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09-08-2018, 04:07 PM
Getting Artie Deco rolling took up a lot of my available post-Halloween time and energy last year, so I've been in lurk mode for awhile.
However, as some of you may have read over in the Events subforum, I recently came back from Dragon Con 2018, where I had taken Artie and spent the large majority of the convention hanging around with other Droid Builders. I'm committed to (trying to) get an actual Star Wars droid running in time to take to next year's convention.
A sane person would go with an MSE droid or something, but if Artie proves anything it's that I gotta be different. Since Treadwell is already in progress, obviously I need to continue working on him. To that end, I'm back at it in this thread.
As you may recall upthread, Treadwell mostly exists as CAD. I purchased resin, primer, etc. for casting the lenses. but those are kind of general purpose materials rather than specific to this project.
So after I got home this week, I made my first official Treadwell purchases:
* A second pair of PS3 Nav controllers: $4 (gamestop has used controllers under two bucks these days)
* A pair of blower belts for Treadwell's treads. I used BDS, the supplier in the first link in this post that Kresty made (I saw other listings for over $90 each so this was good)
I also bought one of those Ozark Trail collapsible wagons from Walmart. A couple of the BB-8 builders had these at Dragon Con for transporting their droids to and from their rooms, and I was super jealous. They can carry up to 225 pounds and collapse into a small space.
I knew from my 2016 experience with Artie that I'd want some sort of droid caddy (especially if I ever plan to also bring BBL-BBQ), it's just that once I'd reassembled Artie and was certain I was taking him, it was too late to address the matter. I was hoping I could drive him most of the time, but we were in the Westin this year; Peachtree center (crowded food court), stairs, escalators, and several bumpy outdoor sidewalks and crosswalks lay between me and the droid hangout. I also had a few drive malfunctions that kept me from driving at times. As a result, I was carrying Artie around by hand a lot.
Being a 1950s era steel vacuum cleaner, Artie weighs nearly 14 pounds just as an empty shell. All his sundry innards like batteries, speaker, motors, the wood base his motors mount to, etc. probably push him up somewhere between 20 and 30 pounds. Then add a backpack with controllers, chargers, hydration, Sphero droids, a Hardware Wars saber (chrome flashlight), etc... Yeah, I bought a wagon as soon as I found the one I wanted. I'm not sure if it counts as a Treadwell part, but it'll probably be used for him in some capacity.
Now I am pondering the drive system and what to construct Treadwell's base out of.
I lean toward using Styrene rather than wood in order to save weight. I already foresee children trying to stand on Treadwell's base, but I also know that well designed styrene droids are quite capable of supporting the weight of an adult human. (For that matter, I've seen Matt Hobbs climb on top of his Darth Porg MSE and ride it around ... I'm not sure what that thing is made of, but it is quite sturdy). In any event, my plan is to make sure he's well-supported and use the base as a "luggage rack" (load it with prop gear) to discourage people trying to ride on him.
I know from Paul's build log that Treadwells can be quite power hungry due to the friction of the treads. I'm wondering whether going the (more efficient) brushless motor route would be help with the power draw. I know they aren't cheap, but I'll have to run numbers.
However, as some of you may have read over in the Events subforum, I recently came back from Dragon Con 2018, where I had taken Artie and spent the large majority of the convention hanging around with other Droid Builders. I'm committed to (trying to) get an actual Star Wars droid running in time to take to next year's convention.
A sane person would go with an MSE droid or something, but if Artie proves anything it's that I gotta be different. Since Treadwell is already in progress, obviously I need to continue working on him. To that end, I'm back at it in this thread.
As you may recall upthread, Treadwell mostly exists as CAD. I purchased resin, primer, etc. for casting the lenses. but those are kind of general purpose materials rather than specific to this project.
So after I got home this week, I made my first official Treadwell purchases:
* A second pair of PS3 Nav controllers: $4 (gamestop has used controllers under two bucks these days)
* A pair of blower belts for Treadwell's treads. I used BDS, the supplier in the first link in this post that Kresty made (I saw other listings for over $90 each so this was good)
I also bought one of those Ozark Trail collapsible wagons from Walmart. A couple of the BB-8 builders had these at Dragon Con for transporting their droids to and from their rooms, and I was super jealous. They can carry up to 225 pounds and collapse into a small space.
I knew from my 2016 experience with Artie that I'd want some sort of droid caddy (especially if I ever plan to also bring BBL-BBQ), it's just that once I'd reassembled Artie and was certain I was taking him, it was too late to address the matter. I was hoping I could drive him most of the time, but we were in the Westin this year; Peachtree center (crowded food court), stairs, escalators, and several bumpy outdoor sidewalks and crosswalks lay between me and the droid hangout. I also had a few drive malfunctions that kept me from driving at times. As a result, I was carrying Artie around by hand a lot.
Being a 1950s era steel vacuum cleaner, Artie weighs nearly 14 pounds just as an empty shell. All his sundry innards like batteries, speaker, motors, the wood base his motors mount to, etc. probably push him up somewhere between 20 and 30 pounds. Then add a backpack with controllers, chargers, hydration, Sphero droids, a Hardware Wars saber (chrome flashlight), etc... Yeah, I bought a wagon as soon as I found the one I wanted. I'm not sure if it counts as a Treadwell part, but it'll probably be used for him in some capacity.
Now I am pondering the drive system and what to construct Treadwell's base out of.
I lean toward using Styrene rather than wood in order to save weight. I already foresee children trying to stand on Treadwell's base, but I also know that well designed styrene droids are quite capable of supporting the weight of an adult human. (For that matter, I've seen Matt Hobbs climb on top of his Darth Porg MSE and ride it around ... I'm not sure what that thing is made of, but it is quite sturdy). In any event, my plan is to make sure he's well-supported and use the base as a "luggage rack" (load it with prop gear) to discourage people trying to ride on him.
I know from Paul's build log that Treadwells can be quite power hungry due to the friction of the treads. I'm wondering whether going the (more efficient) brushless motor route would be help with the power draw. I know they aren't cheap, but I'll have to run numbers.