Return to the BUILD

“The main parts provided this time are the camera and a new lens cover that R2-D2 uses to see the world around him – but these won’t be fitted yet. They key parts installed in this [issue] are clip-on labels that identify each group of cable so they can be connected up to the control circuits. You also have some cable ties and fixing screws.“

This issue is going to be a monster as they skipped two sections of the magazine to make room for all of the wiring instructions!

Contents

Parts

Materials: Everything non-electronic in this issue is plastic.

Hardware

Magazine

• Building The Galaxy – Moments in the Making
• Build R2-D2: Model Instructions

Build

Fitting the Cable Labels

In order to make the Cable Labels easier to see and photograph in these last few issues, I filled the letters in with a white acrylic paint pen:

Steps 1-3

These Cable Labels have a range of different letter codes on them and should be removed from the sprues as we install them. First, find the Cable Label that has the L.H-IR code on it and cut it off the sprue, as shown.

I recommend using sprue cutters or a sharp hobby knife here for nice clean cuts:

Steps 4-5

This particular Cable Label is for the Left Head InfraRed (L.H-IR) rotary position sensor. Retrieve your R2-D2 body from Issue 94 and locate the cable attached to the Left Rotary Sensor at the rear of the Top Ring frame, making sure you don’t confuse left and right.

NOTE: All ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ designations are always from R2-D2’s point of view.

Step 6

Lay the end of this cable (near the plug) into the fold of the Cable Label. Press the label closed over the wires to lock it in place:

In the same way, fit the Cable Label marked R.H-IR (Right Head InfraRed Sensor) onto the Right Rotary Sensor cable, as shown:

These two cables can now be uncoiled:

Fit the following Cable Labels to the wiring from the LEFT leg:

• L.F-IR (Left Foot InfraRed sensor) – Red/Orange/Yellow wires
• L.F-M (Left Foot Motor) – Black/Turquoise/Blue/Red/Orange/Yellow wires
• L-S (Left Shoulder sensor) – Black

The right and left foot motor cables have bundled wire clusters and these Cable Labels only need to go around one of them:

In the same way, fit the following Cable Labels to the wiring from the RIGHT leg:

• R.F-IR (Right Foot InfraRed sensor) – Red/Orange/Yellow wires
• R.F-M (Right Foot Motor) – Black/Turquoise/Blue/Red/Orange/Yellow wires
• R-S (Right Shoulder sensor) – Black

The two cables coming out of the Center Foot should be fitted with these Cable Labels:

• C.F-IR (Center Foot InfraRed sensor) – Red/Orange/Yellow wires
• C.F-S (Center Foot bumper Sensor) – Black/Red wires

Finally, fit the Cable Label marked ON-OFF onto the double-red thick wires of this plug, as shown.

NOTE: The Charging Socket (red/black) plug also seen here does not get labelled as it will soon connect direct to the Battery Box:

Battery Box Labels

Retrieve your Battery Box from Issue 92. Fit these two Cable Labels to the wiring of the Battery Box:

• C-S (Charging Signal) – Blue/Black/Red wires
• Power (main Power supply) – Thick Red/Black wires

Sensor and Motor Control Cable Labels

• The Sensor Control Cable (blue/turquoise/yellow/orange) was supplied with Issue 53 as Test Cable 1. Place the Cable Labels marked S-C (Sensor Control) on both ends of the this cable.
• The Motor Control Cable (brown/red/orange/yellow) was supplied with Issue 53 as Test Cable 2. Place the Cable Labels marked M-C (Motor Control) on both ends of the this cable.

There should now be eleven (11) Cable Labels left over. These will be installed in a later issue.

Installing the Battery Box

Steps 1-2

Slide the Battery Box Cover onto the Battery Box, fitting the three tabs into the matching slots.

DO NOT install the main batteries at this time. All of the wiring needs to be connected before we can apply power to our R2-D2:

Secure the Battery Box closed with two (2) 2.3×6 mm black screws:

Steps 3-4

Turn your R2-D2 upside down and loosen the two captive screws on the Access Panel:

Step 5

The Access Panel slides out and folds away to allow access to the battery box area:

Steps 6-7

Turn R2-D2 back upright and start to slide the Battery Box (with the wires on the left) into the slot. The cables should go along with it and be pulled up into the center of the Bottom Ring frame:

Steps 8-9

Then, slide the Battery Box itself up at an angle so it is supported by the Battery Box Bracket. Make sure the Battery Box goes all the way up the bracket and that the leads do not get caught around the metal framework, but come out between the uprights, as shown:

Step 10

Close the Access Panel and tighten both captive screws.

