R2 Electronics Build Part 4: Connecting the Dome
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- The final part of the electronics system involves passing power and signal from the body into the dome. Since R2's dome needs to be able to spin and be removable, this creates some interesting challenges. Here I detail the components needed, and for the first time rotate a fully powered and functional dome.
Admittedly, the beefy slip ring I went with is overkill. I also ended up soldering some 22ga wires to the ends of the dome side of the slip ring so that I could use ferrule connectors for the signal lines. The signal lines carry next to zero current, so I'm not worried about the change in wire gauge.
I also forgot to mention that where the MagTag fastens to the dome gear, there are thumbscrews that protrude on the underside of the crossbar, so you cannot place the MagTag too far outboard or it will hit the dome gear and cause problems.
All of the Shadow and Marcduino code is stock. I will eventually customize the code to improve some minor annoyances such as the "flapping" of the dome panels when they close. I am hopeful I will be able to make some code changes to fine-tune the motor performance as well.
Dome Motor: www.pololu.com...
Dome Motor Bracket: www.pololu.com...
Small Slip Ring: The one I got is no longer available, but there are many similar ones on Amazon.
Beefy Slip Ring: www.amazon.com...
MagTag thread on Astromech: astromech.net/...
Pololu Step-Down Voltage Regulators: www.pololu.com... The Pololu regulators are very efficient and of a high quality. They are highly recommended among droid builders.
3D Printable Voltage Regulator Mount: www.dropbox.co...
Note: The voltage regulator that I show in this video (and for which the above mount is sized) is an older model that is not readily available, but if you happen to find one, this mount should work.
3D print files available from Mr. Baddeley: / mrbaddeley
(R2 files are available for free, but become a Patron to access dozens of other fun, Star-Wars-inspired 3D-printable droids).
Best resource for droid building: astromech.net/...
If you are considering undertaking your own droid electronics build, please watch this entire playlist before you start. Some of the components I use change as my system evolves. The videos explain the reasoning behind the changes. This is how I intended this video series to be - it’s a document of the process I undertook to learn and understand the WHY, rather than just focus on the HOW.
As always, product links that are provided may change over time. I will try to maintain them, but please feel free to leave a comment if you find something that is no longer available or that needs to be updated.
Thanks for watching and happy building!
Man I really hope you don't mind that I'm using your videos as a guide for myself. I'm doing an identical RC system and this is so incredibly useful I cannot thank you enough for posting all this up
I don't mind at all, I think it's awesome that you're finding these helpful. I'm definitely still learning a lot as I go, but am hopeful that I'm nearing the home stretch. Thanks for watching!
@@jasonsR2D2 you helped with my R2-DD2 repairs by the way THANK'S!
by think away 16 inches
he don't mind guys as long as he knows
I actually replaced a few motors myself and it works good just spins faster because its out of pencell sharpener motors now
they where literally a dollar wow!
exact evidence best prof R2-D2'S a robot by now
Thanks for sharing.
looks good
Thank you!
@@jasonsR2D2 your welcome
Hi Jason
Thanks for great videos on building R2, I am Building R2 myself but the electrics are different to yours.
My question to you is..
If you used the small slip ring, how is is wired up and where do they go. as I have the small slip ring but dont know how to connect the wires, where and what to.
I have looked on line and on the droid builders site, but nothing.
I know nothing about electronics, but a little bit about electric.
Thanks
So the number of discrete connections you need (and where they go) will depend on your control system. If you're running power to the dome, that's two connections right away (+/-). Add to that whatever signals need to be provided between components in the body and dome. Shadow+MD requires one signal from the Arduino going INTO the dome master, and a second signal wire from the dome master back DOWN into the body to the MP3 trigger. So that means that I need a total of 4 connections. I'm not super familiar with Padawan, but I'm pretty sure it needs at least one signal going from the body to the dome. Not sure whether it needs a second signal or not.
Once you know how many discrete connections you need, you can then decide how to allocate the multiple wires in your slip ring to accommodate that need.
Signal wires carry very low current, so there's little reason to use more than one slip ring wire for each signal connection. So, setting aside two wires in my 12-wire slip ring for signal left me 10 wires for dome power. I simply divided them into 5 wires for positive voltage and 5 wires for ground. For each group of 5 wires (note which colors go together so you can do the same on both sides of the slip ring) simply strip the ends, then twist them together before crimping on the connector of your choice.
