RS Zip Zap Mini RC RF Servo Tutorial

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'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.
 
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. :confused 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. (y):D

 
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!
 
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.:cheers
 
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. 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.
 
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
 
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 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.:)
 
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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This thread is more than 2 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top