Treadwell WED-15 .......the Rise of the Machine..... Part 29

Post started 4th September 2025 - into October.

Treadwell has taken a back seat for a while now, but I wanted to finish building him before our annual builders Christmas meet-up, so with renewed energy.

List of things to do is always a good start:

    1. New idler axles                x 6 off👍

        New drive axles                x 2 off👍

    2. New correct Wheel spacers x 6 off👍

    3. New motors                     x 2 off......................??? 👈

    4. Signal booster fix. 👈

    5. Mast box build - 3D printed parts etc. - click here to see Box Build Post.   

    6. Remove the original guide wedges from the tracks.👍

    7. 3D print more new round track guides. 👍

    8. Remove the paint from the drive wheels [sticky]👍

    9. New front 'tension' blocks. 👈

    10. Unexpected track repair......... but then a WIN!!! 👈

    11. Volume knob. 👈

    12. Fake antenna UPGRADE. 👍

    13. LED's fitting to 'eyes'.

    14. Constraining the ‘eyes’ to each other.

1. Starting with....new axles:

I bought an 8mm dia rod months back, but it was slightly over size so needed turning down on the lathe in work, to fit through the bearings etc.

First one turned out good [turned.....machined.....see what I did there 😂]. Only having lunchtimes to do this, drill a centre hole to then use a revolving centre so as to be able to machine the full length of the spindles. Next is to then thread the ends for the flanged M8 Nylock nuts.

I also needed to machine up two new longer drive axles, to allow for the wheel spacers. These are 10mm diameter, stepped down to 6mm dia for the shaft coupler. No reason really for the 10mm dia size, except that this was going to be the size for all the axles.

2. Wheel spacers:

On closer inspection of the alternative WED base droid, seen in Mos Eisley ally way, WED-9-M1 (Star Wars Fandom), you see that the tracks are spaced away from the body!

WED-9-M1 DROID

So I had drawn up and 3D print off spacers, to match. Not sure how, but I got the diameter different, so had to reprint these. Not sure yet if these will be free rotating or if I will glue them to the wheels.

Pic from July 2024:

3.New Motors:

A possibility......???

My thoughts were that perhaps they wouldn't be up to the power needed. Even though testing proved they are.

4. Signal boosters:

I found that when WED was fully assembled, I was having problems with controlling his arm and head. One possibility was that the battery was low. The second was that [with my first time sending a signal over this long length of cable] the signal was too weak. So I bought two sets of boosters fly-leads to try 👍.

servo signal booster

5. Mast box build:

I had already drawn up plans for this when I designed the head box. See independent post for more details.

6 & 7 Track guide wedges - DELETED:

The 'screen accurate' guide wedges, were unfortunately too stiff for the tracks, and weren't flexible enough. So had to remove them and replace them with the new 3D printed round track guides [POINT 7].

7. Track guides:

I tried a few different variables, one being a slightly tapered diameter, after my original 'cannon' style didn't work, I decided to try this [credit goes to Paul's Bots]. Link to Paul's tread/wheels build.

I need to narrow the wheels channel for better location of the guides. So more 3D CAD/printing required.

UPDATE: 16.9.25

The new inner wheel guides printed great on version 2. These were slightly modified for structural strength and because visually they don't need to have the slits in like the wheels themselves.

After testing, I will update the 3D wheel models to incorporate this addition.

Here are the new wheel inner track guides, in black, glued in.

idle wheel with inner track guides

Test first guide popped into place on the track.

 

As with Paul, I made a 3D printed drill template so that the holes would all be central on the track. I did have to modify mine from the one I created from my moulds as the teeth sizes were slightly narrower.

So a total of 140 were printed off. 80 off each for every other groove.

8. Drive wheels paint removal:

The paint reacted with the curing rubber had became sticky, sticking to the tracks. So using sand paper, I removed the thick paint from the outer diameter faces.

9. Front 'tension' blocks:

The axles for the two front wheels were long enough, so I just altered the [3D printed] inside face that has the nut recess, so that a Nylock nut can secure the axles in place.

