulder area. I plan on replacing this area with aluminum shoulder plates, but until I set aside money, I won't be able to do that. In the mean time, I modified and laminated the 1/4" JAG plate that I wasn't using, to the existing 1/2" JAG plate to create one plate that is 3/4" thick. I'm betting that between the thickness of the material and the laminated parts, the shoulders should be strong enough for now, until I can replace them with aluminum down the road.

Last night, I attached the legs to the frame. I still don't have the foot motors or drive wheel installed, so I had to level the outer feet on some hardcover books. I haven't checked the angle on the legs, but I'm guessing I'm pretty close. I won't be able finalize this until the drive system is installed.

Just for fun, I put the dome and front skins on.

Center foot plate installed

2010-05-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I started drilling the aluminum plate. Today, I installed the bracing and leveled the plate in the frame. I still have to drill the holes to line up with the bracing on the center leg, and that should be done later this week. Next steps in line, I need to measure and design the mounting for the castors on the center foot. I need to install the foot drive (motor, wheel, chain and tensioners) on the outer feet. Lastly, I need to strengthen the shoulder area on the frame as well as the leg. Once this is done, I can start wiring and bench testing the motors and remote control. I'm hoping to have Artoo rolling by early summer.

Braces, Sounds, and a Big Ol' Piece of Aluminum.

2010-05-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

I had some time this weekend to do some work. I picked up some aluminum to start structuring out the center leg attachments. This will be bracked to the bottom plate using 1/8" thick angle bar stock. I machined out the holes needed to attach the brace to the frame and leg and got it bolted to the leg. It's a nice tight fit and the braces are not coming loose at all. The top is very level where it will attach to the bottom plate.

Speaking of the plate, thanks to the generosity of a member in my church, (Thank you Tim W!!) I now have a 1/2" thick piece of aluminum cut to the dimmensions to fit perfectly in the bottom of my frame. This will provide support to the frame, as well as a sturdy base for the center leg to attach and a place to sit batteries low in the body. I have some machining to do on this part to get it in place, but should hopefully have time this coming weekend to work on it.

I spent yesterday working on the Thinkgeek soundboard. Last week, I pulled the wired controller apart. Yesterday, I spent time working with my father in law wiring and testing the unit. I cut the attached speaker off and tested on a small 3" stereo speaker that I had in posession. I plan on wiring two of these in series to run at 8 ohm. The speaker was plenty loud without the amp, but I may still install the amplifier to better control the sound. This is what it looks like currently. I removed the speaker and cut the ends of the wire to prevent shorting. I will have to add tab connectors to attach to the speaker. Power will be supplied from a distribution board to run the 12ch. wireless.

Center Leg Construction Complete

2010-04-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

I finished the construtction of the center leg. The leg is painted and ready for the foot to be attached the that part is complete. Still have to cut and sand some ankle locks and make two cylinders, but this is one step closer to my goal of having Artoo on his feet this spring.

Center Leg Update/Coin slot repaint

2010-04-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

I noticed a while back that my coin slot piece was colored wrong. I had painted it aluminum and painted the front face of the slots blue. So, this past weekend while the weather was unusually nice (85 degrees in April. usually it's 50's...), I decided to repaint the piece blue and paint the front face of the slots aluminum. The piece is now done and is the correct coloring.

I also finished the construction on the center leg. I laminated the parts together with glue and then drilled 8 screws into it to hold it tighter. I skinned it using styrene to keep the feel consistant with the rest of the droid. I have to sand the glazing putty to smooth out the edges and then on to some detail pieces to complete it. Before I get to the details though, I'll need to drill the bolt hole and test fit the leg to the foot bracket.

Just one step closer to getting the droid on his feet!!

Leg Work

2010-03-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was able to get some work done on the outer legs last night. I re-drilled the bolt holes to attach the foot motor holders and assembled the holders to the legs as a test fit. I'll have to take it apart to assemble the foot drives, but for now, it's looking more like a droid leg.

I also started cutting parts that will eventually become Artoo's center leg. I have plans on how to build the assembly into the frame and I'm currently sourcing materials (aluminum!!) to do this. If this works out, I'm also looking to have some custom parts machined to reinforce the shoulders and mounting assembly.

Over the weekend, while visiting friends, I was given a model of an Imperial Star Destroyer. It measures about 16" in length and the guy built his own stand to display it. He wasn't really happy with the paint job that he did, but asked if I would like it for my collection.

How could I refuse???

So my next "mini project" will be giving this ship a really sleek battle worn paint job. I'm researching now to find out where to start. I'm thinking of updating the stand, or possibly building a new one. I've gotta see what I have sitting in the scrap pile at home....

Ankle Cylinder Tutorial part 3

2010-03-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

Continuing on from the last update, I have trimmed the excess material off of the cap. I used a utility knife to do so. After a light sanding, the part was smooth with exception of the end of the PVC tube that chipped away when I cut the tube. That will be filled in with glazing putty later on.

I have completed this portion already, but to show you how to cut the tab that is glued to the end of the cylinder, I started with creating a template. I based this again from the blueprints for the cylinder, located in the files section of the R2Builders Yahoo Group. This template will cut 6 pieces. Using 3mm styrene that I had left over from scraps, I cut all 6 pieces, and glued them together in pairs. This gave me a total of 3 tabs. After the glue cured, I sanded the piece smooth in preparation of gluing to the cylinder cap.

Here is the tab glued to the end of the cylinder.

Next up is to cut the semi circles that add detail to the end of the cylinder. The diameter of the circle is the same size as the glued edge of the tab.

I measured out the width of the tab. This area needs to be cut out. The semi circles are then glued in place around the tab. When dry, a light sanding will prep for the glazing putty.

This is the part after the glazing putty was applied and sanded. The chips at the end of the PVC have been filled and sanded smooth.

My wire hanger jig. After final sanding, the part is ready for primer.

