ATAT Motorized Automata
Introduction: ATAT Motorized Automata
Hello again everyone, from my last project I just started to learn about making automata using tinkercad and I was hooked. Now i present to you my new automata project the Star Wars 4-legged ATAT.
I made the diorama/automata from the battle of hoth scene from episode V where <PERSON> was on a snowspeeder and tries to takedown an ATAT by harpooning its legs.
I made the base for all the mechanism to look like an ice wall since its on Hoth Ice planet.
The automata consist of the ATAT's 4 legs walking, head turning sideways and the snowspeeder circling around the ATAT. It will be powered by 2x N20 motors and an internal powerbank to power it.
Please take note that this is an intermediate level project so be vigilant when assembling the automata.
You can find more of my 3d printing stuff at https://www.instagram.com/fay3dlab/ or https://www.myminifactory.com/users/Fay3DLabs
Supplies
1. N20 dc motors - 15-20rpm x2
2. Electrical Connector Block
3. TP4056, DC-DC buck converter - USB to lithium battery with protection
4. Lithium battery 18650 3.7v
5. Lithium battery 18650 1 cell holder
6. Wires - AWG24
7. Rocker switch 2pins - 15x10mm
8. M3 screw - 8mm, 12mm, nut
9. Lubricant - grease
10. glue
and of course a 3d printer to print all the parts.. all part will be able to fit into a 200x200mm printer
Step 1: Modelling Everything With Tinkercad
The modelling was all done using tinkercad and was split into 3 sections
1. The leg mechanism
2. The speeder circling mechism
3. 949
The head turn mechanism
All 3 mechanism uses different types of gears. I did a lot of research on gears to see what works for each mechanism.
1-Leg mechanism
All 4 legs are powered by a single N20 motor that is connected very intricately with gears to rotate both clockwise and counter clockwise to help with a smooth rotation.
2- Speeder mechanism
the speeder would circle the whole base and atat so i made 4 post from the base to hold onto a 90 teeth ring gear.
3- The atat head turns
At first i wanted to use a single motor to power the whole automata but that means i had to make a gear mechanism that would transfer rotation power from the base to the ATAT body and head. Althought i got it to work, the torque that the motor was turning was too powerful that the 3d printed parts was starting to break apart. In the end I added another N20 motor in the atat body to make the head turns
After all the mechanism was completed, I concerntrated on making the ATAT details. Learning from past experience from the x-wing, I separated all the laser cannon so if 1 broke, you dont need to print the whole head again.
Modelling the ATAT was the easy part. after that i separated all the parts for easy 3d printing. If you have a very tuned 3d printer, you wont need to support a lot of the parts.
As always, all 3d stl models can be found here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967877 or https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-atat-motorize-automata-185990 or https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/atat-motorized-automata
Step 2: Assembling the Automata
The assembly stages will be divided into 9 parts:
1. Motor mount
2. Center gear mount
3. Leg gear mount
4. Ring gear mount
5. Powerbank and motor wiring
6. Base complete
7. ATAT body and head gear
8. ATAT legs
9. Snowspeeder assembly
The base mount assembly has a lot of intricate parts and needs to be done step by step for it to be able to work together
tip: you might want to paint the ATAT and base before assembly to make painting easier
Step 3: Assembly - Motor Mount
The motor mount is a straight forward assembly.
It would work easier if you solder the wiring for motor before assembly. Make sure that the wiring is made so that the motor would turn clockwise.
Insert a nut into the gear and screw using m3 8mm.. 784