The location on the base has to be repositioned as the original tracks were a bit too long, requiring some woodworking alterations.

10. Track repair/replacement:

It wasn't on my original list of things to do, but on removing one or two of the 'track guide wedges', on an early join [one NOT overlapping] the joint broke. So I ordered some more rubber mix, but repair work will be put on hold as....... 👇👇👇

New Tracks:

11.Sept.2025

I thought I'd have another search inline for the tracks [super-charger timing belts] and found some here in the UK [at last]. Decided to bite the bullet and purchase a pair.

Click picture for link to Bolton Engineering Products.

I have no affiliation with this company, am linking for future builders.

The calculated cost of me making my own tracks was over £100 in total, not including the time to design up and 3D print off the moulds etc. The fact that they are also NOT internally web meshed, didn't fill me with confidence on they're lasting performance. They would still be ok for 'display' purposes.

UPDATE: 16.9.25

Belts arrived and I couldn't be more happier 😊😊😊😊😊

It may sound strange, but there are certain things that, for reliability, need to be sound. The fact that Tread needs the tracks to be 100% dependable/straight/strong, means that driving him with confidence is now a guarantee.

11. Volume Knob:

Still not as loud as R5, plus it does need to have a noise suppressor fitted. So whilst searching for ideas, I found this for drone fpv video feed interference suppression.

I fitted it, after some testing to find the cause, inline with the mini 'step down voltage regulator.'

And of course, I had to CAD up a bracket for it to be mounted onto the control board. The volume still isn't up to the loudness of R5......

12. Fake Antenna base:    [6.10.25]

I wasn't really happy with the fact that the fake rear antenna, was made out of a steel piece of bar, no flexibility and defo safety concerns lol.

So drew up an adaptor in TPU that fits between the two parts as a test. This then fits onto the original base part. The upper section is also now a found piece of leftover carbon tube.

13. LED's fitting to 'eyes':    [8.10.25]

This had been on my to-do list to bring some 'life' to Tread. Recently got hold of some large blue bulbs and sockets for them off eBay. Drew up a holder in CAD and 3D printed off some test versions, figuring out along the way how best to install them.

Originally it was going to be on the inside base of the head units.

Idea no2 was to mount the LED brackets to the rear of the lens window frames.

Tested the LED bulb behind the acrylic and it looks good, but needs to be diffused more????

14. Constraining the ‘Eyes’: (16.10.25)

The single-servo’d ‘Eye’, wasn’t very well linked/connected to the other. This bugged me!

So I needed a better way to constrain its movements.

I came up with the idea of installing the geared parts from a broken servo, into the unservo’d housing. So I re-designed the fake piston and connected both servo horn arms to it. Making the second ‘eye’ constrained with the servo controlled one.

UPDATE POST WITH picture(s)..........

Almost the end of November, and still have a few last things to get ready before the annual Droid Builders Christmas get-together....

A weekend blitz on the to-do list including the mast box build, and the final piece was to open up the slot for the front wheel axle, and some new location plate holes.

All (99%) complete, ready for next Saturday…… display and testing lol.

This Build has reached 29 stages, so to round off, I'll post one last Blog update with loads of photos lol, to make it a nice round 30.

#treadwelldroid #droidbuilders #rebeldroidsnet #3dprinting

Treadwell WED-15-77: Part 27 - Testing

Well…… A few hiccups before the finale.

• The tracks need shortening (both).
• The mast base support needed a slot in it (think i did this as a second version on the model but didn’t reprint it.

May 9th

Connected up the battery and plugged in the fuses and plugs into the receiver, and powered up.

After dipping the Sabertooth into tank mode, right transmitter stick in full control.

I added WED-15 to the transmitter, and colour coded the LED’s to match.

Might also have to invest in some blue sticks.

May 10th

Today was the mast and head install.

This was there I realised I hadn’t but a slot in the mast base plate for the servo leads. I decided NOT to bother with the servo block plug, as it would of been difficult to reach once the mast was fitted. I just extended the servo leads.

