Lab Setup

Having the Right Tool For the Job is Critical....

In order to fabricate robots, there are a several things you will need to acquire. These items can be acquired over time so you need not be overwhelmed at the multitude of items you will need.

One effective strategy is to acquire more as you go as the need arises during your build progression. For InMoov specific requirements, you can refer to InMoov's Bill of Materials for a list of hardware and recommend tools for the robot.

The setup of the space to build robots, also known as your robotics lab, lair, den, etc...is highly dependent upon preference in many cases. This will detail the setup of the lab and tools used for the Sculli build and is arranged in segments as seen below.

These are a critical component of a robotics fabrication laboratory. Everyone should own at least one.

Fun Fact: The printer used to print Sculli's parts, an Ender 3 Pro, cost $100 brand new when it was on sale.

3D Printers

Adjustable Power Supply

Sometimes known as Programmable DC power supplies, these can be adjusted to output a steady and reliable current of your selection up to the amperage the specific devices are cable of handling.

These can be useful for powering servos and motors as well as anything needing to be powered with DC voltage during development, as they can be counted on to provide a precise amount of electrical current on demand for building and integrating robotic and electronic systems.

You need one that can provide at least 12 volts and a few amps of current to built at least the head of InMoov similar to the Sculli build.

Arduino

The Arduino (and the clones of it) are microcontrollers used to control servos, motors and many other things as well as read sensors, buttons and other data from the environment and electrical currents.

Typically programmed in C++, they can be used relatively easily to implement all sorts of electronics related projects. You can get their Interactive Development Environment here. They connect via USB to Windows/Linux/Mac to be programmed.

The Arduino Uno and similar clones are the most common Arduinos to be found. You can find Uno clones anywhere from $5 and up, as well as Arduino Mega clones (which have more memory and PINS), from $20 and up. They are highly recommended to start with hobbyist robotics.