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Southern R2 meet In Jacksonville, Florida

Here's some pics from the Meeting.

It was GREAT to see everyone again and I hope everyone had a good time.

That's my Wife and her R3-T7 and you guessed it , That's me.

Octo #2

Here's the rear Octo getting prepared for the blue paint. It will be a couple of days before I can do the blue, The white has to cure.

Once I get this part done I'll add the doors and the rear skin will be almost complete.

The other pic is inside R2. The panel I showed a month back is now installed in R2.

It's made of clear/black Plexiglass, Once I get all the electronics together I'll add them to this area.

Southern R2 meet In Jacksonville, Florida

The group is putting together a meet here and I've been really busy getting the details together.
I have some updates to post on my R2, But it might be a couple of days before I can get them posted. Also my wife's R3 has updates.

I will post some pics of the meet after it happens.
So stay tuned for allot of pics to come.

Hello Holo

Remounted the front Holo, So now there's no hole in his head.

I also mounted the Restraining Bolt. Now most builders attach this with a magnet, But this R2 will be around a lot of children and I figured if I plan to keep him in one piece it better be bolted down.

So I drilled and tapped the Bolt and screwed it to the skins for safe keeping. My R2 will be a family treasure after I'm gone and I'm building it too last. I don't ever plan to repaint R2. So if it becomes damaged or scratched, At that time it will get weathered and look even more like the real R2.

Now that the front is finished, I will complete the rear skins.

All Closed

The front is all closed now.

There is some fine tuning to do, But it will have to wait until I get most everything finished.

I knew once I got him together, I would have to go back and fine tune parts for a better fit. The doors I temporally tape them into place so when I get the hinges I can get them moving.

The Large Data Port had to be mounted after the skin was installed.

I don't know if this is normal, But it fits so tight that the skin won't pass the edges of the port. This will be a pain if I need to remove the skins, But it's all bolt on parts.

What a PAIN!!!

Man I tell you this was a REAL PAIN!!!!

Getting the Liquid tape on the slots and the priming then painting was terrible.

Once we got the blue dried enough to work,

We had to get the Liquid tape back off the slots and then Clearcoat the blue.

I don't look forward to the Octo. on the back of R2.

After this fully dries, We will do some touchup to the white and this will give me a sharp edge between the 2 colors.

Small Steps

Sorry the pic is kinda crooked, But I had to lay on the floor to get the pic.

You'll start seeing a lot of pics like this one as I make progress on finishing R2. This pic shows the installed vents and the Power Coupler. Behind the 2 vents, I have 2 nice speakers for the midrange/high sounds. The bass will come from the speakers I have mounted under the large side vents on each side of R2. (Yeah!!!, Booming R2 and his lead tune will be: Lowrider from the 80's)

I will be painting the doors today and will tape them on the backside as to close up the front skins.

Once I get the hinges for the doors, Then I will get them swinging and down inside the door pockets I will cover this area with styrene and paint the styrene white to give it a nice finish.

Lookin' Closer

He's starting to look more like the real thing.

Once I can handle the skins better, I will add the Large Data Port to his chest and install the Vents in the surrounds.

Well, This is where I'm at so far with the build.

Wet Paint

Yep, It's still wet!!!

It was alot of fun doing the tape work, But here's how it turned out.

I got 1 Boo-Boo at the tope of the Octagon Port so I'll have some touchup paint to do, But all and all I guess I'm happy with the results. Once it dries the shine will fade to the Satin finish.

It will be 1 week before I can paint the blue around the Octo. I need the white to be completely dry so I can tape it up and paint the blue.

Skin Work

I countersunk 4- screws into the skin to hold the Octagon Port in place and then I used Glazing putty and Bondo to smooth the edges and hide the screws. Now I know this is a permanent way of mounting the Octo., But I studied the pics and the blue around the edges is suppose to come all the way out to the skins instead of stopping just before the skin area and having a white ring around the Octo. Right now your seeing the primer and as soon as skins dry from sanding I'll start the painting.

The Coin Slots, I decided to go with the blue around the sides and bare aluminum on the ends. Someone told me since I have a shinny dome that my R2 looked more like the Empire Strikes Back version and from the pics this is how it looks. There is some loose paint from edging around the ends down inside the gaps, But this will be behind the skins and won't be seen so I didn't worry about getting the droppings out.

I'll post more pics as soon as I get the skin painted and hopefully it turns out nice.

Testing

This is a test, I did not know we could post Video on the Blog

Little Progress

I installed that 3rd panel near the rear Logics and that finishes the panels.

The blue on the ring sure made R2 look different with the dome mounted. Yeah I guess you noticed I knocked the front Holo out. I was moving him around and my big behind made contact with the Holo and it was on the floor. J.B. Weld don't have nothing on my rear end.

More work to come, SeeYa soon!!!

Ring Painting

Ok, I finally painted that dreaded ring!!!

I was not looking forward to this part because it was the biggest area for a mistake to happen.

