I’ve run into a little snag with my solar decapod so I thought I would finally assemble my CH3. I did the leg light mod and the beady eyes mod (I mounted the receiver for the PS2 controller on the top deck instead of underneath). I was having some trouble powering the leg lights and servos with just one 7.2 volt so I am using two 7.2 volt battery packs for the servos and a 9 volt to power the SSC-32 and Bot-Board logic. I just need to solve where to put the batteries so they will be easy to access for recharging and where to mount the flashing LED strip and I’ll be done for now.
My kids think the CH3 is really cool and keep asking to “drive” it. They have also informed me that I **will be **taking the bot to school tomorrow to show their classes.
Good job in getting the bot going! I feel compelled to warn you about 7.2vdc batteries and walking robots. Due to the increased voltage / speed, there is a potential for breaking gears. I only recommend 6.0vdc for walkers. Be careful and good luck. 
Thanks for the warning! I did notice that it can move pretty quickly. I’ll look for some 6.0 volt 3300mAh packs.
Hey Grievous, good to hear that your CH3-R is running! 7.2V pack would be a 6-cell. 6.0V packs are made with 5-cells. You can get the cells individually and make your own pack with battery bars…
I only use two 6.0V packs with my CH3-R. One pack dedicated just for the servos, the other pack for the VL (power for the IC/Logic) for the SSC-32 and the BotBoard. I also power my LEDs through the 6.0V for the logic, since the IC drawing power is much more benign then the 18 servos trying to draw power…
Who knows, you might’ve sparked some interest in robotics in some other kids by bringing it to show-and-tell 8)
Thanks. I’ve added an additional deck mostly for the batteries and an additional mod. Photos soon.
New name: DOR155
Where’d you get the cool dome man!
Nice build! 8)
Hi,
Very cool 8) , i like it. What did you use for the dome? A ceiling lamp?
Take a look at some receiver packs, they are usually 5-Cell 2/3A packs, maybe something like this:
www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt … XRMR3&P=ML
http://www2.gpmd.com/image/h/hpim2018.jpg
I went the 5-Cell AA however, they were quite compact and the capacity were decent (you can find them up to 2500mAH of capacity).
Of course, if you really want some good capacity, go for some 5-Cell Sub-C. You can fit them inside the CH3-R chest cavity to the right and left of where the SSC-32/MiniABB mounts.
What I used to do with my old CH3-R was I would double up the packs, one 6.0V pack for the electronics(VL) and one 6.0V for the servos (VS). So the weight would be distributed more symmetrically.
The servo packs would of course discharge much faster…
Thank you for your kind comments.
The black dome is the bottom half of a fake security camera sphere. I obtained it online and still have the white top half (I’ll figure out something to do with it). I was trying for a “Meet the Robinsons” (movie) look for my kids, hence the name - DOR155. I drilled the hole in the front and taped in some transparent red filter material. The dome is held on to the additional deck with two wing nuts so it is very easy to remove and access the batteries.
I had a chip occur in the upper left of the drill hole which I was able to glue back in place.
Hopefully, it is not too noticeable.