Prime coat.

I've learned that very light coats of paint will bring out the most even coloring. This is after two coats of Rustoleum's aluminum color. You can still see the primer coat under the paint.

Another two coats later and some drytime overnight, the aluminum color is in place. I'm going to let the part rest and cure for a couple days and then tape off to repaint the center a metallic blue.

With an even coat of glazing putty, you can't tell that the tab is actually two pieces glued together.

Ankle Cylinder Part 2

2010-03-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

Time to start cutting into the cylinder. For the two cross cuts, I used an Xacto razor saw. This is a very thin kerf and very precise cut, as I don't want to cut too far past my end points. The thin kerf will allow me to use Bondo to clean up any over cut without filling in a larger gap, such as the kerf from the Dremel cut off wheel.

For the lengthwise cut, I used a rotary tool with a cut off wheel. I can't stress this enough - PVC is very gritty when being cut with this tool. Wear your glasses and a dust mask, and expect a pretty good mess when you're done. I've heard a lot of discussion of Dremels burning out. PVC is pretty easy to cut, just let the blade do the cutting.

The next part is to cut a guide line for the grooves. Again, I used my razor saw for precision.

Once the guide lines are cut, I used a flat file to create a V groove. Using the corner of the file, cut in long smooth movements to keep the depth even. I had to rotate the cylinder several times to complete the groove around the PVC tube. Be careful and let the file do the cutting as PVC is soft enough to cut through all the way if you apply too much pressure. When you're done with this step on all of the grooves, clean up the entire part with some sandpaper. I recommend 220 or finer.

Close up of the V groove. This was prior to me cleaning up the groove with some light sanding. The actual cut is very straight.

The last step for tonight is to cap the ends. Since I have leftover scraps of .040 styrene from my skins, I traced the PVC tube end on the styrene, cut and glued. I have been using Amazing Goop for plumbing. It sets in about half an hour and when it cures, it's near impossible to separate the two pieces. Make sure you have good ventilation when using this stuff - it's pretty potent!!! Oversize the cap a little, this will be trimmed with a utility blade after the glue dries.

These steps took about an hour to complete to this point. Let the part sit and cure. Next up, the tabs on the end of the cylinder.

Ankle cylinder

2010-03-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

I finished the first of 4 ankle cylinders. I started the layout for the second cylinder and hope to get some work done on that one this weekend. This is such a simple piece to construct for those who are building from scratch. I saw this done on Dan Baker's build site, and gave it a try. I'm very happy with how it turned out. There are a few minor flaws, as in just about all scratch built pieces, but this again adds character to my build.

As I build my second cylinder, I'm going to document my progress as a tutorial. First up, aquire the material. I picked up a pvc clean water pipe, 1" schedule 40 from Lowes for $1.58 for a 5 foot length. The outside diameter of this pipe is almost dead on for the diameter of the cylinder. For anyone scratch building, this is about as close as you're gonna get. I cut each cylinder to 6.5 inches, based on a drawing that I downloaded from the group files archive, and started measuring. You can see that I have measured and drawn out my guide lines for the grooves and the cut out area. This area will allow the cylinder to recess onto the ankle. Next update will show the cut out area, and the process to recess the grooves.

Front vents

2010-02-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. After several attempts, breakages, etc... the front vents are now installed. I did not glue them permanently in place as they are such a tight fit that friction itself is enough to hold them in the vent surrounds. The vent surrounds are tight enough fit in the skins that they too are not able to slide in or out. For the moment, I'm going to leave things alone, until I find a good reason to secure them further.

Here's the pics.

General Update part 2

2010-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am being harrassed by friends to update this thing, so here goes....

I received my front vent internals from the most recent A&A parts run. These are laser cut plastic parts and I was really suprised to find them only 8 days after placing my order (I expected a 2 month lead time due to manufacturing time, and waiting until almost close of the part run, etc.). I assembled the first of two vents. This is the top and it's ready for paint. The bottom vent.... well... that's another story. I need some reference for that part and I'm hoping to get an answer soon so I can get this part completed and installed.

I have some pics of the first of 4 ankle cylinders. I decided to scratch build this part from pvc piping and scraps of styrene that I have collected. The grooves were cut into the pvc by hand and although you can't really tell from the picture, they are just about a perfect V groove all the way around. I finished the grooves with the corner of a flat file after cutting in with my X-acto razor saw.

Although I don't have a pic of it, the second leg has it's base coat of primer on it. I'll be ready to start top coating later this week and will hopefully have it close to finished over the weekend.

General update

2010-02-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted any updates. I have some work in progress on the legs and ankles. Leg number 2 is nearing final stages of assembly and will be ready to paint within a few days. I have also started work on the ankle cylinders. I have the first one in progress and will need a total of 4. This is another scratch built piece, constructed from pvc water pipe and scrap pieces of styrene that I have saved up. I am continuing with my point to point wiring of the front logics and have 20 more leds to wire up and install.

I'm also in the planning stages of assembling my electronics and drive. It's been just over two years after starting this project (1 1/2 years since the actual build process began) and I am getting ready to get R2 on his feet and moving. My goal (time and finance permitting....) is to have him moving by late spring of this year.

Photo's of my progress will follow.

Holiday work update

2009-12-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

I was able to get some work done while on vacation during the holidays. The first outer leg is completed as far as I'm going to take it at this time. This is fully painted and awaiting the final details. I am waiting to test it under stress prior to adding the shoulder horse shoe layers and resin booster cover. All parts test fit perfectly.

I started work on the other outer ankle as well as skinning the 2nd outer leg. I also ordered my motor controller from Robotshop.com. This is the Dimension Engineering Sabertooth 2x25 controller that will operate the motors in the two feet. (the picture is from Robotshop.com).

Last night, I strung another series of LEDs together for the front logics. Three more to go and that will be complete.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and God's richest blessings to friends and family for the new year to come!! All the time, He is good!!!