It took a while to tape and I also used liquid tape down in that tiny groove so the blue stayed where I wanted it to stay. I've seen some of the rings painted down in that groove and I didn't like it.

The only thing that might bite me in the butt is:

I was unable to prime the ring before painting. I was worried about paint build up and getting the liquid tape out of the groove. I plan to seal the edges with some clear fingernail polish, That stuff sticks to about anything. Hopefully this part will never get painted again, If it gets banged up then it will be time to dirty up R2 all over and he'll look like he's been in battle.

Dome Work

Finally the paint cured and I was able to install a few more dome parts.

Below the rear logic I installed the thin blue ring. Now I left the split between the panels silver, Because there are different opinions about this area being all blue or having the silver splits and I like the silver showing. The other part for this area, I will install after I fix that little bad spot with some paint.

The front logic bevel and the parts on each side I also installed today. I have the Logic's that the club built and I have the same problem about mounting them. They're suppose to stick out more than what mine are showing, But the Logic pc boards are too large for this tiny area and they bump into each other. Some of the other builders have solved this problem by reworking the boards, But I don't have the soldering skills to go this far into the logic's. So I'll have to settle with how they look.

More Progress

I got some more parts painted and now I will complete the front skins and then I'll post some more pics.

The painting process takes time and I'll be glad when it's over.

Anyway, It's starting to come together and hopefully be complete soon.

You'll notice in the pics the paint has a little orange peel look to it, But once it cures for 30 days I can polish and buff it smooth.

Center Ankle Mounts

These are the Jag mounts for the Center Foot wheels. The pic probly does'nt show the texture paint I used, But it looks GREAT!!!

This is the 1st time I've used texture paint and I really like it. These mount up inside the Center Foot and the Omniwheels mount to these plates.

No More Rust

Look Ma, I aint got no rust on me!!!

I got a chance to get some work done today and I took care of that Rust problem.

I can't put the Ankle on the foot yet, Because the paint is still tacky. So I'll wait about 1 week for the paint to cure and then I'll show the finished product. I did have a couple of Boo-Boo's on the blue area on the cylinder and when I can I'll do some touch up in this area.

The only thing I'll hate, When I put the 2 together they will rub in the Ankle area and that pretty white paint will get scratches.

Watto Again!!!

I got Watto mounted , But I still have some work to do to this project.

I also managed to get the Center Foot painted and I'll post some pics soon.

Brenda got a lot done to her R3, But you'll have to visit her Blog for the updates.

I Have Returned!!!

Ok, Now the updates will start happening again.

I don't have alot to show right now, But some parts have started coming in and I stuck a few together for this post. I need to get the Jag foot sanded and painted soon, Because you can see the surface rust starting.

I will be posting more regular from here on out, So seeya soon.

I'm a GHOST!!!!

I have been invisible here on my Blog lately, But it's not that I'm not doing R2 work.
I'm busy doing R3 work. Once Brenda catches up with me, I'll get back to work.
The only thing is, That she'll actually pass me by when she catches up.
So, Don't give up on me guys :) I'll be reborn someday!!!!

Trial Fitting

Just doing a little fitting on the legs.
Everything seems to be working at O.K.
so far and the Ankle Braclets I got from Jag for FREE!!! Thank you Jag!!!
The center Hydraulic seems to be off center for some reason, But I'll fix that.
This is the right leg and I'm not sure if the buttons go up front or the Hydro, So I'll have to research this problem.
Down inside the area where the Hub sets is where I'll have the steel plate. This will add even more strength to this area and there will be a steel plate under the round shoulder on the backside of the leg. So I don't expect any problems with this area not holding. Also the round shoulder will be bolted to the leg so it will also add even more strength to this area. I've got to get the mounts I need for my mill and mill the backside of the hub and the round shoulder, I'll mill the holes out alittle for the lock nuts to fit down inside the round shoulders.

Slow Pace

Man, I got to get myself in gear!!!!!!
All I did today was work on 1 leg in the Undershoulder detail area.
It looks alot better now, I got all 3 layers of wood in this area to match.
I did discover one thing though. I thought my idea for bolting the legs on kinda stunk,
But I looked at a pair of A&A legs and they bolt up just like mine do, So I guess it's not to bad.
I did cut alittle deeper in the bolt area, But it's still not enough for the hub to set down.
So I'll get the vise for my Mill and mill the hub to fit.

R2 Progress

Not really much, But got the dome back on R2 and man is this thing getting bigger.

I've seen R2 so much, That I did'nt realize how big he really is getting.

Anyway, I'll rip the legs off soon and finish them with the bondo and paint.

Cross your fingers!!!!

Legs Attached

Ok, I ran into a couple of problems with the legs.

The bottom pic shows how I shimmed the A&A leg mounts.

1st - I drilled and tapped the holes in the Sat. motors to use 1/4 rod. The rod also has a nut to tighten the shaft down to the Sat. holes, So no slipping in this area. This was followed by a washer to fill the area between the nut and the A&A - Jag style stops. No play in this area.

