laserman Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 My summer has been tied up with a total rebuild of my full size B9 robot. When I originally built him in '02, I put in a drive system, batteries, and motorized arms. As a result he weighed in over 500 pounds. Early this spring I was asked to display him at a sci fi festival. I had to refuse as he weighed too much and I had no way on transporting such a monster. So...after discussion with my wife, it was decided we did not need to have him moving around and grabbing things. So I totally tore him down, removed the drive system, motorized arms, 130 pounds of batteries, and updated some of the ELK sound boards. He now plugs into the wall powered by a 29 amp 12 volt power supply. His actions and movements are controlled by a combination of a animatronic computer from Blue Point Engineering, and a RC unit for head and waist movement. He also has a motion detector in his programming bay which triggers him to respond when someone enters the room. I payed Dick Tuffield to record a bunch of custom phrases to address my family and friends personally. I still have to rebuild the brain inside the bubble which I am upgrading from a plastic to a metal brain. I am also going to replace the incandescent light bulbs with LEDs to reduce power and heat. When all said and done I expect he will weigh in at about 250-275lbs. He is also built such now that I can easily break him down into four components for transporting. Now I got to figure how to lose some weight myself B) I will post a youtube of his action when the brain is done and all is operational. :D First couple pics are of the old drive and arms setup. The pictures after that are of the new build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinplate6 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Laserman, wow, nice work. I always wondered what these things looked like on the inside. Thanks for the tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil R Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Amazing job, Laser! The electronics are way over my head. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 He couldn't just diet and exercise now could he? ;)Too bad he had to lose his mobility but 500 lbs. is a lot of weight to haul around. He's still a great robot, LM! Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothunter Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Oh, man! Laser. you have really put me to shame. I've built two full-sized LIS B-9 Robots, but stopped with the electronics once I got them lighted up. My guys have a digital sound unit that's connected to the neon voice tube driver to make them light correctly as they speak. And the brain units do have motorized "ears". But that's the limit of my actually mechanizing these guys. And even then I'm sure I drove poor John R. insane with my phone calls as I was wiring things up. But committment to your robot is just fantastic and inspiring. Here are a couple of old photos of internal "state of the art" workings. Well, it was my state of the art at the time! ;) Funny, but I can't tell from the insides which one I built first? :huh: I guess I didn't learn very much the first time around! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laserman Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hey Pat, I think you did a great job. Do you still have them both? You can always update and add things at your leisure to them. The technology has changed so much from back in '02 that there are a lot of options. These guys at Blue Point Engineering ( http://www.bpesolutions dot com/welcome.html) were telling me about these MP3 players they sell to amusement parks for their animatronic displays that allow you to change motion and voice routines by simply changing out one thumb drive to another. I think getting Dick Tuffield (while he is still around) to record custom phrases really personalizes the robot for you and your family. Heck, my wife said she and my sons will probably keep the robot around after I'm gone. I told her, well just cremate me and put the ashes inside. The jury is still out on that one. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyAstro Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 FANTASTIC job... LOVE those B-9 Robots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laserman Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 I finally got the robot done except for some problems with the animatronic computer which controls his head and waist movements while talking which I'm still working through. My son visiting from Boston for the Holidays wanted to go ahead and made a video of him talking. Here it is.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztjC72IZjCQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarasotaRobby Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Cool. Mine is a mere statue up beside that one, but mine is way old....one of the very first full sized ones build by Fred Barton before there was a B9 club, before the Icons debacle. I have assembled parts to do a cosmetic upgrade, but since I don't know my AC from my DC, I'll not be doing much mechanical. I've been meaning to get Tufield to record some phrases for me. I guess I better hurry, these folks aren't getting any younger......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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