Inmoov Project

I love the look of him. I am about to start one myself. I have a few shelves worth of parts just waiting. Thanks for the photos!

I'll be glad to help If you have any question when you do the assembly

I am sure that I will come across something and just say "WHAT?" Thanks for the offer!

@Aerius. WOW! That looks fantastic. I like the colors. A two color printer really helps to add the accents. What printer do you have?

That is fantastic! I really dig the colors as well - man, all of you are getting me jealous.

Might have to create our own InMoov here at ez-robot

@ bhouston tanks! I am using a Flashforge Dreamer. When printing i can interrupt the job, unload the filament, load an other color and resume printing. That's the way i did print the stomach circle and the ears.

Guys your good words make me proud and help me to go foward. Tanks

@ dj what my Inmoov is holding in is hand will make the real difference.

@Aerius Great work.... your parts fit nicely.... very clean build indeed ....

Tanks Richard, Do you know if Gael have made available the lower portion of stomach to rotate the body?

@Aerius Not that I am aware of... there still isn't a download for it that I can see....

I've asked Gael, a couple of times, when he is going to release the lower stomach parts and he has said that he is not happy with the design and may have to change it. He wants it to be correct the first time so people don't have to modify it in the future.

We often say that we gain experience through practice. But sometimes this acquisition can be painful.

Yesterday I was testing the new arm of my Inmoov. Everything was connected properly, or so I thought until suddenly two of the three shoulder joints are turned on and in the wrong direction.

My first reflex was to stop all by ARC, but alas, it was too late. Torn wires, 2 ruined main shoulder parts. Fortunately all potentiometers are safe.

But what would cause such a disaster?

I had already read on the forum that the connections to a servo motor should not be left unconnected specially the one that controls it.

So after checking all of the servo connections, arm control wires were connected to EZB except the 3 controlling the shoulder. (All servos were already fed by my PS 6 volts 25 amps)

So lessons learned: Be sure to check not once but twice all connections before powering a circuit. And know where is the panic button (in my case, the switch PS) if something unusual happens.

@Aerius This looks GREAT! and glad to hear you used the Flashforge Dreamer, as I was still debating between this and the Flashforge creator Pro. I think you made my mind up and I going for the Dreamer!

What part of the Inmoov did you start printing out and building first?

Chris..

I Chris,

I think you will enjoy your 3D printer.

Printing the hand, I believe is a good start. It is a small assembly and it will give you the chance to get use with your printer.

Do not hesitate if you have further questions. Gilles

@Aerius Ah sorry dude... I had something similar happen to me... I tried an experiment... which turned out to be very dumb... Hey hindsight is 20/20 right.... I decided to write a script that would set all my servos to position 0 (yes, I mean zero) thinking it would work as an auto release... well it didn't and it broke the left shoulder piv gearbox by trying to over rotate backwards... Even thought I print exclusively in ABS it still broke... So I had to re-print the entire left shoulder (as you know the piv joint connects solidly to the rot joint)... So I had to reprint both gear boxes and connectors...

Lesson learned

@ Richard I am seriously starting to look to install some sort of limit switch or get electronic feed back signal from critical articulation to avoid those situations.

Maybe small magnet and hall effect sensor would do the job http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/hall-effect-sensor.htm

Signal shutting the power off through a relay might do the job. any idea?

I installed one of these... Panic Button

Real nice panic button. I bookmark it. What are the arrows on the cap for?

You punch/press it to kill the power and then twist it in the direction of the arrows to reset the switch back to normal power flow.....

@Richard Good idea regarding the panic button. I must remember this when I start building my Inmoov. Sounds a bit scary regarding the shoulder servos and getting it wrong!

You mentioned that you printed it out with ABS, is this recommended?

I was thinking about using ColorFabb copper/bronze for some parts, may be the head? But not sure if it would be OK, given that ColorFabb copper or bronze is heavier than standard PLA.

Cheers, Chris..

@cem It's no big deal if you break a part... simply just print another one.... Anyway stuff happens... In my case because I did something stupid....

ABS is supposedly stronger than PLA and that's (ABS) what Gael recommends using... However Bob Houston built his in PLA and to my knowledge hasn't had any more strength related issues than I've had... So I think, as long as you have your printer dialed in correctly for the type of filament you are using you should be fine either way...

