RS Zip Zap Mini RC RF Servo Tutorial

awesome tutorial man!! thanks for posting this.... i will definately be useing this on my costum mando.

freakin genious I'm gonna do it. I'm so glad you figured this out so I wont have to. great tutorial.

Wow I WAS out of it for too long

That is just awesome :thumbup

So the big question is .... how much for a hook up on this (parts and labor)

Great job my friend !



FP

Thanks for the compliments Grindking and Babyfett!

Hey Chris...PM coming your way dude!

Very cool tutorial, I have to try it out

Thanks Goauld! Would love to see your WIP pics!

that is absolutely brilliant! well done!

did you use the toy just because you already had it?
because there are very small simple RF units on evilbay that could likely do the job for you for under $10, would just save all the gutting/modding of the toy to get what you need.

Originally Posted by Anomaly

that is absolutely brilliant! well done!

did you use the toy just because you already had it?
because there are very small simple RF units on evilbay that could likely do the job for you for under $10, would just save all the gutting/modding of the toy to get what you need.

Thanks! There was actually an old tutorial here on TDH on this from a few years back that really inspired me, but it wasn't detailed on how everything worked. The tutorial was a very basic one page brief summary on the subject. The old tutorial didn't explain the process in detail, and it seems that it assumed the reader is already familiar with electronics and RC technology. So, having the knack on tinkering with electronics and such, I had to try it and write a step-by-step tutorial that everyone can follow.

I used the Zip Zap RC cars coz they are inexpensive and the electronics on both the car and the RC transmitter are both small enough to fit inside the helmet and the left gauntlet. Also, the circuitry was simple enough to modify to accomplish what I need for it to do.

Welcome to TDH and good luck with your Fett quest!

Wow. I'm definitely gonna do this when i get my helmet together. Thanks for the help man!

First of all: great tutorial. I'm about to start making mine and have a couple of questions. Servo city allows you to get a servo with 90 or 180 degrees of motion, which one would you recommend? Do I have to use 4xAAA batteries or is this going to be determined by which particlular board I'm using?

Originally Posted by Bossywalker

First of all: great tutorial. I'm about to start making mine and have a couple of questions. Servo city allows you to get a servo with 90 or 180 degrees of motion, which one would you recommend? Do I have to use 4xAAA batteries or is this going to be determined by which particlular board I'm using?

Thanks Bossywalker! To answer your question about the servo, you only need to get the basic which is the 90 degrees. You won't need it since you're gonna be gutting out the servo controller anyway.

For batteries, if you will be using the zip zap circuit boards, then yes, you will need them since the circuit runs at 4 volts anymore than that and it will fry the circuit board. If you are gonna be using other RC circuits besides zip zaps, then I suggest using what is required by the manufacturer to run the device.

Ah, that makes sense, I kinda forgot that we bypass the controller. I figured that the number of batteries depends on the board. Can't wait to get started. My Bobamaker order arrives next week!!

Have someone ever tryed to do this on the MR helmet ?

Have the MR, but not sure howI will fix it,... I think I will make more dmg then good

This is genius.

Originally Posted by Little TK Boy

Have someone ever tryed to do this on the MR helmet ? Have the MR, but not sure howI will fix it,... I think I will make more dmg then good

I'm not sure if it will work coz the stalk mechanism is different on the MR helmet. The base of the stalk has a notch to keep it from coming down, how hard is it to manually lower the stalk considering the notch? If it doesn't take much effort, you can try modding the stalk to fit over the servo spline and see if it'll move without much effort. The servo can handle about 8 lbs. of force to move a 7" long stalk.

Here is the formula:

oz-inch/16 = pounds of force (1" arm) Now, since the BKBT aluminum RF stalk is 6.5 inches long and the servo is rated at 61.1 oz-inch @ 4.8 volts (4 AAA battery pack = 4.8 volts and I'll just round off the stalk length at 7") then our formula should look like this:

61.1/7 = 8.73 pounds of force @ 4.8 volts

Originally Posted by peanutbutterstrangle

This is genius.