I first connected up the head pivot servo.

Then the eye/head servo for the up down action.

Once happy with this, I connected up the main claw arm lift servo to a switch on the transmitter. Again, all good.

Next was the claw servo…. It worked but not for long??

Its been a while since testing it so don’t know if I hadn’t done something right, as on closer inspection, the case looked warped.

Took it out of the forward servo casing and, yes, the gears had jammed and one had melted, over heating the motor and melting the servos housing.

I did take a test video, you can watch it in the next post.

May 13

I trimmed the neck servo to increase it’s turning range. I also adjusted the head servo to increase it’s looking up position.

May 15

I got round to pinning the head/eye supports to the pivot bar. I had to fit an additional cross bar back in, for rigidity.

The ‘piston’ and the two ‘clamp’ rings got a respray, to a more brass look.

The eye/head servo lead I decided to modify by adding an additional plug on the outside of the neck. This allows the eye/head unit to be fully removable, found it so much easier to work on this way.

Added a spacer to reduce the clearance between the neck and mounting plate.

This fits under the bearing shim.

May 21st:

Tested out the track on the ground.

It works, but the teeth are still a problem, also the front brackets are flexing under the tension and there’s not enough torque on the axle nuts.

3D printing some beefier versions out of ABS.

I’ll also be printing new motor brackets in ABS too as these were flexing slightly.

Ordered a new nano servo.

Treadwell WED-15 droid build : Part 20 making tracks

 

July 9th 2023

As date says, this was work carried out a few months back.

Track moulding 

Step 1:

So after last month’s attempt at test moulding track, this second attempt went much better.

I bought 85 shore compound mix, the higher the shore number the harder the rubber.

I should of used a mould release, but I was rushing lol. Once cured, I had to really prise the new rubber tread out of the mould.

Step 2:

Was to mix up another small batch and see how well it would join up with the first section of tread. Once it had cured, I used the first section to help pull the second section out.

The join, just a straight join line, bonded well together.

I had thought I would need something to help join the two sections.

You can see the flashing where the two join, but it is seamless and strong!

Step 3:

The next step was to assemble the new joined track into the mould and fit the second part of it. Another batch was made and poured into the mould.

This time it didn’t bond with the track???

Had I removed it to soon in my haste?

On the flip side, I did find out that this piece is actually too large, depth wise. This also makes the track less flexible going over the main drive wheels. That is quite a solid chunk of rubber!

Step 4:

I mixed up some of the last rubber and poured it into just the second half of the mold. This I only filled up half way. The result was much better. It wasn’t so ridged which could be better.

Re-mix:

As a re-test, I mixed up a second sample of the 60 shore rubber, this time using the measuring pot I had used for the better track testing, and these came out ……..ok/the same (good or too sticky). The result was a good one. Soft and rubbery without the stickiness as before.

September, and it’s been a while since I did the re-mix re-test and have not had time to do more.

Electronics:

The receiver arrived safely and so I 3D printed off a mounting bracket for it.

Treadwell WED-15 droid build : Part 19 - wheels/body/tracks

 

3D printing:

Printed off the other three drive wheels, see last post. These green items are printed in PLA+ filament, l ordered to try, instead of standard PLA , for work.

Next up was to print off the idling wheels (image below). Each one I managed to get down to 11hrs per whole wheel. Allowing the 3D printer to be free for work, these were an overnight/weekend print run.

I had a look for suitable fixings for the idlers, and found some old recycled furniture bolts that where just the right length.

So before printing off the wheels, I made an adjustment to allow the bolt head to be recessed flush with the outside face of the wheel. I also drew up and printed off some bushes for the bolts. The bushes help space the wheel away from the body, as well as threading onto the bolt, helping to keep it located. I repurposed and added a soft washer to help with possible friction.

I then sprayed these up with primer, and eventually with silver paint.

The little Details:

Eye servo lead:

The lead for the servo eye movement, needed a sleeve to cover it up, also adding some strength support to it as well. I had kept some thin walled black tubing that was just wide enough for the lead (minus its plug) to slide through.