I would stick with PLA or ABS if for nothing else but weight reasons.... The gearboxes (particularly the shoulder Piv gearbox) has to lift the entire weight of an arm. The heavier the type of filament you use will add to the total weight that that piv gearbox has to lift... I say keep him light and strong for reliability....

@Cem In my case , I use ABS as recommended by Gaël especially for mechanical parts. Regarding the lids and finish , I would say follow your intuition while keeping in mind the limits imposed by the weight as recommended by Richard .

In any case under normal opperation if a part is too weak (regardless of the material ) You always have control over the number of layers and filling percentage .

@Aerius and @Richard

Thanks for the feedback.

Cheers, Chris.

your version looks more friendly, very cool color-design. thanks for your robot project photos.

Tanks Smarty

Bicep and shoulder testing, all control signals from fingers to shoulder are transfer to EZB through HDMI slim cable.

@Aerius Outstanding wiring! Very neat and tidy..... Mine looks like a rat's nest compared to yours....

Thanks Richard,

It's like a watchmaker's work, time and patience.(you know what I am talking about)

Finally the result is interesting

@Aerius I see you found the shoulder covers (stl) too.... I really like them, they finish the shoulder and cover some wiring too....

yes, in fact under that cover is hiding my rat's nest

@Aerius, Ya Nice work, I think I may have to switch wiring over to the HDMI system. I embarrassed to show anyone the back of my InMoov !

@bhouston... your inMoov has a hairy back too

@ bhouston and richard How have you installed the Ezb in your Inmoov? Are you using the power base?

@Aerius, I have an EZB mounted on the back of InMoov with a bracket I made - no power base. Then power the to the power lead and a ground run into a ground port.

@ Richard, That's a good way to put it - A hairy back

@Aerius I mounted mine basically the same way Bob did.... Mine is just hot glued to inMoov's back... I soldered a new plug to the mini deans power pin, however...I can never put it back in it's base this way, but I never plan to...

@Aerius, can you make a hardware list for us. Items such as screw sizes, nuts, bolts, etc, and be detailed as you can to help us newbiews or to help us move along a little faster. I'm still Wowing over yours, nice clean work! Nice printed pieces.

@69 developer Tanks for the good words, I am sure you will be proud of yours to.

The next pics cover all the screws and tools I did use to assemble my Inmoov.

List of other tools: file, sand paper, twisers, long nose, cutter, exacto, jewell screw driver, magnifier, dremel, drill, soldering iron, desoldering pump (great tool when you will modify servos) ( all you can find to make precision work)

Thanks a lot Arius! I have a very long ways to go, just started printing parts in between some other small things I have going on. But these pictures help tremendously as it gives me a heads on some things I need to get.

Also the more pictures the better off it helps me, so keep them coming if you don't mind.

Again, awesome job and thanks!

Skull normally contains the brain, so my Inmoov does now.

EZB + HDMI all in the head.

Very neat, right where the brain should be!

Tony

Gonna' need a lot of "nerves" running up the spine to that brain....

@Aerius

Great neat job Gilles, and will be interesting if all the wires running up to the EZB will fit in the spine?

Chris.

Not a problem, the existing slim HDMI cable is capable to control bot arms and shoulders total of 20 servos.

And the spine opening is about 3/4 inch, so there is plenty of space to feed an other HDMI cable with an extra 20 wires.

The only role of EZB is to control servos or receive signal from sensors. The power is supply by an other source directly to the servos.

The great advantage EZB fitted in the head are:

1- No dangling wires at the back 2- EZB camera use in the eye

Lets be proud of it!

EZ-RobotLogoonInmoovleftShoulder.stl

EZ-RobotLogoonInmoovRightShoulder.stl

I like it.

@Aerius,

Very nice. I really like your Inmoov. So much so, that I think I'm going to build one myself. I do have a question though. What percentage of infill are you printing the various parts with?

@joseph4760 depends on the part... superficial parts like the chest, face, hand covers etc can be low like 15% or so.... However, parts that require a lot of strength like arms, torso framework and gearboxes would require a higher infill... I used 50% on those parts....

@ Richard R,

Thank you for the response. That's just what I needed to know. Time to get printing!

Tanks Joseph4760 The Inmoov community is growing up In my case, Cover & lid at 15 %, 2 shell Structure peaces to support fastening hardware at 30%, 3 shell Gear & piston at 40-50 % , 3 shell

@Aerius,

Thank you for the info! I'll be watching your build. Keep up the great work!