I also added white nylon bushings into the holes, So there was no play in this area.

In the next pic, You can see the rods and the legs bolted to the frame.

Now this was my 1st problem area. The nuts barely have enough room to fit down into the leg and I didn't expect this when I was building the legs, But they do the job.

The 2nd problem was in the hubs.

The 3rd pic shows the back of the hub and there is allot of excess Aluminum in the inside of the hub. This area hits the nuts inside the legs and won't allow the hub to slide all the way into the leg. So what I will have to do is mill the area down to a smaller size and then the hub will slide all the way into the leg. I'll post pics after I mill the hubs.

The top pic shows the legs bolted on R2 and I sat the front skin on for looks.

Anyway, If your building your own legs. I suggest you find away around this problem.

It's not a bad solution to building legs, But it causes extra work and may be too much for some people to deal with. Also if your buying the Jag style legs, You may run into a similar problem with bolting the legs to the Sat. motors.

Dome Controller

The SyRen 10 motor controller came in today and I tested it out on the motor for the dome and it works great!!!

I almost wired the thing wrong from the Vex to the SyRen. The wires from the Vex only uses 2 of the 3 wires going to the SyRen.

The black which is the ground and the white which is the signal. I didn't know it does NOT use the red wire coming from the Vex, But everything is OK. I set the pins and in about 2 minutes I had the motor under control by the Vex Micro. I'll get it mounted into the panel and get the motor in place and give it a try at turning the dome. I will have to recode the Vex software to match the new motor drive.

R2 Leg Work

R2 now has 2 legs, They're not complete yet but they will be soon.

As you can see in the pic, I put the horseshoes on for looks right now and I need to drill the booster bolt screws into 1 leg.

I also drilled the bolts for the shoulder and this will make the area stronger.

The shoulder detail area I still have alot of work to finish. I have enough wood left over that I will start cutting another set for my wife's allwood yellow R2.

Not Much Today

Not much to add today. I did get the other outer leg together and now I will start squaring and truing the 2 legs. After I get them lined up correctly, I will start with the bondo to work out the low spots and then they'll get the 1st coat of primer.
So it should be soon now that the leg build will be over.

Electronics Panel

The top pic shows the rear of the removable panel. I added 1 Aluminum angle to each side and these will have slip holes in them so I can remove the panel fairly easy from the A&A frame. The next pic shows the Vex and the terminals that will supply power for my needs.

The terminal on the left will supply 24v.

The terminal on the right will supply 12v.

The terminal on the bottom the Ground. There will be 2 more small terminals that will be regulated. 1 for the Vex and 1 for the Servos.

Here's the Anyvolt: http://www.dimensionengineering.com/AnyVolt.htm

The last pic shows the panel back in the frame and the little yellow box is my remote receiver.

More R2 Work

The top pic showes the 4 outer holes I drilled into the shoulder. This will provide more strength to this area, Since I have wood legs.

The bolts will go through 2 layers of the legs and bolt the shoulder to the legs, I need to get a mounting kit for my Mill so I can countersink the actual nuts down inside the shoulder. I tried to hold the piece by hand and there was no way I could hold it.

I also worked on the mounting area for my electronics. The pic does not show the Plexiglas to good, But on each side of the marked area is shiny black plexi. And the area that is marked is also the Plexi, But I won't remove the paper until I'm done fitting the electronics. All wiring will be fitted through the Plexi with grommets and attached to the back.

Wiring Diagram

I got this idea from one of the other builders and I'm sorry I forgot which builder it was,

But it was a great idea.

I'm not anywhere near this part of the build, But i thought I would work it as I go along.

The color chart shows the definition of what each color and letters stand for on the second chart.

And JASON, You put the bug in my ear about different motor controllers and look what happened. I won't be using the Victors instead I will be using the Syren controllers.

http://www.dimensionengineering.com/SyRen10.htm

http://www.dimensionengineering.com/SyRen20.htm

And I THANK YOU very much to get me curious about what else was available.

These are still overkill, But at least I know they won't burn up on me.

E-11 Work

Did some more work on this project and added alittle more detail.

Around the magazine, I had nothing to simulate a seperation point.

So I scribed a line into it.

I also worked on the end and added 2 washer and screws, But I've got more work to do.

Here's some short videos

Here's the links:
http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i124/ctx3201/?action=view&current=MOV02113.flv

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i124/ctx3201/?action=view&current=MOV02111.flv

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i124/ctx3201/?action=view&current=MOV02110.flv

And More

This was an AWESOME day at the Comic book Store.

The 501st Storm Troopers, KingPin, Moon Knight, Joker, Darth Vader, Jawa

Resident Evil, Spiderman and my R2 Dome where all there. I got my R2 door signed by

Hal Wamsley ( He was the Jawa that shot R2 ). Everyone was enjoying the event and

it was funny to have so many different people at the meet.