Jon

First leg ready for primer.

2009-12-23T04:49:00.000-08:00

The construction of the first ankle is complete. I made the ankle and bracelet to be one piece and as you can see, in the picture, I had to fill in the area where the two pieces came together. I had a small gap in there that I didn't like and the filler worked out very well, not only filling the space, but also to make the bond stronger. I will have to mask off the bracelet as it will be metallic, while the rest of the ankle is white. I plan on having this primed tonight and ready for paint tomorrow.

The booster again, is just set in place for the picture. I have been looking at other builders blogs to see how they have attached the booster on their droids. I still haven't decided which way I would like to do this and may hold off until I fully test the legs on the droid when it eventually gets moving. I'm on vacation between Christmas and New Years Eve, so I plan on spending some time working on finishing up this leg, and starting the other outer ankle. I'm hoping to have Artoo standing before too long.

Leg and Ankle update

2009-12-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

This month marks my second year as a member of the R2 Builders Club. Two years into this project and I've come this far. Can't wait to see what next year brings!!

Not too much of an update as I have been busy with family and work, but a little work here and there over the last few weeks gave me enough to add to the blog.

I finally got around to finishing off the construction of the first of two outer ankles. I've had this part sitting about 2/3's complete since August. This like the legs are based on Dave's styrene plans, with a very slight modification to add more bracing.

I ran into a small issue with the booster and ankles. I created the curved section for the ankle and didn't take into consideration that I needed to recess the booster into this part, as I had cut the ankle to allow for the booster to fit properly. You can see that the cut notch on the legs and the booster did not match up in the first two pictures unless the curved part was slid down the ankle by 1/4". After a little thinking, I recreated that curved section and pre-cut an access into the top face and the center brace (not shown). After letting it sit and dry, the booster fits perfectly, and the notches line up on the leg and booster parts. I'm still cutting the ankle bracelet piece and will pre-paint that part aluminum. I will have to smooth out the edges of the ankle and then skin them with a layer of .040 styrene to give them the same finished appearance as the legs.

Logics Installed - Test

2009-11-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

I installed the front logics tonight just to see how they looked. I have the pic cranked at 45v and if the logics are directly facing, it's blinding. I may need to cut the voltage back. This again is only half of the leds, however, I faced a problem as one of my wires broke. It was on the outside row of the leds, and when I connected it again, it worked. This really bothers me and I may only add another string or two and then glue some blanks in. The light from the surrounding leds may illuminate enough to make it look full. At 40 leds, it already looks pretty good. It's a compromise, but it may be necessary to do, just to avoid possible (further...) breakage.

First Logics Test

2009-11-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

Big Update!!! I have been working on the front logics for a while, running into issues with the pic flasher a while back and point to point wiring more leds than I'd like to count. It's been trial and error with led strings breaking and having to be re-welded and/or replaced. I am half way through, which means for me, 40 out of 80 total leds for my front logics. Keith's resin logic surrounds only allows space for 5 rows of 8 leds, instead of 5 rows of 9 leds that my bezels are configured for. From my point of view, it doesn't really matter, it's still going to look good.

I have spent time here and there, working on no more than 2 or 3 leds at any time, to glue the lights to the bezel. It's been a slow process and has taken more than 2 weeks for me to complete due to the cure time for the glue, but I have 4 complete strands. Today, I spent some time wiring the strands to the pic flasher and it tested great!!! I can't wait to complete this as it's been a long time in the works for me. I'm going to have to power it with 9v batteries for the time being, but I will eventually move the power over to a distribution board, connected with a slip ring to allow connection to the dome without the wires getting twisted. This will eventually allow me to run the light operation remotely, and give Artoo a little more realism.

Legs attached

2009-11-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well I think I figured out how to attach the legs to body. This set up isn't completely set, but it was stable enough to make a display appearance for Halloween at work and then at church for our youth event. Artoo was a big hit!!! I can't wait to get him rolling around for next year!!

Attached are some pics. I attached the legs using the parts included with the A&A frame. There are 4 hubs, two per leg. I have them attached, one to the leg, and then one inside the JAG stop on the shoulder of the frame. This give me about 1/2" from the leg to the body, less the .080" thickness of the skins. I have yet to reinforce the bolts, from both the inside of the leg hub as well as between the inside of the leg and the shoulder hub. I plan on using an additional piece of styrene inside, laminated to beef up the area of the bolts. I plan on doing the same on the opposite side of the leg skin, using metal for added strength.

The builder logo that you see is the cut out from the C&D dome base ring. I think Cole Horton mentioned something about not knowing what to do with this area, but he added the logo there for fun. I'm not sure if anyone had done anything with this yet, but I plan on eventually finishing a frame to fit it and adding a clock movement. The weathering was made to look like scrap metal. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Reboot....

2009-10-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything Artoo related. I've been doing works here and there on items. Although it's been too cold outside to paint, I have been painting parts indoors. The booster covers and one shoulder horse shoe are recently completed.

I have also started working on my front logics. My circuit tested fine, but I had a couple wires that had broken on my chain while transporting back and forth from my home to my in laws where I was working. I replaced the wire connections and glued the first pigtail in place. The bezels are from Calvin Thomas (Thanks Calvin!!!). They are a little big for Keith's resin logic surrounds, so I'm eliminating one column of lights and shifting the bezel over slightly to center the installed leds. I'm not drastically off center and eliminating 10 lights leaves me a little more room for error and less draw on the pic flasher.

The picture doesn't do justice for the blue booster cover. The cobalt blue is very deep, but in natural daylight, brightens up considerably. The leg and the shoulder are Satin White. I haven't mounted anything yet and probably will not until after I have the legs attached to the body and tested. I still have to paint the silver edge on the recessed layer of the horse shoe shoulder. The shoulder hubs are in process of being painted, as are the leg struts that fit in the booster.

