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 luke 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 ad the snowspeeder circling around the ATAT. It will be powered by 2x N20 motors and an internal powerbank to power it.
The modelling was all done using tinkercad and was split into 3 sections
- The leg mechanism
- The speeder circling mechism
- 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.
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.. Attach the gear onto the motor and tighten the screw.
You’ll need 2 m3 10mm screws to hold the motor in place.
Insert the gear rod into the holes and add some lubricant so it turns smoothly in the holes.
Add another nut into an opening on the mount so you can screw the motor mount to the base from the bottom.
Assembly – Center Gear Mount
The center gear mount will distribute all the movement thoughout the legs and ring gear from the motor.
Insert the wires inside the center pole and leave about 50mm protruding out on the top.
Screw the pole to the center mount with 2x 12mm screws
Lube the gear holes and insert into the mount. each side has different size. make sure to put it in the right side.
Follow though the wires from the holes on the side of mount to the bottom.
Add the wire to the terminal block with corresponding colors
Insert nut on the bottom of mount and screw it to the base together.
Assembly – Leg gear mount
The leg assembly is a bit tricky with the center gear but if done properly its not that hard
The center gear needs 2 spacers in between the 24 teeth gear before inserting the middle beam. add lubricant on the holes for smoother rotations.
At the end of each side will insert the 12 teeth gear
When adding the 4 outer gears make sure the holes align on each side.. the holes should be opposite each other on left and right side of the mount.
When adding the leg hook.. make sure the hook is facing outward and insert the small pins too hold them.
You’ll need to make 2 sets of the mount for the front and back legs. the leg hooks should be also opposite each other from the front and back legs. So that when the front right leg is raised.. the back right leg is on the ground and vice versa.
Add the nut at the bottom of the mount and screw it onto the base
Assembly – Ring Gear Mount
The battery gear mount is a straight forward install.
You’ll need a flat head m3 screw to screw the battery holder to the side of the mount.
Insert the wiring through the hole for easy cable management.
Do not install the battery.. that should be done last once everything is wired up.
insert the gear rod onto the holes and dont forget to lube the holes first.
Here’s the tricky part.. installing the ring gear.
The ring gear should be facing downward and it should be slotted into a crevice at the top of each mount.
Slot the ring gear onto the motor mount first and the leg mount after that.. you’ll need to use a bit of force to slot the ring gear on all 3 crevice.
The last mount will be the battery gear mount. insert it from the bottom of the ring gear into the base slot
Once everything fits in.. screw the mount onto the base.
Work the wires safely through the wire holes on the center base..
Install the 24teeth gear at the end of the rod gear of motor and ring mount
Assembly – USB Powerbank and Motor Wiring
Just follow the wiring diagram and you should be golden.
Solder 2 wires to the rocker first and install it onto the base
Then solder all 4 wires from battery and connector block to the USB dc charger board following the diagram
Once done.. hotglue the USB board and connector block to the base
Make sure no wires are tangled into the gears
Install a lithium battery 18650 and test it out. you might want to test charge it as well.. A led light should light up if your charging.
Once everything checks out, take out the battery to be safe.
Assembly – Base Complete
Install the 2 square pins onto the plate.. It should be flush at the top with the plate and protruding downward.
Align the center hole and insert the plate.. The pins should be inserted into the holes on the 2 leg mounts.
Install the 2 walls of the base and screw them with 10mm screws
And you have completed the base for the ATAT automata.
CONGRATS.. you’re half way there
Assembly – ATAT Body and Head
When printing the feets, it would be good if it was printed heavier than the other parts cause gravity would drop the foot better and make it land on the plate flat making it looks better touching the plate.
Assembly is straight forward and dont forget to lube the holes except for the foot bottom hole.
The foot bottom hole has a latch inside that the hook will grab on to pull the foot up and down making the walking effect.
The foot with a notch hole on the side should be on the inside of the leg.
To install the legs to the hook, you’ll need to turn on the motor until the hook reaches the peak. This needs to be done for each individual hook.
To install the foot to the hook, the foot needs to he inserted into the hole sideway from the outside. Once the hook catches the latch on the inside of the foot.. the hook will stop the foot from raising above certain height and pulls down the foot when it reaches the floor of the plate.
Do this 3 more times following left or right side of the legs and you should be good
The final pin will link the legs to the main body and making the illusion of movement of the ATAT.
Assembly – Finale
Now all you have to do is install the snowspeeder with its holder to the ring gear and the star wars logo on the other side of the ring.
If you’d like you can also insert a short 1.75mm filament to the back of the snowspeeder to look like its shooting a harpoon towards the ATAT. I made a hole just for that purpose.
And with that you are finished.
Conclusion
It took me a month to make the automata with a lot of trial and errors.. And a lot of reprints..
tip: Other things you can play around is the leg hook positioning to have the ATAT walk timing differently.
It was a challenge to apply which gear mechanism works for each moving part but it was fun challenge. I hope everyone have a great time making this automata as much as i did.
Good luck and happy 3d printing..
if you like the project.. please consider donating to us so we can make more awesome project like this in the future