Thanks for the compliment.

Wow, thanks for great tutorial - I put it to use and, YES, it works! Thanks.

One observation - you must be the best soder-er on planet to get the wires on the board not to conect the circuit on the "pads". After overheating and destroying the left side controls, I used the right side with same results, but the "split the pad with an exacto-knife" was the way to go.

thanks for the tutorial i'll start make one of that soon^_^

very good tutorial.

This really looks like a good idea.. but all the wires confuse me ahaha..

Great tutorial, I see a lot of applications for this even in my R2 unit!

Well, I gave it a try, but what a frustrating experience ( no fault of TD 2253's )/

The Zip Zap I bought had different colored wires, a different control pad... so I had to sort through these issues. This was frustrating, but do -able. When it came time to connect the servo to it's board though, the wire coloring totally threw me. and it became "test every possible connection" time. Eventually i heard a noise from the servo !! I was sooo close !

As I depressed the buttons, I could hear a motor noise, but noticed that the servo wasn't really turning anything. After many attempts, I took the servo apart. Everything looked o.k. I ran it a bit just to make sure the gears turned and it still looked good. When I put the servo back together, no luck, this time a super high pitched tone, that you would not hear unless you were very close to the servo and the room was very quiet. More experimentation and after countless attempts to fix the servo and put it together again, I have concluded that the servo is garbage. One of the gears appears to not sit very well in it's "spot" and when it hangs up, you get the high pitched whine from the motor not being able to move anything.

I had a few choice curse words for the manufacturer, then I decided to leave the work bench for another day, too much stress over a simple project.


I have to decide if it's worth blowing another chunk of change on a new servo or not.


It also occurred to me that since I'm doing an ESB Fett, there are no legit spots on the gauntlets to put the buttons. I was thinking of somewhere hidden on the belt or even in the pouch. I would be able to just use the zip zap remote as-is !

The tutorial is awesome, and a great help, I'm just bummed about the servo nonsense.



Time for some FOOD !

I both fell stupid and I hate to ask but I'm reaaally inexperianced so here it goes:
what do the electronics in there do?

I'm not sure if this will answer your question, but here goes .....

The two remote control buttons basically tell another device "go this way" or " go that way".

When the receiving end is hooked to the servo motor, the signal tells the servo to spin "one way" or "the other". So, by depressing one button, your Rf lowers ( on mine the LED's are on mercury switch , so they blink automatically in the down position ) and the other button makes the servo spin the opposite direction, which is "up".

Thanks for the comments guys and and thanks to Timmer for answering Mandalorian Guy's question. I'm glad the device is working for most of you except for the minor servo issues.

Originally Posted by batninja

This is one of the most well-planned and documented tutorials I've ever seen on TDH! Whatever you do, don't delete the pics attached to this thread...EVER!

PLEASE...no one panic about the dissapearing of this thread or it's pics, since I've took the liberty of copying the whole thread (minus the responses) to convert it in either an MS Word and/or PDF file as a DOWNLOADABLE TUTORIAL.

I perfectly understand what batninja says, cause I've seen interesting "STICKY" threads in different forums, and all of the sudden.... they dissapear. I will be posting a WORD or PDF file soon in here.

BTW, I also agree with batninja (which I haven't seen in YEARS); this is a GREAT example of a tutorial. Well documented and step-by-step, rarely seen in any forums. There was a similar tutorial 6 years ago about the very same thing....but yours is BETTER DOCUMENTED (somehow), since technology changes from day to day. I'm adding to the list of items to have the plastic "motherboard thingies" used to mount the servo to the side, which were not in the original list.

Posting the file soon.

gonna have to try this out!

Hey, I want to say that this is a great tutorial, very easy to follow, and I plan to use it on my own bucket very soon. I did have a couple of questions, however, if you'll indulge me.