The leds are extremely bright, but will tone down when all of them are installed on the pic flasher.

Things will probably be slow over the next couple of months with the holidays, and work around the house.

OT build complete!!!

2009-09-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Well, almost.... but close enough that I probably won't update another pic. I have just a few very minor details to put on and paint for the folding stock mount (the tube that's behind the grip...) and it will be as done as it's getting for now. I plan on attempting the M38 style sight, but that will be a project for another time.

So, here's my version of a Blastech E-11 Stormtrooper blaster.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled droid build...

OT Build - Stormtrooper blaster

2009-08-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Almost finished. Just a few details and the folding stock and I'm going to call this one done...

...for now.

OT Build - Stormtrooper Blaster

2009-08-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

More pics. I evened out the paint on the barrel. With weathering and overcoat, it will blend evenly.

OT Build - Stormtrooper Blaster Progress

2009-08-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

Made some progress this weekend on the blaster. I got a scrap piece of trex board from my brother in law. It worked perfectly, no grain on the surface and cut pretty easily. I added two layers of styrene material to create the grips and then smoothed the seams with glazing putty to make it less "clunky" feeling. I had to epoxy the handle to the barrel as the back screw wasn't going in very well and I did not wish to damage the barrel or handle trying to force the issue. I left the screw in the forward area of the handle.

The top of the site rail is painted black, but I did not paint the bottom. I like the look of it "as is", so I'm leaving it that way.

I also started work on the folding stock. I have decided to lock the stock in a closed position. I don't recall ever seeing the stock opened in any of the movies and to me, it looks better closed, not to mention the savings in added cost of material to make is strong enough to open and close without damaging components.

The paint appears "two toned" as I had to tape off the areas of the heat baffling (the holes in the barrel) to protect the metallic inner barrel. I plan on weathering and clear coating the gun when it's done, so it's going to get evened out eventually.

Just a few more components and details to add, maybe another one or two weeks work. I haven't added the hengstler counter. That update may come later on. This will end up becoming a cross between the ANH and ROTJ versions. As with any art piece, it will never really be "finished" as I'm sure to find something to tweak and improve it down the road. Of course, R2 builders know nothing of this... ;-D

OT build - Stormtrooper blaster

2009-08-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

I was on vacation last week and even with spending time with the family, I found some time to work a little on my Stormtrooper blaster. It won't be 100% accurate as there are so many reference pics and variations listed online. I chose to base my build from the ANH style and modify here and there, such as a red dot scope in place of the m38 style tank spotting scope. So far, aside from the scope (an Ebay find for $4.99...), the parts used have been either scrap pieces or found items that were laying around. Very little has been purchased and I'm hoping to keep my total build cost as low as possible - a challenge to myself to scratch build this and make it look convincing. Here's the latest pics of my progress.

OT Build

2009-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

So, I needed a break from building R2 as I sit back and think of how I am going to mount the legs to the body. I have painting to do for the resin parts that I received, some of which I have already done. Lots of "busy work" that won't be posted. In the meantime, I found a very inexpensive way to create a BlasTech E11 blaster rifle, or Stormtrooper blaster. This will be pretty much scratch built from parts on hand. The expected cost was around $50, however, I have most of the stuff I need lying around with the exception of paint, so I'm hoping to keep the total run between $20 and $30, and still keep the appearance as convincing as possible. Ahh - the art of scratch building!!!!

So far, I have the outer barrel prepped and painted, the inner barrel painted and test fitted. The end cap is also painted with the exception of the leading edge. The barrel end needs to be sanded and details cut and applied. I'm on the fence about getting a red dot scope as opposed to scratch building a non functional one. That will put my cost around the $30 mark total if I go that route - still not bad!! Stay tuned - I'm looking to have some fun with this one!!!

More parts arrived...

2009-07-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

I received the balance of my outstanding parts orders last week. Monday after posting an update I received Artoo's styrene skirt from Azman - anyone looking for a skirt for a budget build, this is the one to get!!! Well worth the wait!! This one, Az trimmed and sanded for me. The first image is the outside of the skirt, the second shows the bracing from the inside. I'm planning on mounting the skirt by drilling and bolting the braces to the bottom ring of my frame. From the outside, you won't be able to tell what' holding it in place.

I also received parts from Marco in the Netherlands. Again, a long wait period while Keith was out of commission, but very well worth it. I have a little clean up on the parts as is common when working with resin, but very minimal. The parts shown are the coin slots for the front body, the front vent surrounds, the resin booster covers w/piston, and the shoulder hubs. Here's how the leg will look once I have everything mounted.

Oh yeah.... what's this???? Guess you'll have to wait and see...

Details, details...

2009-07-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

Not a very exciting post, but I got some painting done during the week last week. I also finished off one vent, building the inset box from scrap styrene. The power coupling details were painted in blue, but not the cobalt that I was using. It's close, but missing that metallic flake in the paint. I had some modelling paint laying around and unless you look too close, I don't think anyone will be able to tell.

Parts from Marco have shipped from the Netherlands early last week. I'm hoping that they will arrive sometime this week. Still waiting on a skirt from Azman. Then, on to continued work on the ankles.

Fixing the front skins.

2009-07-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

So, I tried something last night and I think this will work for now. I replaced the panel that I cut out for the front vents. This seems to have corrected the pot belly in the front skins. I will need to cut the holes for each of the vents, but I'll wait until I have the vent holders from Marco.

I also screwed in the top piece of the skins over the shoulders. I had some very small pan head screws laying around and drilled them right into the frame. I'll have to get some flat head screws in the same size and replace these, but for now, they do the trick.

Here is a better pic of the gap on the utility arm section. I may cut this out and splice a new cleaned up panel in it's place. The arms swing out, but only after widening the area considerably. I'm going to try cleaning it up a little, but I'm still "on the fence" with this. For now, I'm just going to let it sit and I'll come back to it after thinking about it for a while.

