R2d2

[Paulwa]

Don't have any pix handy but right after StarWars came out I got fired up to build an R2D2 miniature. I used a 3 lb. coffee can for the body and an aluminum pot for the head. I set the head up as free wheeling and then added an old rubber rimmed wheel of an old battery powered reel to reel tape recorder. Used the motor to rotate the head. Cut out the rectangular holes and then filled the holes with glued in blue plastic cut to fit. Used a small motorcycle battery in the bottom of the can for power. 7volts if I remember right. Used little motors on each right and left wheel using model airplane rubber wheels and built metal fenders to cover them. I etched two circuit boards for each wheel drive and used an scr to drive each wheel. I think I used a second scr on each board for reverse . I used a third caster wheel on the rear non driven. I had an old wire remote control that I hooked up with six foot wires...suitable for exciting my children and running the dog frantically all over the house. I mounted two mic's one on each side of the head and had built up a circuit board for stereo sensing so the idea was that the head would turn toward the source. Well that was the idea I kind of dropped the project when the head would shimmy back and forth uncontrollably with a sound. Over the years parts got robbed for other use but still have the body and head somewhere down in the basement. Just recently have begun to have interest in robots once again...maybe insect robots. Have been ordering parts catalogues to pore over.
Paul

[HarryBotter]

Hey Paul,

Sounds like a neat bot. Try to track down a picture to share with us, many of us have a soft spot in our hearts for R2D2.

Harry

[Paulwa]

Thanks Harry. I have an old polaroid B/W print around here somewhere of my R2D2 standing next to an action figure of C3P0. He is much bigger than C3P0 though. I'll keep my eyes open for the pix.
Paul

[Paulwa]

As I stated in the Lawnmower robot thread, I have located my R2D2 while cleaning out our basement last week. No electronics...just the wheel motors and maybe the driver circuits. The head is intact mostly..just need to put him back together a bit. Got a clean workbench so I may try to ressurect him with new circuitry in the future. As I get time I will take some new pix shots of him to post here. I think he still looks pretty neat.
Paul

[dutch]

some pic's please....just this morning was thinking along the same lines for a small security bot for the house & yard...good luck

[Paulwa]

Hang on dutch, I will try to post a pix soon.
Paul

[Paulwa]

:rolleyes: I started building him right after seeing the first Star Wars movie hit the screens in 1977, I think. He has been gutted of all the elctronics..not sure what I even did with them. First stage though was a remote wired R2D2 that the kids and I scared the bejeebers out of our dog by chasing him around the house with R2D2 in hot pursuit! It was hilarious.

[Paulwa]

Head turned a bit.

[Paulwa]

Laying down. The center bottom frame held a 7+ vdc motorcycle battery for power.

[Paulwa]

Head and turntable to rotate head disassembled. I used a small reel to reel drive and small dc motor to rotate the head either direction. The electronics I had at that time included two condenser mic's in either side of the head and the circuitry using IC's (don't remember what kind even now to turn the head toward the loudest signal. The problem I had was that the head would go spasming back and forth and not lock onto a sound source. It was funny but not what I had in mind at all. Back to the drawing board...but never did get there.

[Paulwa]

A view inside the head. I used blue plastic I cut and heated to form the curvature of the inlays. I had a small movie camera eyepiece lens in the head much like R2D2 but non functioning of course. The head was a small aluminum tea kettle I picked up somewhere just for this purpose.

[Paulwa]

Sideview...actually the leg was mounted solid but a screw is missing, letting it flop. I cut real light weight aluminum sheet and shaped it for housing around the legs and foot pods. Their was an inner steel (thin sheet) frame where I mounted the drive motor and the larger reel to reel drive rims and a second stabiliser wheel. Each leg had its own scr and transister drives capable of forward and reverse independently of the other leg. He could spin on a dime.

[Paulwa]

Bottom view of the footpod drive.

