Deca - a walkerbot

thingiverse

Human: Inspired by Theo Jansen's Strandbeests. After building Glowstrand, I decided to create something unique and incorporate new motors, known as Mid Outboard Motors, using lower-cost, more readily available gear motors from IC Station or other stores. The motors have dual output shafts for this design. Deca is fast-moving, requiring excellent sensors and processing power, which I'm addressing with a Parallax Propeller Quickstart board and a L9110S DC/Stepper Motor Driver Board. This model has eight 4 x 10 x 4mm ball bearings to support its big gears. To assemble the frames, short pieces of filament were melted over the ends of each joint, ensuring stability. Four 125mm long M4 threaded rods held the frames together with a mix of nylon nuts and spacers. For the large gears, two 53mm M4 threaded rods functioned as axles with M4 locking nuts securing them in place. Crank pins used M4 nylon screws that required holes to be drilled and tapped into each part. A drill and tap are needed for this step, followed by cleaning up all holes on every component. Check out the details at http://www.coolkidsrobots.com/robot/deca-son-glowstrand On 12/10/15, I updated Deca's head with improved wiring paths and recessed servo horn screw heads. A few days later, spacers were added for powering motors through rods (Connector_11x4mmSpacer.stl) creating a cleaner appearance. More recently on 12/13/15, a board mount was incorporated into the model and 20th December, a RadioShack Ultrasonic Range Sensor with Sharp IR GP2Y0A21YK0F Analog Distance Sensor were added along with a sleek head. Find this servo setup at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1213658 Assembly Post-Printing To create the Deca robot, follow these steps: Ankle.stl - Print eight of these, then eight that are mirrored, pinned and glued together. Thigh3D.stl - Also print eight in each version. Then assemble each pair by pinning and gluing them. Dogbone3.stl - As before, this requires printing 8 pairs then use small Allen wrenches to secure the halves with glue. For support, you'll need: LongRod3D.stl (Printed 8 of these), MidRod3d_x.stl (printed 8 times) and ShortRod3d.stl (same here). Next, print Pinion4.2-1.stl (Four are needed for each gear pair). You will also need to Spur Gear4.2-1.stl. Shoe.stl must be printed eight more. Assemble frames by printing: OuterFrame.stl (twice), and one set that's mirrored (the same for bodySide and one Top body component). For motor spacers, you may print 8 of the 11x4mm Spacer (and four from Connector_11x4mmSpacer.stl if preferred). Other crucial pieces to have: 8mmSpacer.stl requires printing 8 copies. The other essentials are DecaServoHeadv3 and back DecaServoHeadBackv3 for precise sensor use. Drill the pivot points with a drill press or manually then install tiny rods, secured tightly. This will help in securing inner and outer leg assemblies to achieve precision. Use an 8mm spacers assembly with bolts or washers when joining these rods together - not forgetting a nice seal between each motor, wire tinning included (or not depending on preference).