You will also notice a gap between the dome and the body. I'll have to tweak this, but I have room to play with.

Layered Shoulders

2009-06-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

I got a start on my layered shoulders. The first one is glued up and ready for glazing putty to seal up the seams. I haven't attached the layer between the shoulders and the leg as I will paint the edge of that first. I also need to come up with a way to attach these to the legs so they can be removed for maintenance. I like Dan Baker's idea with the speaker mounts, but not sure if I can do that with my leg design. I added reinforcement bracing, so I have half of the open space of the original design.

I received a couple more parts this week. My 12v power distribution board arrived from Dan S. and I also received an amplifier for my soundboard. Hopefully, I'll be able to wire up and test my wireless sound system in the coming weeks.

One step forward....

2009-06-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

I balanced out the utility arms so they would fit with the skins, however, after looking at the skins, I'm not happy with certain areas. The area around the utility arms needed to be cut open to allow the swing of the arm to pass through the opening in the skin. This makes the whole opening look way too big, even though the arm itself is barely passing through. It doesn't look too bad in the pics, but up close, it looks rough and oversize.

I have also been dealing with a pot belly on Artoo. The skins are nice and tight around the top and bottom of the frame, however, the center area around the bottom of the utility arm carrier and the front vents is about .25" from the frame. This makes the Utility Arms appear recessed, even though they are flush with the outside edge of the frame. I have attempted to pull the middle tighter, but I can't seem to get that section to sit properly. I have the front vents on order from Marco and the panel that fits around those vent surrounds may pull in some of that area back into shape, or at least a not so noticeable shape. If this doesn't work then my options will be to:

A. Re cut the utility arm covering and splice it to the existing skins.

B. Order rough styrene and re cut the skins altogether. This was a 3 month process for me the first time around.

C. Order the laser cut skins from Andy.

I'm not really crazy about either options B or C. This may just be the nature of working with styrene as it is a flexible material. I can't really glue the material down to the frame as I would like to be able to remove the skins for maintenance if/when needed. I need to wait on my other part orders to arrive, but all in all, I have got some thinking to do.

Utility Arms and Large Data Port

2009-06-26T04:16:00.000-07:00

I spent a good portion of last night installing the utility arms. Yesterday I found some nylon inserts for the utility arms to protect the screw hole from wear from the threads. I built up my hardware and....

It failed.

The nylon insert fit with a number #8-32 screw - the only size I could find with an OD of 1/4", which is the diameter of the hole in the utility arm. Although it seemed like a good fit in the store, when installing it, there was a little bit of play within the insert, and the arm would dip at the unhinged end. I had built the lower arm assembly with standard machine screws, nuts and washers. Problem was, when all was tightened, the arm was evenly horizontal. However, when the arm was opened several times, the components would loosen, and the arm would slump down.

I used a different method on the upper arm, using a modified t-nut at the top. I had to remove the prongs to get it to set as low as possible as the Large Data Port (LDP) needed to sit on top of it. This arm, once tightened, stayed in place. After several attempts at correcting the lower arm, the lightbulb clicked on and I replaced the assembly with one similar to the top arm assembly and.... well, it worked!!

The skins will need some modifying to allow the arm to swing out freely, but otherwise, fit pretty well.

If you look at the unhinged ends of the UT arm carrier, you can see a small bumper on the side wall. This will allow the arm to come back into the proper position and also protect the tip of the arm from colliding with the plastic wall of the frame. They are not visible with the skins installed.

The LDP is installed with double sided tape, left over from my skins. I used a layer of .040" styrene to even the frame area with the t-nut. It's a very strong bond, but I have been able to pry the tape off of styrene with very little damage. The mount is very secure, but in emergency, I can still pry the dataport off if needed.

Buncha Stuff...

2009-06-23T04:48:00.000-07:00

I've been working a little at a time over the last few weeks. I'm spending time studying to up my certification level for my job and Artoo is part of my quiet time to take a break. I have a bunch of parts on order either due to ship or due to arrive. Keith is back - and the budget builders are rejoicing!!! I've already ordered and received some resin from him while waiting on other parts.

So, here is where I stand...

- Second leg construction is complete. Skins are mounted around the shoulder, but I still have to skin the front, back and sides.

- I have a start on the first ankle. Most structural parts are cut and I have started gluing some panels together. No pics of this just yet.

- Resin Large Data Port is finished, and the resin Utility Arms are sanded and partially painted. I have yet to work on the power couplers that I purchased (one is pictured below, the other one is attached to the frame to test the fit)

Leg Progress and Dome Panel

2009-06-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

I started work on R2's second outer leg. I should be able to finish the construction this weekend, time permitting. Again, I am foaming the open cavities to make the leg more solid. I am also reinforcing the structure for additional strength.

Yesterday, I decided to repaint one of the dome panels from blue to aluminum. I made the mistake of painting it incorrectly at first and it has bothered me since. I switched from using the chrome paint and this time used Rustoleum's Metallic Aluminum. It coats so much nicer than the chrome and doesn't take a week to dry. I still clear coated as it brought the metallic color down a little and made it closer to the rest of the dome. Once I weather him, he'll look much more uniform, although, after looking at the color on the panel vs. the rest of the metal color, I'm very tempted to just mask off and repaint the entire dome.

Must resist temptation....

Here's the pics.

General Update - Sound System

2009-05-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

Not much new on the building scene as I have parts on order, or am waiting to order parts. Keith at Resin Parts is still setting up shop in his new home and has a line of parts orders waiting, so I want to give him time before I bombard him with my wish list.

Foot motor holders are due to deliver today. Shoulders are on order from the most recent A&A parts run, and my 12v power distribution board is in process, due sometime in June.