First, what'd you use to enclose the circuit board inside the helmet? Second, how did you secure the circuit board inside the gauntlet?

Thanks,
Tyler

I have to figure out where to put the controller on my ESB. The gauntlets might not be an option. I may put them in my pouch somehow, or on the belt.

TD2253, Excellent tutorial. I made the first tutorial years ago and I was surprised to see someone had revamped it and got it stickied. I pop in very rarely just to have a look around and I happened across this and was very happy to see that this idea is still alive and well. I'm impressed with the great detail you went into to bring this to the community. Great work! You all continue to amaze me, keep up the great creativity!

Originally Posted by krillindb

TD2253, Excellent tutorial. I made the first tutorial years ago and I was surprised to see someone had revamped it and got it stickied. I pop in very rarely just to have a look around and I happened across this and was very happy to see that this idea is still alive and well. I'm impressed with the great detail you went into to bring this to the community. Great work! You all continue to amaze me, keep up the great creativity!

Thanks Krillindb! Glad you like it and thanks for your original tutorial that inspired me to try and make one myself.

I really must say that this thread has inspired me to start a Boba Fett project. Even if it only ends up an a manni in the prop room next to the others

Thanks for sharring this, really geat stuf.

Great tutorial! When I start on my custom Fett I will definitely use this.

Thanks for the comments! Here is another way to get your servo to move without gutting it but it will be tethered by the wires instead of wireless.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Servo-Tester/

Great tutorial. This one that will definately be used. Am going to try this with my Clone bucket as well to raise and lower the visor. Thanks for the servo formula.

Originally Posted by tazbrown

Great tutorial. This one that will definately be used. Am going to try this with my Clone bucket as well to raise and lower the visor. Thanks for the servo formula.

Thanks for the compliment! Looking forward to seeing some WIP pics from both projects!

Great tutorial, however up here in Canada, the layout is a bit different for the board and RC car.
As well, what you called a 'green capacitor' is in fact a small Ni-MH battery

Originally Posted by Wolfie

dont suppose there is a way to do this with a three way toggle instead of push buttons? I used my push buttons for LEDs in the laser cannons on the gaunt LOL darnit!

You can use a DPDT switch to act like a power window switch:
http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f23/rs-zip-zap-mini-rc-rf-servo-tutorial-25704/

I have a question about this servo setup... if one chose to just use a solid-wired DPDT switch, based on what I have seen here, I would simply not connect the yellow "control" wire and run the red to the switch, black to ground... this sound okay?
Hoping not to smell burning servo here :-)

Originally Posted by Deathbird

I have a question about this servo setup... if one chose to just use a solid-wired DPDT switch, based on what I have seen here, I would simply not connect the yellow "control" wire and run the red to the switch, black to ground... this sound okay?
Hoping not to smell burning servo here :-)

I've tried using a DPDT toggle switch with a center off position by following the instructions on the package plus some internet sources, but the motor kept running somehow no matter what position the switch is on, but when I used two SPST normally open switches (1 for up, 1 for down), it worked only when I pressed either switch button which is the result that I wanted.

Maybe you should test the DPDT switch on something else like a cheap flash light bulb or LED to test the circuit on. This way you don't risk frying your circuit boards and servo.

Originally Posted by yodakiller1138

I've tried Radio shack and they don't carry the Zip Zaps. Will any old Zip Zap work or does it have to be Radio Shack brand.

UPDATE: Never mind. I got 2 RADIO SHACK zip zaps for 22.00 off Ebay. I also got the recommended Servo and shaft. I'll try this out as soon as things come in.

Awesome! That's a good deal! Looking forward to seeing your WIP postings!

Originally Posted by TD2253

I'm not sure if it will work coz the stalk mechanism is different on the MR helmet. The base of the stalk has a notch to keep it from coming down, how hard is it to manually lower the stalk considering the notch? If it doesn't take much effort, you can try modding the stalk to fit over the servo spline and see if it'll move without much effort. The servo can handle about 8 lbs. of force to move a 7" long stalk.

