help with alternate parts for animatronic cosplay wings

Wearable electronics: boards, conductive materials, and projects from Adafruit!

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
tchopshop
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:27 am

help with alternate parts for animatronic cosplay wings

Post by tchopshop »

I'm interested in making this project for Mardi Gras (which is in about two weeks) but many of the parts are out of stock. Could you help provide me with in-stock alternates to the listed parts? Specifically, what could be substituted for these key parts:
  • Feather M4 Express,
    the FeatherWing doubler,
    the PowerBoost 1000 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A
For example, would the ItsyBitsy M4 Express featuring ATSAMD51 substitute for the Feather M4 Express? Also, I have two GoBilda high torque servos from another company. I don't know how this will change things.

thank you
Elena Walker

User avatar
dastels
 
Posts: 15655
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: help with alternate parts for animatronic cosplay wings

Post by dastels »

The doubler just makes is easy to use the feather & wing while keeping it low profile (rather than stacking them). If you use an ItsyBitsy, the doubler won;t be useful.

The ItsyBitsy M4 Express is functionally the same as a Feather M4 Express, other than not having pattery support (which isn't used in this project anyway). Or a different Feather that at least as powerful as the M4 will do the job.

For power you could use a hefty USB power pack and power through the USB connector.You can power the servo board from the USB pin on the controller board. A powerbank will have an on/off switch. See https://www.adafruit.com/product/4288 and https://www.adafruit.com/product/1566. With 2 outputs you could power the controller and servos separately.

If you don't use a Feather you can use the standalone Servo driver board: https://www.adafruit.com/product/815.

Dave

User avatar
tchopshop
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:27 am

Re: help with alternate parts for animatronic cosplay wings

Post by tchopshop »

Thank you so much for your help. Obviously, I'm a newbie. Not quite sure what I'm doing. What does this mean exactly:
If you don't use a Feather you can use the standalone Servo driver board: https://www.adafruit.com/product/815.
I still would need a processor, no? Not just a server driver board by itself?

Would you advise getting a Feather instead of the Itsy Bitsy? Which one? I only need to run two servos, so would I really need a processor AND a servo driver board?

Because I will need to do this quickly, I want to order everything I'll need in one order... what cords, wires, cables, sockets do I need to have on hand to connect these things that are different from the tutorial, such as this different power supply and the processor and the server driver board.

I have done some soldering in the past.

With the USB power supply I guess I'll have to modify the 3d printed box that holds the battery.

Thank you again,
Elena

User avatar
dastels
 
Posts: 15655
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: help with alternate parts for animatronic cosplay wings

Post by dastels »

The servo driver board just drives the servos based on commands from a processor (the Feather or ItsyBitsy, etc).

For two you should be ok without it. It's only really useful if you have a bunch (8 in the case of the Featherwing). If you are using a Feather it does make it easier to wire them up and control. The code would change as well.

Looking at the 3d printed pieces, I see that it's designed to fit the feather doubler. I also see that Digikey doesn't have any either. Oh, but Mouser does: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Ad ... 2BmA%3D%3D. They also have the powerboost https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Ad ... gsXg%3D%3D. Neither Digikey or Mouser have the Feather M4 Express though. My choice of replacement would be the Feather nRF52840: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4062 (which mouser has in stock https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Ad ... zbPA%3D%3D). Mouser also has the PWM/Servo FeatherWing in stock: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Ad ... e59w%3D%3D.

Dave

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Wearables”