[Paulwa]

Better view of the drive. It was a rim friction type drive and seemed to work quite well. I have not done any electronics in twenty some years but have been thinking about giving it another try along with a couple of other ideas for Robots. One a lawn cutting andf gathering bot and the other a new type of drive totally. Now just need to get down to doing it. My shop is cleaned out and is being repainted so maybe this fall and winter I will be doing some robotic tinkering.
Paul

[Paulwa]

I did have aluminum cover doors for front and back sides but can't find them anywhere..probly got recycled sometime or other. He is a bit rough but he did work somewhat. My son pouted for weeks after I finally relegated him to a dusty shelf in the basement. He was about ten then...around 37 now adays...guess he got over it. :-) He'd be easy to ask..he moved back into his old bedroom about five years ago. He is a big help to us these days.
Paul

[Paulwa]

It is weird. R2D2 is standing on the floor at the foot of my bed and to the side. Even now when I get a first glance at him I can almost here the chirps and beeps the way he is standing kind of looking down he almost seems real till I get fully woke up. Ha! Got to get busy thinking about how to resurrect him once again. :-)
Paul

[HarryBotter]

Great looking little Bot Paul. A lot has changed in 25 years and I'd bet that some improvements would come pretty easy. Good luck with the resurrection.

Harry

[TimMooney]

It is weird. R2D2 is standing on the floor at the foot of my bed and to the side. Even now when I get a first glance at him I can almost here the chirps and beeps the way he is standing kind of looking down he almost seems real till I get fully woke up. Ha! Got to get busy thinking about how to resurrect him once again. :-)
Paul

You better start thinking about how you're going to explain 30 years on the shelf. Otherwise, ya know, it could be a pretty ugly scene when you do get him resurrected. (It's going to be ugly anyway, I suppose, given that his first move is likely to be some form of disco. That was ugly when it was new -- umm, I've heard.)

Anyway, I'm very impressed that you still have most of this guy after 30 years. I would kill for a look at your parts stash. Good luck in rehab.

Tim

[Paulwa]

My parts stash...got a few drawer bins with resisters, transisters, diodes, triacs, scr's, capacitors, and a big 20" tall bin full of 70's and 80's IC's from Paypack or whatever. Some new some used..IC's who knows..but most are of the 7400 National Semiconducter series. Op amps, gates, clock IC's a bunch I have forgotten what is and a bunch of questionable IC's 555'setc. Used to have the big data books to go with them but they have vanished over the years. It is start all over from scratch with modern parts I think. I think I have a few of the original E PROM's with the quartz window so you can erase them with ultra violet light and reprogram them. I have one of the very early alpha-numeric led blocks, miniature. Wish I still had the little stereo preamp from an 8 track that I used for R2's ears. That was a neat bit of transisters, caps and components, one channel lined up beside the other. They really knew how to build when they were down at the component level, before IC's. It was a great world when we got away from tubes. I didn't like those for beans! What a waste of power and space. Sure miss Popular Electronics and Electronics World magazines...don't even know what is available these days. Robot magazine is great though to keep us informed and there is lots on the internet on the way of info.
R2 did disco?
Paul

[dutch]

really neat...now, I have to get off my dead butt and get busy :)

[Paulwa]

Well my shop is getting near completion and then I will too. Take me a while to reorganize and I think i will disassemble a few electronic machines for parts and to get familiar with the iron and solder again. Not to mention transistors, capacitors, resisters and a bunch of other more new components. Tons of new IC's to get familiar with.

Guess I better gather up a few books on electronics again...the simpler the better. Been 27 years since I worked on designing any circuitry. Still got a few small copper clad boards and etchant from Radio Shack from years back. This might be beyond me these days..don't know till I try I guess.
Paul

[Paulwa]

Workbench is done. Tool gathering time. Pix to follow in a few days.
Paul R2 standing by.

[Paulwa]

Here is my workbench and getting set up for some fun times. Notice my green bottle of work juice handy...Gotta have my Mountain Dew. :mrgreen:
Paul

[Paulwa]

Was looking at R2 yesterday and thinking it is going to be a while before I do much with him. Got a lot of decisions to make and study on how to acheive them electronically. If computers are to be involved I want them hardwired and on board. If programming is involved then they will be routines in memory for certain actions and maybe contained in ROM memory along with vocalization patterns and responses. Definately no remote controllers unless it is just for overide purposes for training. I am not satisfied with the computer direction and remote controls currently used in robotics. I long for more autonomy and self direction in response to environment. Also longer life where he doesn't just fall asleep and need to be awakened all the time. I will go back to the motorcycle lead acid or gel cell battery. Around 7 volts. Got a lot of MAhours of use before recharging.
Just some of the ideas I am working on.
Paul