Here is the formula:

oz-inch/16 = pounds of force (1" arm) Now, since the BKBT aluminum RF stalk is 6.5 inches long and the servo is rated at 61.1 oz-inch @ 4.8 volts (4 AAA battery pack = 4.8 volts and I'll just round off the stalk length at 7") then our formula should look like this:

61.1/7 = 8.73 pounds of force @ 4.8 volts



Thanks for the compliment.

I'm using the MR helmet and all you have to do is take out the spring / locking mechanism so the stalk is free moving. It will be attached to the servo after all. You will also have to cut off the post that the stalk attaches on and just leave the base part as the servo extension will fit in here and serves the same purpose.I've only started the preliminary stuff, so I'll let you know how it turns out. I'll see if I can take PICs to illustrate what I am talking about.

Originally Posted by yodakiller1138

Where do you get the motherboard post thingies? Radio shack didn't have them.

UPDATE: Again a NEVERMIND. I went to a local guy who repairs computers and he gave me 5 motherboard posts for FREE.

Sweet! Glad you got a hold of some.

Originally Posted by yodakiller1138

I'm using the MR helmet and all you have to do is take out the spring / locking mechanism so the stalk is free moving. It will be attached to the servo after all. You will also have to cut off the post that the stalk attaches on and just leave the base part as the servo extension will fit in here and serves the same purpose.I've only started the preliminary stuff, so I'll let you know how it turns out. I'll see if I can take PICs to illustrate what I am talking about.

Would appreciate you adding to the tutorial for the MR helmet. Looking forward to some WIP pics! Thanks!

Is there an enclosure you put the boards in?

Originally Posted by yodakiller1138

Is there an enclosure you put the boards in?

I left the transmitter board in the gaunt without an enclosure since it's already protected in the flamethrower housing. But for the receiver in the helmet, I bought a small enclosure for it because it will be exposed to moisture (perspiration) and I didn't want to risk shorting it out. CLICK HERE for the link to the small enclosure.

I've been having a little trouble getting the solder to stick to the control pads.

By the time I got anything to stick they're brown. Any advice.

Pre-solder the wire and then carefully heat the wire with the solder iron while holding it down on the control pad. Then when both wires are soldered, apply some hot glue on both leads to prevent them from breaking off. I know how you feel, it's the most tricky part of the tutorial.

Well, I got the servo finished and fitted to the stalk and that came out great, but had to buy another Zip Zap. Got a Bumblebee for $10. So the interior guts should look like your PICS and be easier to figure out.The others I did got a little burned trying to solder the bush button leads on , so there was not as good a connection as i wanted. I'll try to do what you suggested. But getting the battery connected , etc. is very simple and everything turns on right. Just have to get the push buttons on correctly and I'm GOOD TO GO.

Well, after taking time off to move into my first home, I'm back to working on my ESB Fett. I managed to get the RC working, but the servo doesn't even come close to being able to lift the RF arm. When lowering it, the servo gets the ball rolling, but it's the weight of the stalk that actually seems to pull it down, when I try the "up" position, no luck, you can hear a faint whining sound from the servo but it appears that it would need to be many times stronger to put the arm in the "up" position.

I have an aluminum stalk, some kind of resin, or molded topper, an acrylic looking window section, and a self contained LED device. There are also 2 small earth magnets holding the window section to the topper. Is it just too much stuff ? What does everyone else
have ? Could it be the batteries ? Its;s killing me that I bought 2 of those servos ( the first one was junk ) and now it won't lift the dang thing. I read previously that it should handle up to 8 pounds, and I know the RF is less than that.


Any suggestions, or recommendations on a better servo ?

Thanks everyone.

I just checked out a site that sells this servo. The math formula says that you take the power rating ( 76.6) and divide it by 16 ( oz. in a pound ) which gives you 4.76 lbs. but, for a 1" arm.

