Monthly Summaries
August 2014
February 2014
May 2013
March 2013
February 2013
- Golden R2 Drink Tray
- Bad Droid
- New Stealth Controller
- Video: Howard the Duck Animatronic Head
- Hobby Expo
- Utility Arm Trimming
May 2012
- Thank you poster
- Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend!
- Johnathan's First Drive
- Vacaville Concert
- Maker Faire 2011 - belated post
April 2012
January 2012
November 2011
August 2011
May 2011
April 2011
- VaderBot @ RoboGames
- Arduino Controller Components and Cost
- RoboGames 2011
- Alternate Controllers
- Bezels for Arduino Logics
- WonderCon 2011
- San Francisco Chronicle Article
March 2011
May 2010
- Maker Faire 2010
- Maker Faire 2010 - Young Makers Day
- Discovery Day - Washington Elementary School
- Maker Faire Bay Area 2010
- Dual Receiver Board
- Mystery Board
- RoboGames 2010 - Robot Power
April 2010
- R2 WonderCon coverage at SW.com
- WonderCon 2010 - Sunday Highlights
- My Leia Hologram
- WonderCon 2010 - Saturday
- WonderCon start today
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
November 2009
October 2009
May 2009
March 2009
- Mini Dolly to the Rescue
- WonderCon 2009
- Maker Faire Coming Soon
- Ozzie Clone Wars TV Spot - R2 Featured
- MakeSF: Artoo Presentation
February 2009
- February 2009 Summary
- Loaded and Ready for WonderCon
- Steve and R2-XS
- Systm / Dancing R2 Video
- WonderCon Starts This Friday!
- Revision3 / Systm: SW Episode
- Revision3 / Systm - Studio Visit
- SF IndieFest - Fanboys
- Fanboys SF Charity Premier
- Fanboys, A Star Wars road trip film opens this week
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
- October 2008 Summary
- More Clone Wars Press Event Photos
- Servo Magazine RoboGames 2008 Coverage
- Halloween at Hiller Aviation Museum 2008
- Clone Wars Press Event at the Ranch
- Mega Feed Link Problem Fixed
- Another TFU Launch Party Video
September 2008
August 2008
- Summary August 2008
- My Artoo in Bantha Tracks
- Maker Faire : Intel Developer Forum
- Dome Servo Power Upgrade
- VEX RC Controller Decoded
- Clone Wars Weekend
- SF Clone Wars Screening
- Periscope Installed
- New CTEC Keycoder - I think I've created a monster!
- Mystery Box
- More Periscope Work - I'm still fiddling with the periscope, I added some LEDs, a servo to make it turn and something to mount it to the lift mechanism.
July 2008
- Summary July 2008
- Life Form Scanner - The search for a short antenna
- TRU Clone Wars Midnight Madness
- Lift Mech Support Bracket
- New Periscope Lift Mech Prototype
- Dome Pie Panel Control
- Life Form Scanner Screen Material
- Dome Pie Panel Servo Setup
- Proctor Glove Wheel Casters
- Dome Pie Panel Hinge Experiments - Adding hinges to anything on Artoo is tricky, with so many curves and often tight spaces, it's really hard to get things just right.
- Mounting RF Remotes to the Futaba
June 2008
- Summary June 2008
- Futaba Setup and Tweaks
- Futaba 10C Arrived - It's a 10 channel 2.4Ghz FASST spread spectrum capable receiver and a big step up from the Vex transmitter I've been using.
- RoboGames 2008 Report - the weekend was jammed packed full of interesting people and very cool things - like talking with the engineer who worked on the NPC motors many of us use in our droids, or hanging out with the Orb Swarm folks or Grant Imahara from Mythbusters, or getting some inside info from the engineer who maintains the machines that spin our aluminum domes. Artoo even got in on some battle bot action in the arena and lived to tell the tail.
- RoboGames 2008 - Day 1 Highlights
- Trip to Ace
- RoboGames 2008 This Weekend
- Dome Electronics Rewire
- New Larger Casters and Angles
- Center Foot Wedges
- JAG Center Foot Mod - Lip/Skirt
- We're in Bantha Tracks this month
- Battery Terminals
- Caster Fix and Test
May 2008
- Summary May 2008
- R2 Builders in Servo Magazine & Nuts and Volts
- New Wheel Casters
- Center Foot Ball Caster Maintenance
- Maker Faire Videos
- San Jose Museum of Art
- KIRO Radio Interview
- Securing Artoo at Events
- Giant Lego R2-D2 Event
- R2 Flip Book
- R2 Maker Faire News Coverage
- Maker Faire - Dance Program - Short video compilation of Artoo dancing with the children at Maker Faire.