@Aerius, can you provide a list of the servos you are using. It seems there are a mixture of brands. As I have printed out some of the servo fixtures and the gears don't match up to the plastic piece I print. I just want to make sure I have or get the right servos for the right parts.

@69 I used the 805BB In the biceps, shoulders, head and neck and HS 311 and MG 995 for the fingers and wrists. I know others have used different ones though.

I'm good on the Hitec 805BB.

I could not get the HS311 or HS422 to fit the servo wheels that I printed.

Then InMoov calls out: Fingers 10x servos HK15298B =

Wrists 2x servos MG996r =

Sorry just want to make sure I order/get/have the right servos as they add up in price quick. Was hoping to stick with just Hitec Servos, but looks like I have to mix it up.

Appears the plastic parts that attach to the servos have different splines.

Again, I think I'm confusing myself now, rough day and fighting health issues.

Appreciate the help!

You will need 12 of the 805bb servos with 10 of them being modified if you go with Gael's instructions for the head servos.

12 servos for the hands If you go with the rotational wrists.

2 or 3 (depending on if you want each eye to have its own servo or not) for the eyes if you wand them to move.

if you want to use Bhouston ' s head tilt change, that is 2 more servos.

There is also a way for the thumbs to move in 2 directions which takes 2 more servos.

31 total servos for everything down to the upper stomach total.

Thanks guys, with your help, reading and paying attention more I see there were some parts I was missing. I needed to print the RobRing instead of the ServoPulley.

@69developer The HK15298B's are seriously expensive.... I used MG996 or MG995s for both wrists and fingers.... They work well..... I also used the robring with added "tuning" peg screws... This is so I can easily adjust the tension if some slack should develop....

@ 69developer,

I had to rework the arm robrings to fit my EZ-Robot servo's horn.

So just in case, here's the stl file.

Arm_Servo_pulley_X5_12-26.stl

Richard R, Exactly what kind of screw is the tuning peg and are you leaving some wraps of string on that? It's hard to tell from above.

@Checksumff I just used a standard #4 x 3/8 wood screws. Yes, I wrapped some of the braided line around the screws (several times) with some crazy glue so the line doesn't slip when I turn the screws to tighten (or loosen)... And yes I left some extra length just in case for some reason I need extra line... but, maybe I guess I could just trim the excess off to make it look neater...

@Checksumff here is an other option if you wish

Excellent information and pictures guys! Greatly appreciated and it helps me tremendously!

Thanks Guys!

Since PLA is easier for me to print versus ABS, you think I will be ok printing everything in PLA and the gears/splines/rotational items to be printed in ABS?

Man I have started printing and its going to take a while..... sleep sleep

Also started acquiring some of the servos I need. I'm going to start with the arm and build from there. Maybe if I see the arm/fingers work, then it would get me more motivated to finish the rest.

@Aerius, I tried using your .stl file but it would not load in Simplify3D software but I could load it in my cad software and view it. Strange...

@69developer, my whole InMoov is printed with PLA. PLA works fine for the gears, splines and rotating parts, just make sure your print them with at least 75% fill.

@69developer, I am able to open it in CAD 123D Design and in my FlashForge slicer sw. confused

Any one else having problem to open this file?

Arm_Servo_pulley_X5_12-26-14.stl

@Aerius The file you just posted now opens no problem..... (in post #67)

Tanks Richard

@Aerius and @Richard, I still cant get the file to open in Simplify3d, but it will open in my other CAD software. Strange.

Richard was you opening it in Simplify3d?

When I open it in MeshMixer, there are all standing up on ends instead of flat down, and that may be the problem. Not smart enough to make them lay flat...

Yep, Simplify3d... They are all lying flat when I open them.... try opening it in your CAD program and then resaving it as an stl....

I had to open in MeshMixer and rotate 90. Strange

I'm using Simplify3d 2.2.1 on a Mac.

I have the PC version so maybe that's the difference....?

@InMoov guys, can you take some pictures of the arm, both assembled and unassembled, if you can. Take multiple shots at different angles.

I am assuming the left and right forearm are the same? As when I look at the inmoov website of STL parts, I don't see any covers for the forearm?

I'm trying, its a slow process for me, that's for sure. But a little progress is better than none.

As you print a part, label it with tape. The instructions reference the parts. There are differences between left and right hands, forearms and shoulders.

