Day 1 (4th August 2015)
So after throwing around a few ideas for a new project to sink my teeth in to, I decided to go ahead and do my own version of an Astromech Droid, rather an Astromech "Smartdroid". With K-9 being one of my all time favourite on-screen robots, R2-D2 was (and still is) just as much of an all time favourite of mine so building one of my own droids is a logical step for me. As my other robot showcases where posted when the majority of the work was done, this will be a build diary of sorts, with updates throughout the build.
So wanting to get back to building, I had a few ideas floating around for my next BIG project and the thought about doing an R2 style robot came up a few times in the past (the blueprints I drew up that I've posted are 3 years old and was for an R/C version), and after encountering a few design issues for a large custom robot (which I will get back to one day), it was @Robot56's fantastic Astromech Droid project that was the final push for me to decide what direction I should go. There are so many great scale replica Astromech builds around that people have done, but much like my K-9 2.0 build, I want to stay away from doing an exact prop replica build and do a custom build with custom paint job (as seen in the blueprints) while still keeping with the overall original design.
So what's with the name E4-B4 (Eiifor-Befour)? Well its kinda based on the EZ-B 4, of which this little'ish guy will have two of them. One master v4 to control motor controllers, ping sensors, v4 soundboard, camera and sensors, while the 2nd slave v4 will be used for all of the servos used as well as additional sensors. E4 will be mainly built using MDF with a plastic covering, and movement will be powered by 12v 30 watt gearbox/motors for the drive system. The "burtt acoustic signaller" and system ventilation vents on R2-D2's chest area (the two silver square'ish panels) will be replaced on E4 with a tablet PC, and the Optical Holographic Projector in R2's head will be something similar to what E4 will have, using a portable projector like the Aiptek or the Pico Genie, so no holograms... yet.
The dimensions will be slightly smaller than the original prob, but not by much so E4 will be plenty big enough. I'm intending to fit a few useful tools that he will be able to deploy, and of course have the fully rotating head which will have all kinds of bells and whistles. I have some of the MDF sheets and 2x4 wood lengths for the frame already, and the motors and head dome (lampshade) should be with me sometime this week, so it will be power tools at the ready. I'm in no rush to finish this project, but I am aiming to have E4-B4 pretty much finished by this December.
I will posting lots of photos and few videos throughout the build process, so I hope anyone reading will find this build dairy interesting and enjoyable. And as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions (especially on the colour scheme). Anyway thanks for reading, and let the build begin...
Steve.
Other robots from Synthiam community
Joseph4760's Project X-Men Juggernaut
Justinratliff's EZ-Elf Robot
Woow. Very nice. If I was a girl E2-B4 I'd be following him around everywhere. Looking forward to seeing him rolling around.
Nice job, Steve. Very impressive! I've been watching your build and I am looking forward to seeing it come to life.
Thanks for the nice comments Ron, Dave and Bob. Really appreciated. I've been stuck in hospital all day having pain management injections stuck in my lower back, so reading your posts cheered me up.
Scripting is going well (@Ron, there's going to be a lot of scripts, so when the videos are posted, if there's something in particular you want me to post, let me know), although I did have a bit of a mishap last night by deploying a utility tool before opening the flap, DOH. It broke the little linkage bracket off the flap, but it was easily fixed.
Another thing was the sound reactive LED. It was advertised as 8ma when I bought it, but it was very temperamental and dim. I measured it and it was reading 12 to 14ma, so it's either faulty or mis-advertised. Luckily there's no damage to the signal pin, so I replaced the LED with a single bulb RGB board and works much better.
@Dave.
Before I start on the others, I've got a short video clip I'm going to post for you in regards to one of your previous posts. I'll try and put it up tomorrow. I hope you'll like it.
Looking forward to it!
Be Well, hurting Backs SUCK !
Ron R
Thanks Ron. Yeah, they sure do.
@Dave (and everyone else).
You said,
Well buddy, the drinks holder idea of yours was a good one, but, I see your cup holder, and I raise you...A BEER DISPENSER.
Enjoy.
Steve, I have been away dealing with a serious family health issue, but I can not stay silent today. You have created an exceptional homemade robot! How cool is that robot in that video? Looking forward to more! Steve S
Hey Steve. Nice to hear from you, and thanks for the kind words. Real sorry to hear about your troubles... I feel your pain as I'm going through something similar with my mother. Building E4 when I got some time to myself helped somewhat to take my mind off things for a while, and gave me something to focus on.
I'm pleased you like the build, and the video too. Had a little issue with either a temperamental remote relay or motor controller today, so I may change it out for a Sabertooth when I can afford to get one. I just did another video showing off one of his other fun features. I'll post it soon.
Anyway, thanks for posting, and my thoughts are with you buddy.