First Parts of the Build!

Over the last couple of days, I've been working on creating some miscellaneous parts for R2-N7. My plan is to start with building the dome first, then work my way on to the rest of the body. So this includes the dome itself, different parts that attach to it, the lighting effects, as well as RC (or automated) control of the the different HoloProjectors (HP) and turning the dome itself.

So while I get a list of parts together (a.k.a. the Bill of Materials, or BOM) I have been also working on creating some of my own. There are several pieces that will go into the dome and I figured if I can make them myself, it'd save me a lot of money. 

I was able to model a few mounts and random buttons and 3d print them using the printers here at work. 

Fortunately, I was able to find all the drawings I needed on the R2 Builders website. This is a GREAT resource for prospective droid builders where you can find pretty much all the information you'll need to build your droid. And anything that isn't already there, or if you have any questions at all, the community is super friendly and willing to help you along with your journey.

There are also members who make and sell custom parts! This is super helpful for some of the more odd ball parts that would cost a ton to have an outside source make them. There are also frequent "Part Runs" where members will take orders for certain parts from all the other members, and place a big order at once. Which definitely helps bring the cost down more!

(As you can probably tell, this can be an expensive hobby, so try to cut costs wherever applicable!)

At work everyday, I often use our CAD system (NX by Siemens) for various tools and other projects, so I'm pretty familiar with how to model up some parts. Yay for being an engineer!

So I was able to model the Front Logic Display (FLD) mounts, Rear Logic Display (RLD) mounts, and these "dome bumps" (fancy, I know) which are on the back side of the dome on R2-N7.

Here's some handy pictures showing what's what on the dome.#3 are the FLD's, #10 are the dome bumps, and #11 is the RLD. The HP's are labeled as #5 (what R2-D2 uses to display the holograms of Princess Leia and others in the movies).

Below are some screenshots of the modeling I did. Took about 10 minutess to model the FLD mounts and dome bumps, the RLD mount took a bit more time as I had some trouble getting the circular shape of the front base and the extrusion to take shape.

Aaaaaand, here's the final product!

They turned out perfect! Will just have to finish them a bit with sand paper to remove the seams from the printer and smooth them up a bit, but other than that, couldn't be happier. We even had red printing material, which is the color they will be on the droid. SWEET.

I also received the dome bearing today. This is what the Dome will actually mount to, which will enable it to spin on it's center access. I will then just need to integrate a motor to the dome, then BOOM, full movement with control! More on this later as I progress further along with the build.

Fortunately, this is available as purchased part and happens to be the perfect measurements for the dome I plan on making! Rule #1 of engineering; always see if you someone else has done it first.... then buy it.

Next post will be about the Lighting effects for the dome (the FLDs, RLD, and HPs). This will be a big one covering everything from the hardware to the control systems and how I plan on integrating them with the above parts and more!