Mr Mercury light wiring - two versions

[robothut]

There have been a few threads on how to add a light to a MR mercury robot or how to rewire a light to a Mr Mercury. I can not find the threads so will just add my info here. There are 2 ways to do this, the simple way is to just wire the light across the 2 wires that go to one of the motors. This way the light will come on when ever that motor is ON. But there is a second way that will turn the light ON if either motor is running "sort of". I have seen both ways used inside factory wired Mr mercury robots. The second way uses one motor wire from the bottom motor and one wire from the top motor. This way you can have the light come one when the robot walks and when the arms move up and down, or use different wires on the motors and you could have the light come on when the robot bends and the arms open and close. Since the light screws to the metal frame of the robot they solder a wire from the frame too one of the lower motor wires right at the motor, then solder the other light wire to one of the motor wires of the top motor right at the motor. This all works because the 4 button switches on the remote are single pole double throw type. this means when no buttons are pushed all 4 wires that run to the robot are all the same. In this case they would all be negative battery power, so nothing runs or lights. But if you push just one button then you know that one wire will be positive battery and the rest are negative battery so some motor will run and if a light is connected to that motor then it will light.

[nasa]

John.....not sure if the name on the chest lights up....but you are saying you can wire it so it does?

 

I dont own one.....but always thought it would be neat to have Mr Mercury chest plate light up.....thanks!

[robothut]

Yes, if you look inside the chest opening and see a light in there, then it would have been wire to light up. If its not then it burned out. of the 4 wires that go from the remote batter controller to the robot you can take any 2 of them and connect them to the light and depending on the buttons that you push the light will come on. Of you can add a light to the helmit top light or in the control room "thats what I did as a kid to my gold mr merc.