ANH R2-D2 Build (Weathered CS:R spec)

[matty matt]

I also added some ANH details like some weird extra holes and rivets. The ANH battery boxes also have separate plates riveted on around the hoses so I cut some from aluminum.

The hose was cut to length and wire placed inside to make them bendable.

A screw placed in the end holds everything tight and then they're threaded into the foot shells.

Here's a box all painted up.

 

[Halliwax]

Intense

 

[OpenR2]

I tried to make 3D printed battery boxes with no luck. The NPC motors just wouldn't fit inside without sizing them up to ridiculously large dimensions. I eventually broke down and ordered an aluminum set. The thinner wall size allows the motors to fit better. They still didn't really fit, but I was able to get them in by grinding the top of the motors down and cutting away a good portion of the side of the box.

Here was my initial cut. The motor kind of went in but it wasn't enough.

View attachment 1345179

I ended up cutting a lot more away. The hole is just barely covered by the foot shell.

View attachment 1345180

It's a very tight fit.

View attachment 1345181

On the originals the motors actually stick out of the battery boxes.

 

[OpenR2]

Here is a photo of how far the motor came out of the battery box, past the Kenny access hole cover....

 

[matty matt]

On the originals the motors actually stick out of the battery boxes.

This is true. Also the right motor sticks out towards the front of the box and the left one is the opposite. I couldn't think of a way to do all this and make it look right so I skipped it.

 

[matty matt]

The hoses were weathered with Birchwood Casey Brass Black.

Completed feet with battery boxes.

All the major components ready for assembly.

 

[matty matt]

Next came time to start on the wiring and the electronics. I added some wire to the motors just to have a little more length and additional wires were run through the legs.

The motors can be removed by unplugging the wires. You can also see the HDPE ankle locks I made here.

RC transmitter.

 

[matty matt]

Utility arms.

 

[matty matt]

I made a custom electronics panel from some aluminum. I wanted to keep the electronics close together so I could keep the wiring neat and make things simple. I put a lot of thought into this and got almost everything I needed to fit. The whole panel can come out by removing a few wires and screws.

 

[matty matt]

I actually had a lot of trouble figuring out the sounds. In the end I was able to use buttons on my transmitter to activate small relays. Sounds can be changed out by removing a micro SD card and just copying files onto it. I also created a 20 minute long mp3 file of random beeps I can trigger. Kind of like an auto mode.

 

[matty matt]

I 3D printed some mounts to attach the electronics panel to the frame. I have no door in the back so everything needs to be accessible from the top of the droid. Here is everything installed and wired up.

I kept the wiring very neat and there's lots of room still inside the body.

Here are the plugs for the leg wires.

I also found some nylon spacers that were just the right size for the dome. This seemed a little better than stacking up a bunch of nuts.

 

[Halliwax]

Wiring always intimidates me, looks good

 

[matty matt]

Wiring always intimidates me, looks good

It wasn’t bad at all. Using RC really simplified things. I had zero experience with that stuff and I was able to get him moving pretty easily.

 

[masterjedi322]

The EE in me appreciates your tidy wiring!

Love seeing an R2 come to life with the lights and sounds! So cool!

Sean

 

[Snow Builder]

Absolutely inspiring.

 

[matty matt]

Last week I was able to get him into my car for a test run. We took him down to the local elementary school to try things out.

My son got a chance to actually drive him around. It was exciting.

Everything worked great! I really put him to the test to see if anything would shake loose, but he was rock solid.

 

[matty matt]

 

[matty matt]

I noticed the sunlight washed out a lot of the weathering, especially on the feet. This tells me I've got to go a little heavier to get the look I want, which I've been working on the last couple of days.

 

[uglyguitarguy]

Wow, this is stunningly beautiful work. Fantastic!!

 

[matty matt]

Spent a little more time weathering my feet. Pretty happy with them now.