Mech/Exoskeleton Build (Full-Size )

[GMer56]

Turns out the connecting rod cracked the camshaft housing, so I'll be JB welding (and riveting an aluminum patch on) that when I get a new headgasket Monday. Now I got engine parts scattered around the garage.

So here's Mech progress! An overhaul of the hand!

Top: old knuckle module
Bottom: new knuckle Module



changes:
Third knuckle overhaul- 12mm longer with cable anchor
Palm: perpendicular mounting brackets for sturdier construction
Connectors: 1/2" bolts intstead of 1-1/2" bolts

Currently printing the new third knuckles for the other fingers.

 

[GMer56]

Fiddled around and got a quick n easy chest design. Also allows me to practice riveting curves

 

[GMer56]

Not much work done: mandatory overtime taking away my Saturdays and my Sundays spent w/ family.

Did manage a revision to the palm so it's more stable.



Also waiting on a shipment of 10-24 x1/2 machine screws to finish the knuckles. Previously it was 1" machine screws and they kept hitting each other and falling out.

Update: got impatient so I went to the hardware store and paid for some more machine screws ($0.02 per screw more! GASP!)


(CD for scale)

Also got some wood to work on the foot. Let's just say some research has yielded some interesting results in that department.

 

[GMer56]

Got the flu and broke the fever in 24 hours. Almost have all the right hand printed:

Just waiting for my shipment of machine screws to arrive.

[update: just arrived]
Also worked on a bit of shin design.

The large areas of black trim on the feet will be EVA foam for safety.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

GMer56 This build is crazy cool......How the hell are you going to move around in this thing? Its HUGE!!!! Add it to the wish list please.....

 

[GMer56]

GMer56 This build is crazy cool......How the hell are you going to move around in this thing? Its HUGE!!!! Add it to the wish list please.....

I got a hanging scale from my brother and officially weighed it.
The backpack weights 10kg/22lbs, and each shin weights approx 5 kg/11lbs. It is about half the weight of the skeletronics system (est 45kg), and fairly easy to move around if I remember to glue everything *pop*!

I'm trying out an idea for the feet that could prove to be revolutionary towards stilts and future mechs. If so, I'm tempted to start a "Kickstarter" and brand it as a piece of sporting equipment.

This would be hilarious because I could sell one of these things for 3% of the skelectronics price and still make a tidy profit! I'd be that sneaky bugger who takes an idea and makes it cheaper and better, eg Apple turned the PDA into a smartphone.

RIGS here we come!

 

[GMer56]

Crawled around the stuff in the garage for a few hours and behold! A foot! Of wood!


Weighs 8kg/14lbs. Slightly heavier than the previous version but more robust. I need to add the bungees to this foot (which is the left one, incidentally).



I'm thinking that to make a sole/tread I'll make a wooden mold and cast a set using roof patching rubber. Gotta do some tests on mold release agents for it. I'm thinking Crisco so long as the ants don't walk off with it.

Here is my engine friend who has been occupying most of my time (waiting to get a piston ring compressor), but has given me a terrifying idea on how to make a single engine, non-hydraulic mech. Shelf that for the future I guess.

 

[GMer56]

Car is in the shop (installing new cat converter and inspection) and van isn't fond of cold weather so I stayed home today. Made the mounting brackets so the hands can attach to 3/4" PVC via 1/4" machine bolts.



Plan to install 'em after I fiddle with my engine friend.

 

[GMer56]

Need a new mounting system. Had to take half the hand apart to put it on :/



Putting on some bungees to lighten the load.


All covered up:



I did a derp. I remembered I got some free MDF a while back.



A nice, lighter foot!



Working on a mold for the foot tread. The tread itself:



The sides ( to keep the rubber in!)



Letting the spray-on-rubber fully dry before lubing it in Crisco and pouring roof patch rubber ovet it.

 

[GMer56]

Got the roof goo:



Separating agent ( too lazy to scoop&spread Crisco)



And the assembled mold:



Fill 'er up



Spread it with a trowel. Very thick...



I better be careful not to confuse it with my brownies!



While spreading it the goo seemed willing to separate from the mold (very sticky stuff). However as a precaution the mold was sprayed with a rubberized coat over a layer of duct tape. Worse case I peel off the tape.

 

[GMer56]

Faffing around with stilts:

 

[GMer56]

Started making a new stasis dock, with a seat!


Over head boom arm!



Resting the torso on it.


Since the feet broke into little bits.


I simplified them.




And reinforced the shins.

 

[GMer56]

Suiting up for the first time. Gonna need to make some adjustments...

 

[GMer56]

Started some metal work.






Got 2 pairs of boxing gloves for $7




Figured out how to get the forearm to play nice with the glove.

 

[GMer56]

Lemme just shoulder this in here...





The fun noodles add some protection when the shoulder cylinders flop around. Also covers some sharp edges. Gonna get some flex tape to cover the various sharp edges before I wander around in public with it.


Went to the local junk store (same place I got the globes) and picked up sparring helmet and a skull.





Nice.

 

[Lieutenant Jaku]

Lemme just shoulder this in here...
Went to the local junk store (same place I got the globes) and picked up sparring helmet and a skull.

Nice.

are you planning to incorporate this into your design or is it just for fun and random stuff

 

[GMer56]

are you planning to incorporate this into your design or is it just for fun and random stuff

I forgot to mention that it's gonna be the head

 

[GMer56]

Got a pair of feets:



I'm actually able to mount them without the stasis dock. Got 40gb of raw video footage (approx 3 hours) of the build process from metal sheet to the pre-trim stage. Plan to process it into some sort of build video. Then shoot some footage of me suiting up and running around in the legs, then arms.

 

[GMer56]

Between helping my folks & granny I haven't had much free time. But since I got today off I'm fixing up a 2-stroke weedwacker I found on the side of the road (dirty carbeurator, fuel tank/broken fuel lines, broken primer bulb-now waiting for the fuel tank to dry after rinsing it out) to test my super secret powerarmor module. More on that later.

I'm also trying out orange on the shin. SO ORANGE O_O

 

[GMer56]

Finally figured out how to livestream. From my tablet. At 720p. During peak hours.
Do I actually sound like that?

Smacked myself in the eye taking off an elbowpad during an (unaired) test of the legs. They hold up -the legs, not the eye. Might stream a test run if I can find something to mount my tablet to.