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< Main Portfolio / Creative Endeavors / BB-8 1:1 Animatronic Build
BB-8 1:1 Animatronic Build
Handmade body and head with paper mache, fiberglass cloth, Bondo and model enamel paints. All hand painted and themed, with only 2 3D parts printed (head radar eyes). An Arduino + motor shield and bluetooth module control him through a mobile device using C++ RC car code. (2) 12v motor turn the head on a lazy susan and his thumbs up is a homemade pulley system pushing the arm out, and back in. The audio is triggered by flaps running over old pinball machine switches, activating the micro MP3 modules. Various electrical parts and miscellaneous scavenged pinball parts were used for theme. Enjoy.
BB-8 has a new charging station, see it here.
What’s under the hood.
Watch BB-8 head rotate, hear him chatter and he will give you a thumbs up. Or, if not loading properly, watch on YouTube
Watch BB-8 give you a thumbs up. Or, if not loading properly, watch on YouTube
(upper left) Pinball machine playfield glass with LEDs behind it (bottom left) electrical washer with screen hiding a speaker inside the body (right) pinball machine playfield glass with LEDs on the thumbs up door.
Grease and grime is water based ink then sealed.
Electrical parts, pinball machine wire melted glue stick for the flame and a copper pipe make the thumbs up.
Early internal core design pic
Lazy susan rolling over the pinball machine switch to activate the random (12) different audio tracks
Internal madness
Top Left: Original design was to have this inside his body and as this rolled, he would roll. It worked, but was hard on the shell and was breaking it.
Top Middle: fresh sanded bondo
Top Right: Not a terrible friend to have in your shop for 18 months
Bottom Left: Under side of the 12 inch styrofoam head, paper mache to seal the foam and of course, bondo
Bottom Middle: Staple box and top themed to hold the battery for the lights in the head
Bottom Right: Magnets, rollers and audio circuit boards embedded into the styrofoam
Top Left: Early days of hand painting the body with model paint and a small brush
Top Right: Un-sanded Bondo
Middle Left: 24” balloon with paper mache’, then fiberglass mesh glued
Middle Right: Early days of the head before the only 2 3D printed parts were installed
Bottom Left: Styrofoam head cut with bondo