There has been alot of buzz around the R2 community regarding a much less expensive CFIII soundboard, or rather a knock-off of a CFIII. Thanks to Andy S. for his research on this!!! I did order and receive the personal soundtrack t-shirt from thinkgeek and it works great!!! I still need to order my 12ch wireless remote to trigger the sounds, but that will have to wait. I didn't really expect to order the soundboard so soon, but couldn't pass this one up. I have 6 banks configured for voicing based off of the CFIII sound files. I'm still converting the files to mp3 format, but since many of them are short files, I have taken my time to combine and edit some of them into longer clips.

On a side note, I have finally set up my own space in the house to display my Sci-fi stuff. For so long, the wife has dominated the decor of the household, and the lightsabers, action figures and other fine collectibles have been pushed to the Outer Rim - or at least in boxes in the basement... But now, I have space and together we will rule that room as builder and droid.... (queue vinyl record scratching to a halt!)

Well... at least I have shelving.

Thanks to my wife and her mad decorating skills - it looks awesome. I took some quick shots, but it doesn't do justice. There are framed posters on the walls and furniture that I didn't include in the shots.

One Leg Done

2009-04-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

Well, that's down... I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I still have to finish a couple coats of paint sometime this week, but other than that, I'm calling this part done. I'll be ordering parts this week, including the layered shoulders. I'm waiting to hear on a resin supplier so I can order the booster covers, among many other parts needed for the body. I have styrene left over, and I'm still deciding if I should work with plywood for part of the ankle or layer styrene and follow Dave E's plans. It's going to come down to what material is stronger.

Here's the updated pics.

More Leg Work/PIC Flash

2009-04-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

I continued a little further on the legs. The shoulder area is skinned as well as the under shoulder detail and part way down the leg. There is a break in the skins for some detail and I think I'm going to stop at that point until I order and receive my boosters. I'll get the front and rear skins mounted to those details and call it quits on this one. Time to start the other leg, now that I know what I'm doing.

As requested, here is a photo of the PIC flasher board. This was taken prior to testing and only one power source is connected (2nd 9v power was added later during testing - one to run the LEDs, the other powered the PIC) When testing, output was working on 4 of the 8 outputs (I think r1, r2, r7 and r8...). I'll have to test again and document prior to calling Carl's - if it comes to that.

More leg work and electronics

2009-04-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

I was holding off on this post until I had something more complete to show. I've been working and continue to work on the first leg. Ran into a minor problem as I followed some plans for the styrene build, but didn't take into consideration that the weight of my frame would be somewhat heavier than a styrene frame would be. I've been debating back and forth and bouncing questions off of other builders (thank you Calvin and Cole for your help!!) to get a direction. I've decided to move forward with my existing part and try to strengthen it, rather than start over. I've started reinforcing and filling areas of the leg to beef up potential stress points and make the leg more solid - well, literally.

I doubled the bracing around the top of the shoulder and added additional bracing to create pockets within the leg to fill with spray foam. By feel, the leg has some more weight to it and the foam adds considerable reinforcement to the bracing. Here are some pics:

After letting the foam set for a couple days and noting that the expansion has stopped, I was able to mount the top (outer) panel to the leg and let is sit under weight for several hours until the glue set. I then glued up the first styrene strip around the shoulder. I'll let that set over night and continue tomorrow on some of the other skins. I will need to spot putty this when done to correct some cutting mistakes, but so far, I'm happy with how it turned out.

I assembled my first pic flasher and ran into issues there too. I have proper voltage throughout the pic but I'm only getting output from 4 of the 8 traces. I've only connected a couple LED's and tested with a meter. Not sure if this is at all related to the defective crystal issue that was going on, but I may be calling Carls.

Leg work

2009-03-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

I've been busy over the past two weeks working on the first of three legs. It's rough, but it also doesn't have the final layer of skin/bondo to smooth it out. I chose to continue the styrene construction and scratch build my legs from 1/4" styrene material. Ankles will follow once I have both outer leg sections built. I was given a piece of 6" schedule 40 pvc piping that could work for the leg to body hub. I haven't decided if I'm going to use pipe or not.

Anyway, here's some progress pics.

Artoo Portrait - General Update

2009-02-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

I found some old photo equipment that I had packed away so I decided to do Artoo's first portrait shot. I received my 1/4" styrene sheets that I'm going to make the legs from, which came in handy and a reflector for the photo.

Parts update - I now have all of my leds for my front logics. The leds from the rear logics are still stuck in transit from West Florida Components, but the staff is awesome at keeping me updated.

So... between the logics and leg construction, I have my work cut out for me for the next couple months.

More Dome Work - Almost There...

2009-02-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's almost done!!!

I haven't had much time, but I've worked here and there over the past week or so and I am almost done with the dome. I ordered my leds for the front and rear logics. I expect the rear logic leds to arrive any day now. Front leds are coming from China and shipped last week, so it will be another week or two for those to arrive. My pic flashers arrived already and I have the bezels for both front and rear.

I picked up some Plumbers Goop this weekend to mount the HP's and they're holding solid. Thanks to Cole for the tip!!

I also finished off some unpainted areas and ran into issues with the chrome paint. Go figure. First layer went on pretty good. Second layer stripped the first layer, so I resorted to hand painting and it turned out pretty well. I'm not adding the ROTJ red led panel to the side of the dome at this time. That may be a future upgrade, but for right now, simple is fine.

My front HP is movable and the motion is smooth. I plan on lighting it and adding at least one servo for motion.

I've also started work again on mounting the skins. I don't want them to be permanent and I'm taking Calvin's recommendation for the variable depth push fasteners from Lowes.

Here's some updated pics.

Holo Projectors

2009-01-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

I started working over the weekend on my holo projectors. Got them sanded nicely and started to prime and paint them... and then I ran into a little snag. I have been using Rustoleum's plastic primer for all of the paint that I have done so far and have not run into any issues at all. After my paint coat on the HP's, I noticed that some areas were not taking paint as well as I would like. The paint appeared splotchy (yes, a technical term...) in areas. I can only figure that the mold release agent wasn't cleared all of the way, even though I felt I did clean the parts well with alcohol and soapy water. The paint, however, is not flaking off of the part.

