RS Zip Zap Mini RC RF Servo Tutorial

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!(y):)
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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.:)

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!:cheers
 
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. :angryAny 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. :wackoI'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
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
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