Mark W . ( B9-0135 )

 

 

08/08/2007 - I've been working my wrists.  Since I don't have a lathe, I cut acrylic circles of varying sizes with my router and will laminate them together (they have not been glued in the photos).  The front wrist is acrylic and Bondo, the back part that fits inside the arm cuff is wood.  The claws are made of wood (straight from the "Construction Tips" page), with the recessed detail made out of styrene.  I was glad that I spent extra time drilling guide holes to match the parts so that they stayed centered once the inner circles were removed.  It saved a lot of headaches and mismatches.  There is still plenty of small finish work to do, but I'm happy with the results so far.

The arms are the old Centryco bellows that people used many years ago and are no longer produced.  I hate that they are black, so I may experiment with using dye to change the color.  Next up - claw mechanism and wrist clamps!

 

07/04/2007 - I've just completed my 2nd scratchbuilt power pack. It's made the same way that I show at the bottom of the page, but the strength, dimensions, and paint color (thanks David H!) are better. Since I made my own circuit board and decals, I added a customized etching on the back of the ppack with my member number and initials. I also made custom decals using my member number as the serial number. The frame is aluminum and plumbers epoxy. The end connectors are styrene. I added details accurate to the original on the back of the 5 pin connector though they really are not seen once everything is put together. Components are from Bill K., plugs from Radio Shack.

I also revised my donut to match my OLD Mike J torso.

 

 

03/28/2007 - Work on Donut, wrists and claws.

I made my Donut with 4 pieces of 1/2" MDF glued with Gorilla Glue.

Using a homemade circle cutter for my router, I started to finish the Donut with a straight bit to even the circumference.

After starting with a 1/2" round-over bit, I moved to a 7/8" bit to finish the shaping for both sides.
Thanks to club member David H for loaning me his router bits!

I'm using car door lock actuators to animate my claws (@ $15.00 each), so I set up a bench test to make sure that everything works well.
The mechanism itself is based on a Craig R. drawing from several years ago, and it works well.

 

Since I do not have a lathe, I made my wrists in 4 parts using acrylic, Bondo, and a ring of wood for the inner wrist circle.

 

I am scratchbuilding most of my robot.  It began as a matter of money to scratchbuild, and has become a matter of pride.  This CAN be done!  It is not always cheaper, is definitely slower, but it has been very rewarding so far!

I scratch built my power pack frame and end with L shaped aluminum from Lowes. I rough cut the shapes on the band saw and then sanded. After the parts were shaped they were glued together with JB weld.

I then used plumbers epoxy in the corners.

I sanded and shaped, then filled gaps with Bondo Glazing putty

I laminated styrene together for the end connector, leaving spaces where I would later put the brass connectors. I junked this one and remade it because it was a bit small.

Final frame and end connector

 

Another view of the frame and connector – 100% scratchbuilt and not too hard!

The finshed Power Pack.

Another view of the finished power pack showing the end connector detail.

Scratchbuilt radar, right from the “Construction Tips” page. I made the sensors with Super Sculpy and a hollow plastic eyeball. Sensors made from Craig’s “Construction Tips” article. I scavenged a gear system from a motorized car that runs through each ear.

Stackup 2003.
I built everything from the waist down (except side panels) using Mark T.’s plans with some adjustments.  Collar up is also scratchbuilt except for the bubble and bubble lifter boot.  Brain is styrene and acrylic, rods are brass, crown is acrylic and aluminum, and the brain cup is (of all things) a cocktail cup.  I have since finished the wheels, tread belts, and claws.  Getting close!