@69developer If you haven't already done so, download all the available inMoov stl's and keep copies of them... Don't ask why LOL.... just make sure you grab all the files so that you have them...

@69developer All Bicep covers are at the bottom of the list under the name armtopcover1,2,3

Inmoov STL download Inventory

These covers do not show in any sketch, but once printed you will easily find where they clip.

pictures of assembly

This will allow you to see how each part is assembled and where it goes.

An update to the last modifications.

@Aerius, that looks great! If you are having a problem with the Pistons popping off, put a small screw thru the slot in the piston adapter into the ball joint. I will add that to my Thingiverse instructions. There is a picture on Thingiverse showing these screws.

Great work Gilles. Very neat.

Chris.

@Aerius Nice work on Bob's neck design.... I also love your electronics integration too.... very well thought out...

@BHouston "put a small screw thru the slot in the piston adapter into the ball joint" this detail have escaped my attention, tanks I'll test it.

@cem and Richard Tanks

HDMI Junction Box. Allow to connect both hands / arm & shoulder with HDMI cable to the EZB in the head. Total of 20 servos Additionally 8 wires to analog input on EZB to sense 4 finger force feedback + 4 touch sensor.

Next I will add an other EZB to control the lower stomach / and other accessory

The progress you have been making in such a short time is very impressive. I just watched your operation video for the first time - gave me a good chuckle. Glad to see the patient is recovering!

Tanks DJ.

Gilles, Looking good, very neat and tidy!

I liked the video too, made me chuckle.

Chris.

I love the video. you are doing great on your build. Thanks for sharing as you go along.

@Cem & David Tanks for the good words. Next step I will complete the second arm with touch detection and pressure feed back capability on the fingers.

I'm including a previous youtube video into my project.

Talking about the buzz noise coming from servo trying to hold position. The Inmoov shoulder having 3 servos to control the arm movement is quite a challenge to. The arm twist and arm lift mechanism are capable to hold the position even when the servo is release. (also shoulder lift in most of the case).

NOTE: after a servo release command, the only way to restart it, is to set the speed to 0 or 1.

Here's my solution: 1- At the beginning of an action, do what I call a RESTART.

Servo( D7, (getservo(D7)+1) )
ServoSpeed( D7,0 )

Servo( D8, (getservo(D8)+1) )
ServoSpeed( D8,0 )

Servo( D9, (getservo(D9)+1) )
ServoSpeed( D9,0 )

2- Do the action (adjust the speed you want)

3- At the end of the action then do a Servo Release

(first line is a sleep timer to let the action finish his movement before applying the release command)

Sleep(2000) # depends of the time need to achieve the movement.
Release (D9 ) 
Release (D8)
Release (D7)

Start and Release could be 2 separate script that you call from each frame within an action. Call Restart Script within a pause frame, Call Release Script within the movement frame.

It's working

Instead of the last script where you are useing the sleep command to wait for the movement to end and releasing the servos, can't you instead use the auto release control? It should watch the servos you have listed in it and release automatically after your choice of time. However I'm not sure this will work with auto positioning.

Additional pic. about my Inmoov wiring and EZB's location

@Aerius,

What's the idea for the xbox kinect ? And the location (mid body) ?

As per Gael Langevin original design & a project showcase:

https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/7642

I did not experiment much with it, it is still on my to do list

@ Aerius

Nice neat work as always Gillies.

Instead of releasing the servos with ez-script, you can create a frame that specifies 0 for the position. 0 value means release servo, and -1 means skip servo for this frame. You can find out more here: https://synthiam.com/Tutorials/Help.aspx?id=180

Tanks DJ

I have finally found the ideal coil spring for my Inmoov neck piston.

It's a soldering Iron Stand Spring (common part in electronic shop)

Easy to cut & adjust for your need and strong enough to keep the position when the servo is released

It's all grown-up now

Wow, nice clean work, Areius! Looks great. What are the 2 blue domes on the back?

Tanks Bob, they are BudWiser speakers, 4 years ago there was a promotion, free speaker in beer case.

Do they go off automatically when the Habs score a goal?

Great neat job again Gilles. Hiding all those of wires!

You beat me to the post on finishing the 'Back' hopefully should have mine finished this w/e, and I'll post some photos.

When are we going to see a video of it in action, now that you have completed it?

@ Bob no I'll teach him to cranck them up when they score.

@Cem Tanks, I'm still working on it, it's a part time hoby. Looking forward to see yours.