Remember when I said I was done with my hands on #MRRF2018 animatronics example last week? Yeah….I l’eye’d ? pic.twitter.com/BNwqb7pahQ
— Jim (@JimScuba2386) February 19, 2018
Jim Leemhuis, AKA JimScubba2386 posted a video series on how to make a programmable animatronic eyeball mechanism using 3D printed parts, micro-controllers and servos. He also posted his 3D files along with a parts list and notes on his Thingiverse page.
This project allows you to build a pair of animatronic eyes that can be programmed via puppetry and played back to you as much as you want. Here is a quick demo of how it works: https://twitter.com/JimScuba2386/status/965712794925633536
Jim put together 6 videos that covers the project and breakdowns the assembly, construction and code. Jim used an Adafruit Feather and Feather Servo Wing as the brains.
It seems like a very ambitious project (and it is) but Jim thoroughly explains how to build it. If you’re a Disney fan and interested in building Animatronics, check out Jim’s video series. This is a great example of how to capture movements, play them back and puppeteer several servos.
Here are the parts used:
Feather Terminal Block: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2926
Feather 32U4: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2771
Feather Servo Wing: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2928
Right Angle Headers: https://www.adafruit.com/product/816
Feather Stacking Header: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2830
I2C Fram: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1895
DC Female Barrel Jack: https://www.adafruit.com/product/368
5V 2A Power Supply: https://www.adafruit.com/product/276
To see how to assemble everything watch Jim’s video series. You can also subscribe to Jim on YouTube for future videos.
Part 1 – The Brains: https://youtu.be/8oh_uvJ9mG4
Part 2 – The Input Controls!: https://youtu.be/Cm8dbQKGaRU
Part 3 – Joints, Toggles, and Pinning…oh my: https://youtu.be/XwMmuf30uH0
Part 4 – Assembling the Input Devices:https://youtu.be/Ihe13GyIyLg
Part 5 – Building the Eye Mechanism: https://youtu.be/eF9NeQPDaAU
Part 6 – The Code: https://youtu.be/ggKNXxkOOKU