In either case, I felt the silver needed to be toned down anyway, so.... I gave it some weathering. It has always been my intention to weather my droid since prior to actually starting my build. I just didn't expect to start that process right away. I am happy with the results, although there may be some touch up needed once the rest of the construction is complete. I'm sure "Uncle Don" would approve! Here's some pics.

I also started work on the panel where the rear PSI will be mounted. The blue panel for the front PSI is also ready to be mounted.

Front PSI

2009-01-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

I received my parts from Keith on Friday!!!! 2 static Holo Projectors, 1 movable Holo Projector for the front of the dome, and my PSI housing kits. I took some time last night to work on one of the PSI kits. I used a circle cutter and my drill to rough cut the holes for the lens and after some detail cutting, I was able to mount the lens and glue it in place. The panel isn't yet painted, so I haven't attached it yet. It's all taped inside and I need to eliminate some light leaking out. I'll mount the housing permanently tonight and start work on the rear PSI as well.

General Update

2009-01-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

I have parts on order for the dome, and already started receiving some of them. My PSI leds from Fiber Optic Products came in yesterday and tested out good. PSI kit and HP's are on order from Keith and the HP lens' are ordered...just waiting for them to ship.

I found carriage bolts that did not have any branding on them - totally by mistake! I had previously purchased a couple bolts for my dome "buttons", but the only ones that I could find had the company initials raised on the surface. I had planned on removing the stamped letters with a sander. Needless to say, a dollar sixty-something later, and I saved myself the hassle of having to remove unwanted writing from a steel bolt. If you need them, check out your local Ace Hardware.

2008-12-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm off work for a week, which gave me a little more time with my pal Artoo. This past Saturday, I cut the support ring for the dome to allow me to mount it to the frame. I used some scrap plastic tubing that worked perfectly for spacing. I would still like to test fit the skins on this week, but I'm happy with the progress with the dome.

I managed to clean up the cut outs on the inner dome and was able to mount my resin pieces. They're not permanent yet, but they do give the dome a more finished look. The spin on the rockler bearing is very smooth. I had been planning on getting styrene to make the legs, but I'm thinking of putting off the legs for a little while and spending the money on a motor and mount kit to get the dome running... or at least a jump in that direction.

Continued Dome Work

2008-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Winter weather and storms cancelled my plans for the weekend, so I found a lot of time to get work done on the dome. I mounted the radar eye to the dome and also installed the lower section of the inner dome and mounted the majority of the panels to it. I still have some trim work to do to get everything evened up. Of the 4 panels that still need to be mounted, two of them need circular cutouts and are awaiting parts so I can size up the cuts properly. One just needs trim work on the inner dome section prior to mounting. I'm also deciding whether or not to add the red led panel on the side. I have the panel, just undecided at the moment if I'm going to do it or not.

More Dome Progress

2008-12-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

OK - the Christmas holiday is just around the corner, which means time with my buddy Artoo is going to be somewhat limited. I did find some time to work this past weekend and made some significant progress on the dome, although I ran into a common issue with the dome. The inner dome would not sit properly inside of the outer dome and thus created a 1/4" gap at the top. Sooooo.... I resorted to cutting the top off of the inner dome about 3/4 of an inch below the pie panels. This smaller section now sits flush with the top of the dome. I adhered this with the VHB tape that I picked up from Uline.com. All panels with the exception of the HP panel are also mounted with the VHB tape.

I also cut the center out of the dome base ring. This will allow me to access the electronics inside of the dome and seat the dome on the Rockler bearing. I'm not sure how the other C&D dome users are building their domes, but this is the route that I chose. The center has the R2Builders Logo on it, which I plan in turning into something creative. I picked up wood to create an inner ring for the dome to provide support as well as to give a platform to mount to the Rockler bearing, over the base ring. I plan on keeping the base ring as a separate component of the dome.

Frame/Parts update

2008-12-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Made some more progress with the frame this weekend. My support rods are installed - all except one as I was short by one machine screw. I picked up a Rockler bearing and was able to modify and mount it. Found something out to share - There are 8 plastic feet on the bottom of the bearing, I removed 4 of them to drill the holes through to mount it to the frame and left 4 feet still attached. Keeping in mind that this is aluminum and will bend, when I mounted the bearing to the frame, I added two flat washers between the bearing and the frame to match the spacing of the feet. This kept the bearing level as I tightened it to the frame.

I started cutting the dome ring for the C&D dome. Once that is complete (along with some clean up on the inside dome), I'll be able to mount the dome to the frame.

I also got a start on some of the misc body parts as well. Here are my first two coin slots. One is finished, the other I still have a couple pieces to add. The tape is just adding additional support to the glue and will not be seen. I used scrap pieces from my frame to get the profile.

Skin Update

2008-11-24T05:19:00.000-08:00

Skins are cut and ready for sanding. Here are some pics of what I have done. These are just sitting in place, nothing has been attached yet. I reset my door on my frame last night as the lock washers were digging into the frame. They have been replaced with standard flat washers. I added one additional washer on the bottom of the door to raise the door slightly. It now moves with no contact to the bottom of the frame. My VHB tape is due to deliver today, so I may be able to mount the skins to the door this week.

Skins/Body update

2008-11-18T04:50:00.001-08:00

I've been working over the last couple days on the back skins. All of my panels are cut and the back door panel has been removed from the inner layer. I test fitted the inner skins on the frame and so far - so good. Front skins need some final cleanup and then sanding and mounting.

Plan for the two weeks: Order remaining resin pieces for dome (HP's, PSI housing), Obtain Rockler bearing.

More pics to be posted soon..

