Resin Radar Eye and Logic Displays

After a two-and-one-half-month wait, the resin parts I ordered for the dome have arrived! And they are beautiful. I might have to bring the dome to work to get anything done on it, but first I need to finish those pesky shoulder horseshoes!

Electronics are Online!

I finally got around to figuring out the electronic controls setup for R2. After nosing around the sparse documentation online, I finally bit the bullet and asked for help in the forum.

Fortunately for me, David L., who recommended this configuration, was very helpful with the controller settings. And once I emailed him pics of the configuration, he was able to tell me that I had some wires connected improperly to the receiver. After that, viola! Actual working RC controlled Jaycar motors. It was a thing of beauty! Thanks David!

Now I need to get those puppies installed into the feet and get this build moving, literally and figuratively!

Foot Progress

I made plywood centers for R2's feet. I decided to use some scrap plywood and 1x2s. I started skinning one outer foot and it is moving along nicely! I've been using contact cement to adhere the styrene to the wood and it's working well. I'm holding off finishing the outside until I get the drive motors mounted.

I got a cheap caster for the center foot online for $4.00, with free shipping! Amazing!

I also got a 12V 7Ah battery with a charger. Now I just have to pick a few brains online on how to configure the electronics.

I may take the feet to work to continue the build on my lunch breaks. Hopefully by next weekend the feet will be finished and I can start on the battery boxes.

Parts

I finally got around to taking pictures of the parts I have ordered over the last month and a half.

I got the VEX 6-Channel Remote Controller from Ebay for $40. The non-vex receiver was 9 bucks.

I also got the Jaycar motors for the feet (from New Zealand), the Sabertooth 2x25 speed controller and the wheels from Banebots.com. I hope to use the smaller wheels to drive the larger wheels since I don't have a source for fabricating the elusive aluminum drive hub.

I started building a wooden interior for the main feet where the motors and wheels will be mounted. My success with the wood/styrene combination for the dome ring inspired me to try a wood structure for the feet. That, and the fact that wood is much easier to cut. I am still nursing my tennis elbow and that 1/8" styrene is a bear to cut.

Now hopefully a trip to Douglas Hardware tomorrow for screws and bolts will allow me to start the process of getting R2 motivated!

Dome Ring Test Fit

Looks like two layers of 1mm styrene will work for the dome to fit snugly. I need to trim 3/8" off the height of the dome ring. I initially was going to have the dome overlap 1/2" but upon further consideration, I think that will interfere with getting some of the electronics in place.

Dome Ring and Bearing

Got some time today to work on R2. I finished the interior dome ring whose completion was delayed when the motor on my Dremel tool died. At first I thought the burning smell was the plywood I was cutting, but when the Dremel tool seized up I quickly deduced it was the motor. The warranty must have expired LOL!

I had some scrap 1/2" plywood that I used for the ring since I wanted something thick to which to attach the lower dome rings. The plywood is really quite light. I doubt it is much heavier than the same thickness of styrene. I will use some contact cement to glue the styrene dome rings to the plywood.

My plan is to put two layers of 1mm styrene around the wood ring. That should provide a snug fit inside the dome. I will then glue the dome in place and I will finish dome ring detail with some strips of 1mm styrene.

Trimming Barnard's Dome

I finally got the chance to trim the flange off of the 18" dome that I got from Barnards in Chicago. I used the flush-cut attachment on my Dremel MultiMax and it made a nice even cut around the flange. There were some plastic goobers from cutting stuck to the dome edge, but they came away easily.

I was going to mount it to a 1/2" plywood dome ring, but the motor burnt out on my Dremel rotary tool. I'll have to finish that up later with a jig saw.