I added a cable tie to the inside of the eye opening, pull prevention, and then drilled a hole in the upper neck for it to pass through. I then refitted the plug to connect with the appropriate servo lead.

Eye pivot tube:

To stop ‘wiggle’ from the eye supports arms, I drilled holes through into the pivot tube, and secured. This helps prevent the eyes from independent movement when the servo moves them. It was only slight, but it annoyed me lol.

I recently bought off eBay:

STAR WARS MOVIE FORCE ATTAX SERIES  2 BASE / BASIC CARD no19: Treadwell Droid.

Straight knurls:

On closer inspection of the card, I noticed the straight knurled rings around the mast. Don’t know how I missed this detail?!?!?

So I made a copy of the 3D mast model and modified it to include these details. As I wasn’t going to reprint the whole mast again, I decided to just print off the details as rings, with a thin wall thickness, and these would be glued onto the masts diameters. Better than nothing lol. They don’t look too bad actually. The first ring I glued into place.....then thought.....it would be easier to spray them up first before gluing them in place lol oh well.

Sanded back the paint for a better surface to glue to.

For the others, I just cut them to the correct length [diameter], and primed/sprayed them silver. The mast had to have it's paint removed where these were going to be glued.

Base Antenna:

I had drawn this up a few months back but was waiting on the chance I found any better detailed pictures. No such luck, but the trading card did help, so this was the next piece to be 3D printed. 

The idea is based on a split spherical design, with a ‘bolt’ that holds the two ridged semi-circular hemispheres together with the option to adjust the angle.

Filler primer applied.

The 3D version doesn't do this lol, it just looks like it would, I did add a screw location for detail. Lastly I printed off a backing washer to secure to the inside of the lid panel.

The rear lid panel has now had it's inner panel, cut out and glued/clamped in place. This is to give it strength, but also alignment with the panel supports.

Painting & weathering:

I started to apply the acrylic burnt umber and yellow ochre that I used on R5 all those years ago, starting with the mast.

I drilled holes in the arms and mast to accept the wires and tubes that would 'operate' them.

Tracks:

Searching since last post with no luck..... then I came across YouTube videos of model makers making their own tracks. This gave me the idea to use the 3D model I'd created for the tracks and converted them into a mold. I ordered a small batch of Mouldcraft Black Poly Flex 60 Shore Fast Cure 120g Polyurethane Casting Rubber, as a tester to see if I could mold/make my own.

I designed the mold in two half's, the front (outer tread) and rear (inner) section.

I also 3D printed off a joining mold. This was so that the sections of tread could be joined together...... hopefully.

I tested a small batch of the 60 shore and it was to sticky after it had cured, no way it would of stood up to actual track movement lol.

Test sample, binned along with the mold.

So I ordered some 85 shore, let's hope this is better.

Drive wheels:

As mentioned above, in my design haste, I'd forgotten to add the step detail to the front face. So I updated the 3D stl file and then printed off a set of disc's to fit onto the front of the wheels. These were glued in place and then all had primer and then sprayed in Chrome, which dulled to a nice Aluminium look once clear coat was applied.

With our South West Builders Day event approaching, I needed some axle locations for the drive wheels. These will just be to help hold them in place.

Base:

Another BIG annoyance is that on the original magazine article it clearly shows that as well as the upper front angle, there is also a lower one as well. This can also be seen in the rear image seen in the deleted scenes. This detail is missing from the builders own blueprints unfortunately.

Don't know if I can modify the base to suit..... it could be a lot of work, something to look into though.

Tracks pt2:

This last week has been last minute finishing off details as best I can before Sunday’s event.

I wanted tracks but there wasn’t going to be enough time, so I resorted to rubber mats id rescued in work a few months back. These were cut to width and once the ends were trimmed flush, I superglued them together.

These were joined in a loop with a staggered join.

The finished track loop turned out great.

Once dried, I fitted them onto the wheels.

Really happy with this, even if they are just display tracks..... more updates next month.