From now on, if you need to access the Battery Box you can use the Short Screwdriver that was supplied back in Issue 88 so that you do not need to take R2-D2 off his feet:

Steps 11-12

Connect the unlabeled red/black cable from the Battery Box to the unlabeled Charging Socket cable, fully seating it until it locks in place:

Making the Connections

“All the cables you have been labelling plug into these sockets in the MCU or Sensor Control Board, matching up the letter codes. (The other sockets are not used until a later [issue], when you fit the front and back panel, dome motor and the dome itself.) Make the connections in the order shown on the following [steps]. This will avoid tangling the cables, some of which need to be carefully routed.”

CAUTION: Double check that you are connecting these cables to the boards correctly. There are tabs that correctly align the plugs only in one direction. Plugging anything in backwards may cause damage to your R2-D2!

Step 1

Connect the cable labeled C.F-S into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 2

Connect the cable labeled C.F-IR into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 3

Connect the cable labeled C-S into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 4

Connect the Battery Box cable labeled ON-OFF into this matching socket on the MCU:

These thick cables connect to spring-loaded prongs that keep the plug from falling out. They needed quite a bit of force to seat the plug all the way:

Step 5

In the same way, connect the cable labeled Power into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 6A

Slide the bundle of cables from the LEFT leg down the middle of the framework and under this Cable Clip on the MCU, as shown:

Step 6B

Then, take the cable labeled L.F-IR back up the MCU and connect it into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 7A

Loop the black leg cable labeled L-S through both Cable Clips, as shown:

Step 7B

Connect this black cable to the matching L-S socket on the Sensor Control Board, as shown:

Step 8A

Connect the cable labeled L.F-M into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 8B

Then, gather the surplus LEFT leg wiring and tuck it neatly under this Cable Clip:

Step 9A

Slide the bundle of cables from the RIGHT leg down the middle of the framework and under this Cable Clip on the MCU, as shown:

Step 9B

Then, take the cable labeled R.F-IR back up and connect it to this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 10A

Feed the cable labeled R.F-M underneath the L-S cable, as shown:

Step 10B

Connect the R.F-M cable into this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 11A

Bring the black leg cable labeled R-S around so you can connect it to this matching socket on the Sensor Control Board:

Step 11B

Gather any surplus cable and tuck it under the Cable Clip:

Step 12

Bring the cable labeled L.H-IR down from the Top Frame Ring and connect it to this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 13A

In the same way, bring the cable labeled R.H-IR down from the Top Frame Ring and connect it to this matching socket on the MCU:

Step 13B

Tuck these two cables under this Cable Clip:

Step 14

Connect the larger plug of the Motor Control Cable (marked M-C) to this matching socket on the Sensor Control Board:

Step 15

Connect the other end of this cable to the matching M-C socket on the MCU:

Step 16

Connect the larger plug of the Sensor Control cable (marked S-C) to this matching socket on the Sensor Control Board:

Step 17

Connect the other end of this cable to the matching S-C socket on the MCU:.

You can see that I am trying to route the cabling to be as compact as possible. This will become important later on:

Installing the Cable Run

Steps 1-2

You will eventually need to remove the Battery Box to install the batteries, so check that you haven’t snagged its cluster of cables. Undo the Access Panel you fitted earlier and slide out the box. Make sure the Battery Box will come right out, giving you access to the two cover screws. If you can’t do this due to tight cabling, you may need to reroute them and plug them back into their sockets:

Step 3

Fit the first Cable Tie around here, securing the cables from the Right Leg, Centre Foot sensor, and Motor Control ‘M-C’ cable:

Step 4

Pull the Cable Tie tight and clip off the excess:

Step 5

Route the rest of the Motor Control cable around the curved frame and secure it with another Cable Tie.

I skipped this step as I had already routed my Motor Control cable down into the frame (see the various photos above).

Step 6

Repeat Step 3 on the left side, securing the Left Leg cables:

Step 7

Route the rest of the Sensor Control cable around the frame and secure it with another Cable Tie here:

I also skipped this step as I had already routed my Sensor Control cable down into the frame (see the various photos above).

Step 8

Secure both Rotary Sensor cables to the lower section of the Support Rod with a Cable Tie, as shown.

Since I had an extra Cable Tie, I secured these cables in two places:

Clip off any excess Cable Ties to finish up this issue.

Looking down into our R2-D2 from above, this is all of the wiring we have connected so far and how I routed them. I even used the spare Cable Ties to tighten up the wiring even more. I used all of my spares here, but you do need a Cable Tie for use in Issue 99, so you might want to save one.

The reason I chose to change my cable routing up a bit was to keep as much space open underneath the dome. It is going to spin around inside here and I wanted to minimize anything it could get caught on:

Thoughts

My brain hurts! This issue takes over as the craziest one yet. And we still have three more to go! The Camera and Lens Cover were not used, but keep them handy for the next issues.

Next Up

 Issue 98 – Head Sensor Housing, Ultrasound Sensor Cover, Circuit Board Supports, Lens Cover Seals, Mounting Washers