Radar Eye Lens

2008-11-05T11:54:00.001-08:00

Just a quick pic of the lens that I made from a 2 liter pop bottle. This was done about 3 weeks ago.

Off topic - two week break

2008-10-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

A little off topic, but I finished my other project last night. Took me almost two weeks to complete. My family participates in our church's Awana program. Both of my girls are clubbers, my wife and I are leaders in different clubs. The group that I lead participates in a pine wood derby grand prix every November, and not just the clubbers, but leaders from most of the groups as well. Last year, my first year, I was challenged by the Commander that she would take best of show. I built a version of Lightning McQueen from the movie, Cars. This year, I was challenged by the Commander and my co-leaders as well to "up the ante".... So, I just had to choose Mater.

Umm.... did I mention under body lighting??? I have issues...

Hmmm..... Maybe next year, something StarWars...

Ok, back to building a droid.... During my time off, I was able to complete my radar eye. The lens was made from a 2 liter pop bottle and looks great!!! I didn't have time last night to get a picture of it, but I'll update the site soon.

Dome Work Continues

2008-10-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

I made progress this past weekend with the great weather we had here in NY. I clear coated the metallic coat of the dome and all seems to be holding nicely. Took several coats to seal the paint, but it hardened pretty well overnight. I was able to add the blue on the bottom ring and the top of the dome. Here's some pics of the panels that I have painted taped to the inner dome.

I have yet to cut the base and the inner dome. I have another project to work on in the next two weeks, so progress on Artoo will slow down for a little while. I hope to get the base cut and ready to paint in about two to three weeks.

The Race Is On!!!!

2008-10-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to frost and 30 degrees outside of my house. Not much time left to finish my painting this year. Last night, I put some base coats of chrome on the outside dome. Two coats and a night to rest it. Weather was a little on the cool side, close to dropping below 50 degrees while I was painting. Might hit the 60 degree mark this week, but I'm estimating that this will be my last week to paint for the season.

Anyway, here's what I have from last night. Nice reflection from the chrome paint. I'm using Kelly Krider's suggestion of the Rustoleum Chrome Metallic, but I didn't care for the clearcoat on the test strip that I did. This paint doesn't recommend a topcoat finish, but I may need something to match the sheen to the blue panels.

Dome Work

2008-10-06T05:24:00.000-07:00

Finally finished cutting all pieces out of the dome. I put a coat of primer on yesterday and let it dry overnight. The weather is starting to get cooler, which increases dry time, so my painting process is slowing down. I'm hoping to get the chrome color on today and let it cure for a while before I mask it off to apply the blue areas (top of dome and ring on bottom). Here are the latest pics. The panels are just set in place and not centered.

Frame work

2008-09-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

I found some time this weekend to work further on Artoo. The weather wasn't that great this weekend, so painting any parts for the dome was out of the question. So..... I worked and was able to all but complete the frame on Sunday. Here's some pics of what I accomplished.

I have yet to attach the skirt ring on the bottom, and I've omitted the internal trays as the panels that will cover them are not going to open. The rear door is only temporarily attached with machine screws, so I can get an idea of how I want to open and close it. As of yet, I don't have a latch system in place. I have some of the hardware to finish off the frame and will have to find time later this week to work on that, but for the most part, it's finished.

I couldn't resist setting up the last pic....

More Dome Work

2008-09-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

I found some time last night to continue working on the dome. I'm about 90% done with the cutting and *hopefully* I'll be able to get this painted before the weather turns bad. I also started putting some parts together for the A&A frame. This is the rear door, front utility arm carrier, and internal trays.

Frame Arrived!!!

2008-09-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

My A&A frame arrived this past Friday!!!! Sooooooo........... Saturday was spent looking it over and cleaning all of the residue of the cutting process off of the parts. Parts were tagged and I even started assembling a couple pieces (the front utility arm carrier and the rear door are done)

Pictures to follow...

Dome Work

2008-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

More panels cut. I was able to remove 5 panels yesterday. The two larger panels on the side and back are scored and ready to come out, but I'm keeping them in place for structural support. These five panels are already sanded and painted.

My A&A frame should arrive any day now. Can't wait to get that assembled!!!!

Radar Eye

2008-09-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my painted radar eye. There are some imperfections on the piece that I chose to leave "as is". My design is not going to be too worn, but I don't want him having a "fresh out of the factory" look either. Slight imperfections, chips and scratches are welcome here.

On a side note, I finished cutting my pie panels out of the dome. Two panels are painted and complete. Four more with base coats of paint are currently drying. I chose to go with Rustoleum's Cobalt Blue Metallic without the purple undercoat... not quite true to Artoo's coloring, but close enough for my droid.

Early work

2008-09-01T09:59:00.002-07:00

Here are some pics of work in progress. These are from earlier this year. So far, I have 4 panels for the body (skins) with pieces cut. They are almost complete, but waiting on a frame before I make the final cuts.

This is early work on my C&D styrene dome. The paperweight on the left side is actually the Radar Eye that will mount onto the dome. (I'll have a better pic of that later..) The panel layout is complete and I am in process of cutting all of the panels out. They will be painted and then re-mounted later in the build.

While many builders work with powered rotary tools, due to the type of material, I chose to cut by hand. I found a saw blade that fits my Xacto set, and this seemed to cut evenly. I have a long way to go, but so far, my cuts been pretty even. The blade size allow me to cut freehand as opposed to setting up a guide.

In the beginnning....

2008-09-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog spot. This diary has been created to document my progress in creating a full scale replica of an astrodroid from the Star Wars universe.

At this point, I'll lay out the disclaimer - this is not an officially licensed replica and is in no way associated with Lucasfilms. This is a fan built project based on a character created by George Lucas. The intention of the builder, this diary, and project is purely for the enjoyment of the builder, visitors to this site, and of course, those who will eventually come in contact with a "real" astrodroid.

With that said, I welcome you to visit often to check on my progress. More will follow soon...