- Maker Faire Photos
- Maker Faire Award
- Maker Faire - T-minus 1 hours
April 2008
- April 2008 Summary
- Holo Projector Servo Test
- Mounting Dome Electronics
- Slip ring servo board brackets
- A look inside the failed Pittman gearbox
- Slip Ring Servo Test
- New R2 Event Banner
- More WonderCon Videos
- Dead Pittman Motor
- Electrical System Update
- New Photos
- Lucile Packard Hospital Visit
- Slip Ring Spin Test
- New Battery Holder
- Slip Ring - Cutting the Frame
- Slip Ring Update
- Bay Area Builders T-Shirts
- Front Vent Surrounds Surround
March 2008
- March 2008 Summary
- Leg/Ankle Screw Update
- Attaching Battery Harnesses
- Slip Rings
- Attaching Battery Boxes - Here's a quick run down on how I attached the battery boxes to the feet.
- RoboGames 2007
- Mounting the Side Vents
- Side Panels - It's funny, the side panels are one of the few things you'll not see discussed. Here's my method of mounting side panels to my aluminum frame and skins.
- Mega RSS Feed for Builders Blog
- Easter Get Together
- Revised Battery System
- Charging Jack Photos
- Interior Light
- Circuit Building 101
- Battery Power Issue Resolved
- WonderCon Photo
February 2008
- February 2008 Summary
- Rear Door Magnets - after a few different tests this is how i installed my rear panel
- R2 Meets The Doctor
- WonderCon 2008 Show Report
- Some more weight stats
- Back Together - finally got R2 re-assembled and running around.
- Mostly Armless - Artoo's almost done - we'll enough for WonderCon at least. Lots more things to work on, but at least he's now looking like the real deal.
- Charging Jack LEDs - Added some lights to the charging port to simulate what's seen in ESB.
- Meet R2 Builders at WonderCon - Schedule Posted
- Droid Caller - cheap 75Mhz RC frequency scanner/checker.
- Gary Weaver's Speeding Bullet
- Fitting Casters for R2's Center Foot - great video by Mike Senna on how to pick castors for your center foot
- Re-assemble Update
January 2008
- January 2008 Summary
- Updated Charging Circuit
- Relays for Charging System
- Skin and Skirt Fitting
- My Lost C4 Interview
- Re-painting Skins Part 4 - I think I’m done painting the skins. No really, I’m done! Why don’t you believe me?
- Periscope Port Detail - Adding the O
- Periscope LEDs and RoboteQ - found some cheap rectangular LEDs for my periscope.
- Re-painting Skins Part 3 - Runs, I see no runs. Oh! hang on there's one - go back and try again.
- Video Tutorial - Cutting Dome Holes
- New Dome Drive Mech - or how to whittle aluminum droid parts at home
- Skirt Ribs - Tweaking - Can you believe I'm still not done with the skirt. Just some last minute angles to figure out.
- Variable 12-24V Converter - forget messing with two batteries when you need 24V. get one of these for small devices in your droid.
- Website Archive - more search options added to help you find stuff
- Door Servo Research
December 2007
- December 2007 Summary
- Mounting Coin Slots
- One Year Anniversary - Can’t believe I’ve been working at this for 365 days.
- Re-painting Skins Part 2 - yes I went back and re-did them!
- Magnetic Shoulder Hubs
- Re-painting Skins
- R2 Charging Jack/Socket
- Best Ever R2 Video on Youtube
- Mounting New Speakers
- Sound System Demo Video
- Stacks of Magnets - hoping to use these to attach a lot of things on my droid
- Advanced CF-III Sound System Setup - Going back to BASIC
- Reconfigured Sound System Demo - including remote volume control
- Testing Replacement Dome Motor
- Sound System Work - adding Contact 24 and remote volume Control
- Trading Card Handout - my new R2 business card - vintage style!
- Finished Prepping Skirt
- Finishing Battery Boxes and Feet
- CF3 Sound System - New Speaker?
- New Pittman Dome Motor Ordered
- Dome Drive - Possible 24V Solution
- Yet more Hose Fittings - finally resolved
- Dome Drive / Pittman Motor - fixing/troubleshooting the slow dome drive system.
