Maker, modder, LARPer, rocketeer, drone pilot, author
I’ve been busy putting the final touches on R2D2’s dome to make it look great as well as securing the motor and all the components for the Imagination Fair.
It went awesome!
Artoo’s dome can now turn, send a video feed of what he’s seeing to my computer, and talk.
Everyone loved him!
I talked to a lot of great mentors about my build.
This is the Raspberry Pi 3 with Raspberry Pi camera module v2 that I am using for the radar eye. I have a longer ribbon cable for when I install it in Artoo.
A picture of the camera live feed with the code to control the motor for the turntable.
Testing control of the turntable motor
This is the dome support structure. Because my dome is papier-mâché, I’m a bit concerned about it being crushed (although it is solid as a rock), so I’ve built it this skeleton.
Here you can see my turntable peeking out from underneath that skeleton!
My dad helped me cut a notch into the turntable. This is to allow the motor to spin only the top half of the turntable instead of trying to move the whole thing. (In other words, this was the wrong cheap turntable to buy.)
This is the notch we cut.
Checking to make sure the motor will fit and actually move the turntable.
Marking where to drill the holes for mounting the motor. 
No photos were taken during the actual drilling as all hands were on deck!
Threading the zip ties through the drilled holes was very difficult.
My mom reacting to R2D2’s sound. Dad and I are downstairs testing the camera. We could see mom just fine!
My mom reacts to the hidden camera. I went upstairs to pop in on the camera while she watched the feed downstairs.
Using a sharpie to make the lines darker around the dome panels that aren’t blue.
The lazy susan:
Trying out the dome on the lazy susan.
Peeled off the inside portion of the dome panel templates. Some more seepage, but it looks more like R2.
Painting the dome bumps. It’s a super bouncy ball cut in half.
I’ve decided to use the method described in visual28’s “DIY motorized Turntable” video to turn the dome, although I want to make it reversible and remote controlled.
Mom ordered a cheap turntable from Amazon. The “Pasow Heavy Duty Plastic Rotating Swivel Steel Ball Bearings Stand for Monitor/TV/Turntable/Lazy Susan – 12 Inch” for $10.99.
And fellow R2D2 Builder helmet helped me find the templates I needed for the Dome. I’m using the photos I took of AimeeD’s R2D2 build a lot when planning.
I printed Daren Murrer’s CD Domes Dome Wrap Templates onto scrap paper to check the general fit and figure out how to use them.
I decided to print them again onto full-sheet labels and then apply the labels directly to the dome.
The labels went on really well — staying in place but not damaging the paint underneath.
The box of parts for my remote-controlled turntable arrived! Except for the lazy susan itself. That came later at 7:30pm.
I used a hobby knife to etch the template outlines onto the dome.
I used a pencil to darken the lines
Checking the placement of my radar eye.
I have a deadline in 1 week. I want to show what I’ve completed at the June 4th Imagination Fair. My goal for the Imagination Fair is getting a functioning radar eye with a hidden camera and getting the dome to rotate via remote control.
I’ve decided to paint on the panels to have the dome looking as much like R2D2 as possible and devote more time to the camera and turntable.
While the paint dries, my dad and I try to send a feed of what the camera sees to my computer so everyone can see what R2D2 sees, and nothing works.
This is the Raspberry Pi 3 with Raspberry Pi camera module v2 that we are using for the radar eye.
Third and final coat of blue for the dome panels.
Time to peel off the painters tape.
I get a nice, clean straight line for the first piece.
Other places, I have some seepage. Probably because the dome has never fully smoothed.
It’s good enough for proof-of-concept.
Checking again to make sure the radar eye is in a good position.
The dome after its third coat of paint.
The lens gets its first coat of black paint.
Second coat of metallic blue paint for the radar eye.
Then it’s time to release Mom’s yoga ball.
Dad and I release some air to make removal easier.
The inside of the dome looks good!
The plastic pulls off easily and mostly cleanly.
Time to build a support frame for the interior of the dome.
First semi-circle fits.
The full frame.
The base plate.
Then my dad trimmed the bottom of the dome with sharp serrated knife. It was slow work, and a bit dangerous, but no one was injured.
The cut edge is rough, but I will sand it down.
The dome looks good, but Mom says it would have taken less time to just restart with the papier-mâché after the papier-mâché pulp fiasco. She says it’s still proof of concept.
Testing the painted lens. It looks great, but needs another coat of black paint.
Next up is the pie panels and dome panels. I hope to find a template for those!
Oh, and I’ve been working on programming the camera that will go behind the radar eye. No exciting photos, but I’ll have to start documenting that, too.
May 16. Mom wonders if Mod Podge might fill in the remaining holes on the dome, so I agree to give that I try.
May 20. I decide to give the dome a first layer of paint to see what it looks like.
The single coat of paint (Rust-Oleum Metallic Aluminum) reveals all the remaining lumpiness of the dome! It’s also clear that the paint looks best where the gesso was not removed during sanding.
The radar eye is fully glued. I’m using foam board pieces to build up the detail on the sidebox.
May 22. I decided to use jonny5’s “Radar Eye Lens for FREE‚” except that 3 liter bottles are no longer made, so I’m going to try it with a 2 liter bottle. It took us a week to drink all the root beer, but now the bottle is empty, rinsed and ready to be cut!
And the radar eye looks really nice!
I had to take a break from R2D2 to complete others projects that were coming due.
I’ve been applying layers of gesso, but it’s not filling in the holes.
I decide to work on something else: the radar eye. I chose Kelly R. Krider’s “main eye temp2” and “main eye sidebox” templates.
To get a sense of it, I made it out of cardstock first.
I used a sheet of scarp cardboard, so the inside is colorful.
It looks great on the lumpy dome!
May 14. I print the templates onto full sheet labels and then apply the labels to box board and cut them out.
This is going to look awesome!
On April 17, I take the dome outside to sand it …
… and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand. This stuff is hard as rock. I used 40 grit sandpaper, and it hardly making a dent.
Mom goes back online. Reads several blog posts about NOT using papier-mâché pulp to smooth papier-mâché. Seems we should have used gesso instead. The bloggers say that the gesso will fill in the bumps and lumps, while papier-mâché pulp is usually lumpy no matter how much you break it up and mix.
I take a week off from the build to prep for the first Tripoli Minnesota High Power Rocketry Club Launch of the spring — which we then miss for reasons not related to R2D2 building.
On April 18, I get to visit the shop of another local R2D2 builder, AimeeD!
On April 23, I apply a layer of gesso. It fills in the tiny holes, but thick as it is, it’s not going to help with the large lumps.
Things go horribly wrong, although I won’t know that for a while yet.
Mom does some quick internet research. Too quick it turns out. She reads ONE blog post about using papier-mâché pulp to smooth the finish of a papier-mâché project, so we walk to Michael’s and back for a box of FastMâché.
It’s goopy and sloppy!
It doesn’t exactly smooth on easily.
It mostly sticks to my hands.
But it does seem to be covering the newspaper with uniform whiteness.
THAT’S NO MOON!
Mom says we can sand it smooth. She reads the instructions and tells me that it’s easiest to sand when it’s “leather dry.”
She will be wrong about this.