@Shane's Trains - That has a very familiar ring to it. What curious child doesn't open things up to see how they worked. Some of my best memories from childhood were spending time with dad at the work bench while he taught me how to fix all stuff I broke after taking it apart. Not sure how he felt about it 😄.

@@Rchelicopterfun lucky you. My parents forbade me from tools because i was always tearing apart the vacuum cleaner and such.

Hey Shane, Glad you liked it - DM playing in the background during an R2 electronicals install - nothing better 😄 (other than perhaps Gary Numan) Have fun with your R2 build too!

@@Rchelicopterfun DM and OMD was my first concert ever, amazing!

Great to hear

Thank you. Cheers 🙂

@Huw John - thanks and I'm sure you'll get through your R2 build too. Take it one step at a time and enjoy the journey. 🙂

Thanks Jason - we are all learning stuff from each other. Yes, I'm kinda glad now I didn't glue the back panel on; it was a toss of the coin decision at the time. Of course the removable panel is not without it's own problem/s. I've been trying to figure out a good way to keep the panel latched. I'll likely use magnets, but still thinking about it. Continued good success with your build. 🙂👍

😄

Thanks for the visit

Thanks Tom, Yep - it has been a very enjoyable build - so far 🙂

@David Regis - Thanks for the visit 🙂

Thanks for watching

Steal away 😄

It would also be a total pain in the ass from the standpoint of the extra wiring required (large gauge), fusing, fitment, added connectors, voltage drop, possible higher ripple voltage, charging hassles, etc. Access would most certainly not be "super easy" compared to opening the back panel. It's much harder to crouch down on the dirty ground, reach down to the front of the battery box that is partially blocked by the body and hoses. Don't forget the simple fact both foot motors take up a fair amount of real-estate inside the boxes so battery size/type would be limited as well, not to mention the heat the motors produce which is not ideal for any battery regardless of chemistry. Then there is all the function testing involved in one of these builds that would require having to have those boxes installed or some other mounting method on the feet before you could do any sort of tests - what a colossal pain. All to get an insignificant fraction of the overall weight 6" lower down on the ankles. In short, it's not worth all the hassle, cost, problems and extra BS for basically no appreciable gain in stability whatsoever; that's why it's rarely done.

Howdy Mr. Walt 🙂👍

@Corbadda - glad to hear you're considering your own R2 build. Paint drying and recoating varies significantly depending on the specific type of paint, temperature & humidity, and how heavy you apply each coat. In short, follow the directions on the paint can to the letter. All the paints I've used in this project can be recoated within one hour (presuming they have dried to the touch), or if you wait longer than that, then you have to wait several days before recoating. If you happen to apply these specific paints after an hour or two when the paint can no longer breath, or before the paint has fully off gassed after a few days, you risk getting those finish destroying crinkles in the paint.

Hi Gary - never say never but I doubt it. This one was enough to scratch the itch & fulfill a childhood dream 🙂

My R2 is RC controlled. The RC controlled relay switch is used for the sound board trigger. I cover the RC relay and sound board in the sound system basics video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mcBjprmK2J24aX0.html

Hi Larry, not finished yet, but I started printing in early October with lots of research on the Astromech forum/R2 Builders club before then. Might be able to have it mostly done in 7 months, but apparently, you never really finish one of these builds as it's more about the journey than the destination. 🙂

@@Rchelicopterfun I'm sure you enjoyed every minute of it so far. I've certainly enjoyed watching you using your incredible skills to get to this point. Well done and keep up the great work! Take care and stay well, John! ❤️🙏❤️

Sounds like a fanhome R2.

PLA+ Everything (other than TPU for tires, etc).

Best comment this week! 😄

Only way to know current pull is to hook your system up to an Amp meter while it's running. Theoretical Ohms calculations get you in the ball part of course, but load will vary a lot! Motors will peak well over their nominal ratings for short duration when first starting, changing direction, or near stall for example , yet will barely be sipping over a couple Amps while cruising around. Wiring gauge, length & connector type will also introduce slight voltage sags which of course has an impact on current loads. Largely depends on on how hard you drive him around which we already discussed. I've never measured peak loads on mine with a data logging Watt or Amp meter so I can't give you any concrete values with my specific system. I would guesstimate my R2 power system peaks upwards of 30 Amps under full acceleration or hard directional changes but is usually sipping under 5A. I do go over some rough power calculations/running time in the last video where he is out running around at the airfield. Best to look for or ask this question in the Astromech forums as others have actually taken the time to data log their power consumption.

@mtudor1985 - Not sure if you've seen the R2 Basics Electronics' video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d9OFqL15mLusiJs.html I reference two very good electronics resources (free PDF's) in that video which illustrate basic wiring schematics for various systems. I link to both of them (Droid Control Systems & The World of Droid Electronics) in the description of that video. I have also included the links to these two PDF files in the description of this video under the heading "Useful Resources".

Hi George, I cover this entire build with all kinds of tips throughout this series including final filament usage tally in part 9: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e56YY89l167ac2g.html Here's the full R2 build playlist: kzfaq.info/sun/PLZV8xZm3OCXz8I0FoPzIeU--13oWWJfZv

I'll be using any one of my RC LiPo chargers. Likely the iCharger S6 most of the time since it's the smallest one I have. Not sure what you mean by specs on how to build the battery board? I just made the 3D design on Tinkercad like I've done for many of the custom 3D parts on this build, sizing it based on my specific battery packs and how I wanted to fit and attach it. As I mentioned in this video, it's wired in parallel just as you would wire a LiPo parallel charge harness or charging board.

You can leave your question here in the comments, or email through my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com