To calculate for let's say a 7" arm, you have to divide that 4.76 again, by 7 ( for the 7" ) and come up with .68 lbs. So if I understand it correctly, this servo will lift a 7" arm only if it's .68 of a lb or less.


I saw TD2253's formula previously, and it doesn't follow with what I saw on the servo site, ( no offense TD2253, I could be mistaken. )

First of all, 4 AAA are 6v, not 4.8.

Ounce per inch ( oz.-in.) / 16 gives you pounds of force, BUT only for a 1" arm. For instance 76.3 with 6 volts / 16 = 4.76 pounds of force WITH a 1" arm.

If you have a 2" arm, you take that 4.76 and / 2 which is 2.38 pounds of force for a 2" arm.

Since the RF stalk is about 7" long ( not to mention the weight of it and the topper ) we would take 4.76 / 7 = .68 or less than 3/4 of a pound of force.

So obviously the longer the arm or stalk, the force required to move it, yet weaker the servo becomes. I may need a tougher servo after all.

Does anyone know the total weight of their stalk/ topper for comparison ?

Here's the link to that formula http://www.servocity.com/html/servo_power___speed.html

Hey Timmer,

I ran into the same issue at one time while testing my servo system with the RF top installed. It so happens that the springs in the battery box were too compressed and not holding the battery tight enough to get a good conductivity. So, I stretched them out and tried it again and it worked better when the RF is going to the "Up" position. Like you saw in my video, it was doing a jerky movement going up....it's because of the springs in the battery box. Hope this helps!

-Gene

Thanks Gene, I'll give it a try. I may also try a more powerful servo at some point, if it will fit !

Thanks,

Tim

What a great tutorial, I know it's an old one, but could be useful... Sticky

There is 154 posts to this thread so I may be asking a question that may have been answered already but where did you get the low profile servo? I checked radio shack for the cars but will have to wait a little bit and no one that works there knows what i'm talking about on the servo.

Just google search for that model number, I forget what it it, but it's in this post. Be aware that it's small, and only powerful enough for certain toppers. It won't lift mine back to position, but my electronics are in the topper which obviously makes it heavier. Radio Shack is not your answer.

Originally Posted by jwinnington

There is 154 posts to this thread so I may be asking a question that may have been answered already but where did you get the low profile servo? I checked radio shack for the cars but will have to wait a little bit and no one that works there knows what i'm talking about on the servo.

Here is the link to the online store for the low profile servo.

Here the link for the mini-rc cars. They are not the Radio Shack brand but the electronics are similar. Good luck!

Thank you. I'll post up when I get it done.

Originally Posted by Timmer

Just google search for that model number, I forget what it it, but it's in this post. Be aware that it's small, and only powerful enough for certain toppers. It won't lift mine back to position, but my electronics are in the topper which obviously makes it heavier. Radio Shack is not your answer.

Hey Timmer,

My RF is from bobamaker and can be made to light up but the clear lens is solid. Do you think I may have a problem? I have not wired it up yet as I need to figure out the power i need to light 3 LEDs. Also i will put all the electronics in the helmet.

I got my rangefinder LED from Hyperdyne Labs and it uses 3 watch batteries so it didn't weigh too much. One thing that I would probably do different is that instead of casting my own clear lens out of clear resin, maybe I should've vac-formed it out of clear plastic to make it lighter.

Hi Jwinnington. I would guess that with your electronics stored in the helmet, you may be better off than I am. I have a solid aluminum stalk, a custom made topper with a solid clear piece, plus the circuit board, lights, and one watch battery in the topper, so I'm maxed out ! One thing to do that will save you a little agony is just to test it before you go through work of installing it. Just assemble it all and give it a test run, that's when I found out that my servo was to weak. One of my R2 builder buddies had a neat idea, to put a counter-weight on the opposite end of the stalk, but in the helmet.

