3 Axis Bucky mech

[Dr Morbius]

I've decided to reveal my skull mech. With everyone making one, I figured, what the hell. It follows the progression of the build (sort of) with an annoying electronic background music. Gotta love Photobucket editor.Enjoy.
mechtronic remix by DrMorbius02 - Photobucket

[Sickie Ickie]

WOw! Incredible, doc. I'm willing to bet you would still have a following of people who would want to buy them because of limited time or just don't want to mess with doing it themselves because of talent, or fear of messing it up. :D

[Dr Morbius]

Well, maybe so, this is just an adhoc assembly to see if it could be done. You have to realize, when I built it, there were no 3 axis mechs available to to go by. If/when I do sell these, the parts would be machined properly. I have plans for the two blocks to be machined which would not only look cleaner, but reduce the size of it, since this assembly used angle aluminum and skateboard bearings.

[Brad Green]

Very Nice work Doc! Sickie's right, the market is probably still out there, just do a 'build-to-order' arrangement.

[Dr Morbius]

We'll see, Brad..I'm not completely closed to the idea of selling them. Thanks for the compliment!

[Dr Morbius]

I will add, however, that if anyone wants to attempt my angle aluminum design you should know that all parts are off the shelf, and no machining was required to build it. Just cut angle aluminum and some nuts/bolts and a 5/16" threaded rod.

[krypt]

Thanks for posting that ....It explains a lot of questions i had except for one i see how the tilt works but having a problem understanding how the tilts works with it attached to the skull...is the skull hole where the spinal cord would go enlarged for movement?

[TwistedDementia]

Hey Dr.M nice work. I totally agree with SI. People are willing to spend the money (especially at that price) rather then spend all the time and effort we put into these skulls. I don't think a person can fully appreciate all the work that it takes untill you try to build one, especially from scratch! Your trully a pioneer, keep it up!

[Dr Morbius]

Thanks TD!

Krypt, yes, the neck hole is enlarged to accomodate a wider range of motion.

[shaggydo]

What servos would you recommend for this type of setup?

[Dr Morbius]

I used h311 for the jaw and tilt, and H425BB for the rest...If I were you, (and I'm gonna upgrade), I'd use all H425BB servos from HiTec.

Link:http://www.servocity.com/html/hs-425bb_super_sport_bb.html

[gmacted]

Most impressive Dr. M.! True mechanical genius! Especially since you started from scratch. I've been monitoring your progress for some time in hopes that you would post your design. Based on the design, the use of "off the shelf" parts, and of course the results, I must applaud.

You said you used "skate board bearings". Could you be a little more descriptive and where you buy them. I'm obviously not a skate boarder.

[Dr Morbius]

They are standard skateboard wheel bearings from a local skateshop. Skateshops are EVERYWHERE...Go to one, ask for wheel bearings. My son got the ones I used, so I dont know the brand, but they were only 10 bucks for a bag of 8. Don;t get the expensive ones, these bearings won't be spinning 360 degrees, let alone fast down the road, or supporting the weight of a human.

[shaggydo]

Dr Morbius, you have inspired me to build my own 3 axis mechanism this weekend. Thanks!!!

YouTube- Mechanical Halloween Skull

[Dr Morbius]

You are quite welcome! It looks great..What mech did you use?

[shaggydo]

I built it by eye from your video.

[shaggydo]

1/4" bolts, 1/8" aluminum flatstock and $2 roller bearings from a local fastenal store. Took me all day on saturday but well worth it.

[Dr Morbius]

Hey cool! I would love to see pics of the mech, if you don't mind..I'd really like to see your take on it. Is that a bucky skull?

[shaggydo]

It is a bucky skull. I'll post some pics of the mech later.

[Dr Morbius]

Cool..I look forward to it!

[Sickie Ickie]

What program are you using to operate it Shaggydo and Dr.?

[shaggydo]

I'm using VSA. It's got to be the best way get the idea from your head into reality.

[Sickie Ickie]

VSA scares me. I've never used anything like that and I'm petrified if I get it I won't be able to program it. :(

[Death Master]

Its EZ sickie, not much to do and once you start programing it you will find your self going back to add a little more to make it a little better.

[Sickie Ickie]

can anyone point me to a site with the best buy on a cheapie basic VSA?

[randyaz]

Ickie....uuuuse the force...

VSA is only available from www.brookshiresoftware.com

You can download a free demo to check it out before you buy

[TwistedDementia]

VSA scares me. I've never used anything like that and I'm petrified if I get it I won't be able to program it. :(

It's very easy to use SI.

[Dr Morbius]

It is a bucky skull. I'll post some pics of the mech later.
Any luck with those pics, shaggy?

[shaggydo]

I'm working on putting some more on youtube as I'm writing.

[shaggydo]

YouTube- Mechanical Halloween Skull 2
Here is a closer look at the mech.

[Dr Morbius]

Hey nice take on the design..you took it and made it all you're own. I do have one question, though. It looks like you're servos sit VERY high above the Calvarium line. Does the top fit on without lifting up and off? That's one of the main problems I had when designing mine, and wonder if it was a problem for you too.

[shaggydo]

Yep, That problem has'nt been solved quite yet. He's still topless. Would you suggest anything about the placements of my motors?

[skeletonowl]

well done! it's not easy or cheap to do that! Good luck with the rest of it.
And my suggestion would be a little less quick with the movement of the head to give it more flow? Unless that's what you are looking for.

[shaggydo]

Thanks I'll Try that, I'm pretty new to this all. You guys and gals are the best, this has got to be be the best place for haunters like us to hang. Keep the comments coming. I'll update as the project progresses.

[Dr Morbius]

Yep, That problem has'nt been solved quite yet. He's still topless. Would you suggest anything about the placements of my motors?
To solve that, you may need to go back to scratch, and place the horizontal servo in the rear, (the NO axis), instead of the side. The vertical axis, (the YES) servo needs to be lowered, and levered towards the rear instead of the front so you can flip it upside down. The Jaw servo may need to be detached from the mech altogether and mounted lower. Just suggestions, as far as what I can tell from your mech, I would need a more detailed view from the other side of it, and from above.

[Brad Green]

Trust me, it can be done! Just going to take a little head scratching. On mine, pictured below, there's 3 425 servos, 1 Prop1, 1 Scary Terry board, 1 mini mp3 player, and all the attendant wires, cords, relays , jacks and adapters. I still have enough room for full servo motion and the clavium fits just fine. Took awhile, but it will all fit.

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/989/0000069jc3.th.jpg (http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0000069jc3.jpg)

[Dr Morbius]

Don't forget the crowbar!

[shaggydo]

I just ordered 5 of the two piece skulls from bucky's boneyard so I'm gettin ready to refine the design, and I got in ten hitech HS322 karbonite servos. So off I go. Also has anybody used the VSA interface to control a single DMX Led light with multiple colors?

[halloweenguy]

;-)

[Dr Morbius]

..............:)

[shaggydo]

Did I miss something? I'm just curious about how to set VSA to change the different colors in my multi-color led DMX light.

[Dr Morbius]

Please, shaggydo, if you want to discuss something else besides the 3 axis mech on this thread, start a new one. Otherwise the thread goes way off topic. Thanks.

[shaggydo]

No problem, Sorry about that.