- More Assemble - Feet and Ankles, Return of the KHF
- Mounting Body Detail Pieces - making mounting brackets
November 2007
- November 2007 Summary
- 12 Channel RF Remote Notes
- Re-assembling the Bits - finally getting things back together after painting
- New Vex - The Vexplorer
- Skin Update - gluing skins, drilling and mounting to frame, priming and first top coat
- Unwrapping Blue Bits - lets see how those blue pieces turned out
- Green Endor R2
- Holiday Weekend Update - lots of work from gluing skins to painting
- Knurled Hose Fittings
- Cutting Skins and Rear Door
- More Painting - masking difficult parts and painting hypo blue, and more
- Laying Out Skirt Ribs
- Cutting Out Skins Quickly - another quick tip that will save you hours
- Quick Tip - Right Bolts for the Job
- Under Shoulder Detail
- R-Series - Volume 3 Now Out
- R2 Garage Buddy - nice tip on what 3D model to keep handy in the workshop
- Dome Switches - rethinking the dome bump switches
- NPC Battery Box Cut Out Template
- From Feet to Painting - KHF, Battery Boxes, NPC Motors, Hoses
- Halloween 2007 at Hiller Aviation
- R2 Builders in new SW Vault Book
October 2007
August 2007
- August 2007 Summary
- In the Blue Corner...Weighing in at 155lb...RrrrrTwooo-DeeeTwoooo
- R2 Loading Ramp
- R2-CCA 2007 v2
- Hiding Drive Wires
- Quick Tip - Masking Parts
- Mist / Fire Extinguisher Test
July 2007
June 2007
- June 2007 Summary
- Dome Bumps / Switches
- Retroactive Build Updates Coming Soon
- C4 Photo and Video Round-up
- Couple of shots from C4
- Back from C4 - R2 Lives!
May 2007
- May 2007 Summary
- Major Setback - Dome screwed
- All Parts Received
- Holo Projector LED Setup
- Dome Internal Mounting Plates
- RoboteQ 3500 code 8 fixed
- Artoo's First Steps
- Conquering My Fears - Front Logic Surgery
- What the Beep!
- Installing some electronics
- Site Problems
- Testing, Testing, 1..2..3. Is this thing on?
- Celebration 4 Pass
- Dome Drive Part 2
- Electronics Mounting Panel Revisited
- Dome Drive Installed
- Thinking about dome electronics placement
- Day of the Dome
- All Leg Parts Received!
- Real Battery Harness
- Battery Charger
- Ankle Spacers
April 2007
- April 2007 Summary
- Rockler Installed
- Mounting the Electronics
- 10 day difference
- Center Leg Mount Plate/Block
- Frame Almost Done
- Feet Arrived Today
- Cheap NPC-2212 Alternative Motors
- Frame Update - Slow but steady progress
- Laser Cutting an R2 Dome
- Satellite motor testing/break release
- Body to Shoulder Hubs
- Alu Frame - Shoulder Stops Done
- SyRen10 Speed Controller and Vex Setup
- Periscope Dome Pie Cut-Outs
- Periscope RC Test
- Ankles Arrived
- Sansweet R2 Dome
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
- January 2007 Summary
- More Parts - Power Couplers and Motor Mount Hubs
- Periscope Test
- Pie Panels Cut
- More Parts arrive and more ordered
- Radio Control R2 Research
- Decided to buy an R2 instead
- Good News - Legs and Skin Ordered
- Paint Tests
- 24v battery requirement revisited / Ideas
- R2 Center Ankle Arrived
- Ever wonder how domes are made?
- R2 Blues
- Major Dome Holes Cut
- Dome Progress
- Coin Return Arrive
- First Dome Hole Cut
- Dome Panel Color Scheme
- Dome Fitting / Gaps Part 2
- PSI Blinker Units from Fiber Optic Products
December 2006
- December 2006 Summary
- Please Mind the Gap - trying to get the best fit on the two dome halves.
- Dome Update - Finally working on something
- Rear Logic - 24v wows
- Front Logic Kit Arrives
- More Parts Today
- Vex Robotic Kit
- Got my dome today
- Periscope Kit
- Front Logic Electronics
- Lets Play Catchup
November 2006
- Top & Bottom Vent Inserts Ordered
- Decisions Decisions - trying to justify an expensive aluminum droid
- Don Who?
October 2006