Robodyssey Mini Roach User manual
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2. Mini Roach Kit Contents
1Roach Body 6 Center Servo Support
2Primary Legs (4) 7 Small Screw Bag
3Center Legs (2) 8 Linkage Bag
4Servos (3) 9 Pivots and Spacer Bag
5Roach Head 10 Long Linkages
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Part 7 Small Screw Bag
18 6-32 3/8inch screws (4)
18 4-40 3/8inch button heads (4)
18 4-40 ¼ inch button heads (2)
18 6-32 ¼ inch button heads (8)
Part 8 Linkage Bag
11 Nylon Ball Sockets
12 Steel Ball Ends
13 2-56 Nuts
14 Mid (3) and short (1) Threaded Rod
Part 9 Pivots and Spacer Bag
15 Female Binder Post (6)
16 Male Binder Screws (6)
17 1/8x ¼ inch Nylon Washers (6)
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3Assembly Instructions
Assembly of the Mini Roach kit will take you about 60 minutes. Be sure to
look up the proper part for each step, indicated by the number next to the
part name which corresponds to the pictures in “Mini Roach Kit Contents.”
Some Basic tool and supplies are required for assembly, including:
-Phillips Screwdriver
-Needle Nose Pliers
-Regular Screwdriver
-Allen Wrenches
Leg Preparation
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Lay out and arrange the body and legs.
Attach Ball Pins (12) using the Small Nuts (13) to the
holes in the Center Legs (3). Note that one leg has two
ball pins, while the other only has one. Assemble as
shown in Figures 2 & 3. Take care not to over-tighten
the ball pins.
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Figure 4
Figure 5 Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Now attach six Ball Pins (12) using the Small Nuts (13)
to the holes in the Primary Legs (2). Note that one pair
of legs has two ball pins each, while the other pair only
has one ball pin per leg in the innermost hole.
Assemble as shown in Figure 4.
Insert a Female Binder (15) as shown in Figure 5
and 6.
Place 1/8 Nylon Washer (17) over the Binding Post
(15). See Figure 7
Place a Side Leg (2) over the Binding Post (15) and
Washer(17). Pay close attention to the orientation of
the roach. The front of the Roach has two small head
mounting holes. A front leg has only one ball joint.
See arrows in Figure 8.
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Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Secure the leg in place with the threaded portion of the
Binding Post (16). As shown in Figures 9 and 10. Care
should be taken as to not over tighten the screw. The leg
should be able to turn with little resistance.
Repeat the above steps until all 4 Side Legs (2) are installed.
As shown in Figure 11.
Insert the smooth sided portion of the Binding Post (15)
into the center holes of the Roach. Make sure the
Binding Post opening points toward the front of the
Roach as shown in Figure 12.
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Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Place a 1/8 inch Nylon Washer (17) over the Binding
Post (15). See Figure 13.
Start by attaching the leg that has only one ball pin.
Orient the leg such that the ball pin points toward the
back of the Roach body. The back of the Roach body is
the end with the rectangular openings cutout for servos.
Then, use a long screwdriver to gently tighten the
threaded portion of the binding post while securing the
backside from rotating as shown in Figure 14.
Repeat the above step with the remaining leg as shown
in Figure 15.
Always check the free movement of the legs. The legs should be able to swing
freely without much side to side play. If the leg moves with much resistance, simply
loosen the binding screw securing that leg. If the leg flops around loosely, simply
tighten the binding screw. Binding post can ware over time. They are commonly
available at most hardware stores or building centers.
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Attaching the Leg Linkages
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
Servo mounting instruction
Attach the two Mid Legs together as shown in Figure 17.
Start by attaching two Ball End Sockets (11) to either side of a
Mid Length threaded rod (14) as shown in Figure 16.
It is likely you will have some adjustments to make in
the length of the linkage. As indicated by the arrow in
Figure 18, this robot has one leg off the ground. By
tightening the Ball End Sockets on the rod, the overall
length becomes shorter. Tweak with the rod length until
a perfect balance is attained and all six legs are on the
ground as shown in Figure 19.
Note: It is not recommended to rotate any servo by turning the horn!
Robodyssey recommends centering servos electronically. See appendix A for a simple
software routine to center servos connected to a Robodyssey advanced motherboard
equipped with a Basic X processor. Always exercise caution when running a servo the first
time. An overdriven servo may strip its gears on the first run.
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Figure 20
Figure 21
Attach the last centered servo to the back of the Center Servo Support piece (6)
using four 6-32 x 3/8 inch screws (18) as shown in Figures 22 and 23. Be sure to test
the orientation of the servo prior to setting it in. The servo needs to have its drive
spline on the opposite side of the free Center Leg ball. Take a look at Figure 24. The
arrow points to the leg that has the available ball.
Figure 22 Figure 23
Repeat with the other side. You should now have a robot
that looks like the one in Figure 21.
Insert a centered Servo (4) into one of the rectangle cut
outs in the rear of the Roach. Secure it in place with four
6-32 button head screws (21). See Figure 20
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Figure 23
Figure 24
Figure 25
Connecting the linkages
Screw two nylon Ball Socket Ends (11) onto either end of a Long threaded rod (10)
as shown in Figure 26.
Figure 26
Attach and secure the Center Servo with four 4-40 3/8
inch button head screws (19) as seen in Figure 25.
Place a servo horn with a ball securely attached to the
center hole on the servo spline. With the servo in center,
place the horn over the shaft such that the horn points in
the direction of the arrow. Be sure to secure the horn in
place with a small servo screw.
Center Servo in place. Note: the arrow points to the leg
with the attachment ball. If the Servo horn is on the
same side as the available ball, the robot will not
function. See Figure 24.
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