At the end, you'll have a slip ring with 4 connectors on each side (or however many you determine you need for your setup) where the same colored wires are bundled together at each end. You can test continuity using a voltmeter just to be sure - touch the matching connectors at each end and hopefully you hear the tone.
That is pretty much it for setting up the slip ring. After that, it's a matter of finding an easy and convenient means to connect/disconnect the dome - the MagTag is one option, but there may be others.
Oh, and I mention this in another video, but it's important to reiterate - especially if you're going to use a smaller slip ring - you DEFINITELY want to pass full battery voltage into the dome and step down in the dome to 5v for your boards. You can look closely at the wiring in the dome at the end of this video - you can see the red/black wires go directly to the regulator, then out to each of the Marcduino boards.
Good luck with your build!
Hey Jason!
I am trying to get the same slip ring, but when i click your link its giving me several options and I want to make sure i am getting the right one. did you get the 6 wire 10amp, 15amp, 20amp or 30amp slip ring?
Pretty sure it was the 10 amp version. Since I pass full voltage through it, the current draw should be low. Be sure the voltage converter in the dome can also handle 10 amps just to be safe.
I’m planning my system now. I was planning on using the Padawan 360 system. But watching your videos is making me want o try a Shadow. Thanks for the time to explain all the parts and overall working of the system. Do you have the part numbers for the slip rings?
There is a link to the bigger "beefy" slip ring I used in the video description. I did not include a link to the smaller one that I had - but you should be able to find various options by searching online for slip rings. Amazon has plenty of options.
Both control systems are quite popular - I don't think you can go wrong either way. Good luck with your build!
Hey Jason where is the larger slip ring bracket in the OneDrive? Is it the pitman option one?
The larger slip rings have a diameter of 24mm. In Print Files -> Astromech MK3 -> MKIII Body -> Main Body & Skirt -> DomeGears you will see two files for that size slip ring - MotorFrameA-24mm.stl and MotorFrameB-24mm.stl. That's what I used for mine.
@@jasonsR2D2 you’re the man! 🫡
Do you share buck converter mount stl anywhere ?? TIA
I updated the video description to include a link to the .stl that I created (www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vp2wz9j0rky4rgcszme1m/Pololu-Step-Down-Mount.stl?rlkey=7umpz513n64agyyqogt8nkq7d&dl=0). Just keep in mind that the voltage regulator that this fits is not commonly found anymore - Pololu offers newer regulators that are more square in shape, but if you happen to have one of the older ones, this mount should work for you.
Oh that’s awesome. Thanks and yes I have that exact same one. Thanks again
What's that metal bracket your dome motor mounts with? Did it come with your Pololu motor?
www.pololu.com/product/1084 It's $8 for a pair of brackets. I should have mentioned it in the video. I tried just about every available bracket option from Michael's files and nothing really worked. This was ideal, but I needed to drill mounting holes in the motor mount. It's too tight to get a drill in there, so I used a pin vise instead. It also helps to have a set of really small ignition wrenches to help tighten things up.
Nice work have you got the body doors and arms in them going yet?
Nope, and it will be a while before that will happen. Out of the box, neither Shadow nor Marcduino have commands for controlling any body servos - doors, utility arms, gripper arm, or interface arm. All of that pretty much needs to be implemented as custom code updates, and I won't start down that rabbit hole until after the electronics are migrated inside R2 and he's had a chance to venture out into the world.
@@jasonsR2D2 fair enough I’m still not at that stage either but not really looking forward to that part.
@@jasonsR2D2 Unfortunately USPS won't ship my Marcdunio x2 master x1 slave boards to me in Australia due to shipping backlogs. It could be months before I see them. Look forward to following your progress on that rabbit hole digging into tweaking sketch and would appreciate an update on how you are currently implementing body doors/arms movements within the code. It would make an interesting video on how you make modifications/editing maybe?
Look forward to your next upload.
@@pauly540 Pauly, where in aus are ya?
I love using badlys designing because any time something doesn't quite fit or someone asks why it looks a bit janky I can say "well it's badly designed"
Dad joke FTW!