You've got the stalk, and the hole where the bolt or whatever goes through, well, you would attach a weight on the opposite side from where the stalk is. In theory, this would go up as the stalk comes down. As the stalk starts to raise, the weight of the counter-weight would maybe assist the servo a bit. Credit for that idea goes to Jon Stokes of the R2 builders Group. I'm not in a rush to fix mine as I sort of enjoy not having to deal with more batteries, more things to worry about, but I'm sure I'll give in and start shopping for a better servo that will fit. Plus, I'm an ESB Fett and the gauntlets aren't as convenient for storing the remote as the ROTJ gauntlets are.

I may even have to get a new stalk system that's lighter.

I have my bucket loaded up as it is. I will try to organize it a little better now with the servo coming in. I bought the Radio Shack amp after the newton, as the newton was way to big and I didn't like the fact my voice was coming from my crotch area. I mounted two little speakers aiming down from inside either cheek but people still had trouble hearing me outside. So i dropped the speakers down into my neck seal and it works great but it a real hassle to pull my bucket off to get a drink. I have two computer fans on either side with batteries. One sucks the air in and the other blows it out. I also use the Radio Shack hearing amp. I mounted it in my front right thigh pocket and sewed the wire up on the inside of the flight suit which goes to an ear piece so now I can hear over my fans and its at the right height for the kids to be of value. No more running over little children. I think the problem of space in my helmet could be overcome by a single, replaceable power source. I have 5 9 volts batteries now and more to come with the servo. My electronics knowledge is limited as it is but if anyone could come up with a design to run everything we need in our helmets off one type of battery. That would be awesome! And like you say Timmer and i believe.........A solution will present itself

On the other, The solid clear resin block i guess we'll call it. bobamaker made his with this reflective green stripping located on the back and I think if I was to power up 2 red and 1 green LEDs that that would give the look of an active RF. kind of how the night-vision goggles glowed back in the face of the user ever so slightly. Your idea of a hollow clear resin piece would work the best as there would be no weight issue. If you do it, try to add the green glow. A movie shot of the RF in action would have been great though. I ordered the servo and the car yesterday so i am on my way.

I am having a hard time soldering the wires to the remote board. I got the zip zap model and its not quite the same layout as the one you put in your post. I can get the car from your link but will it be easier to get together? The car layout wasn't the same either. i believe i messed up somewhere.

first of all hi, i have been off these boards for a long time. i put one of these in my boba helmet years ago. but i'm wanting to use this app. for a totally different project . i am wondering about the servo itself. is this particular one on this thread a realy slow moving servo. I need to find one that is the slower the better. I am going to use this app. for a remote control focus puller for my video camera. thanks , cory

Great tutorial! Boba could go into battle with that almost! Not only is it creative, it's very electronically detailed and properly done. You used heat shrink tubing which is fine, I just hope others in the future know of a good supplier, with good PFA Properties, which means it will be vibration resistant and chemically inert, is Fluorotherm.com

Will any zip zap rc car work on this? I'm looking for the TF cars but they do not seem to be avail anymore..

like this one? :
ZipZaps - Porsche 911 Turbo Micro Remote Control (Red) | eBay

Does the mhz amount matter?

hmm the cars I got take 3 AA bats so I know I should use 3 AA for the remote control switches but as for the receiver board and servo should I use 4 AA or will that fry the receiver board?

Okay from reading through this thread I understand that the controller board is removed out of the servo. But, if you are buying a servo that has a 90 degree control board in it, is it necessary to remove it? Can't you splice into the controller board with the board out of the rc?

Hi,

I´ve read this great tutorial, and I just want to try it on my helmet. Now I´m looking for a servo motor which will work and drive the stalk. Works the Hitec HS 77-bb well? then I look to get it in Germany. I´ve thought about to use this servo controller. What do you think will it work?

Greetings
Jack

Wow!!! That is a great tutorial you pur together. Also reading through this thread, I see there are a lot of very knowledgeable members providing encouragement and suggestions to the succesful implementation of this project. Great work!! I look forward to learning from all my fellow members so I too can build a quality Fett suit.

Frank