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Categories: Robot Hacks and Mods
First let me warn you, if you have small children that love Elmo with all their heart, you may not want to let them view this thread. :)
For all the help Sevik has given me while working on reverse-engineering the Elvis bust, I decided I needed to send him a thank you gift. I was originally going to send him a bust since he didn't even have one, but he isn't so much into that anyway. So I stumbled on the Elmo Live (which actually JUST hit the stores...) After showing him some videos he decided he must have one. So, I pre-ordered two of them and one will be shipped off to the Ukraine to meet its new happy owner.
HI, SEVA!
But... one of them had to be opened up. And this is the story...
First of all, let's go over his movements.
Elmo Live can stand or sit, and can cross his right leg in the sitting position.
Each of his arms move up and down. His right arm also is also articulated at the elbow to allow him to bring his hand to his mouth.
His neck moves back and forth and his head can rotate upwards
Finally his mouth opens and closes
There are only 3 motors and 3 encoders to provide all of the movements. There is some trickery in how the movements are done and what must be some very interesting cams and clutches inside the two gearboxes within the torso. Obviously, I was a little disappointed about this, but it still has some potential, I think.
Unbelievably, as much as I find Elmo annoying, this toy is actually pretty entertaining (he is just a little too loud, though.) He has some cute stories, games, and animations. This generated a small amount of sympathy while I was skinning the fella.
Elmo has four switches that allow you to interact with him.
Left foot, back, belly, and his nose.
He also has a tilt switch in his left foot, which is weighted by the batteries.
While fully fur-clad, it really looks like he has a ton of articulation and his movements are very fast, springy, and life-like. The illusion is well done and all of the stories, etc... are programmed to make great use of his limited movements. Overall, a very well engineered toy that looks hard to break.
I will be "toying" around with this for a bit to see what kind of mayhem I can wrought. This thread will detail my adventures.
So far, I have managed to remove all of his fur without damaging it and will be posting the pictures and a how-to soon. I took 22 pictures just for the process of removing the fur, so it might be a little long for a forum thread.
For now, I present:
Elmo Live Dissected
July 17, 2010 12:33 AM
August 24, 2010 6:15 PM
My elmo live only says "will you help elmo up please?" no matter what button is pushed. There is a rattling noise coming from the batter compartment foot. I took out the battery compartment and the rattling is coming from the spot where the black button sits. This is all glued shut. Could the sensor that tells elmo whether he is up or down have come loose? I don't know if the rattle was always there or not, he's been at my mother in laws. No other part of elmo moves except for his mouth when he speaks the one phrase. I have no idea how electronic work, is there a simple way to fix this?
September 19, 2010 6:17 PM
I'm sure you have written this already, I just don't have the time to read it. But I broke my sons Elmo Live doll. The leg is broken, is it fixable? Or should I just suck it up and buy a new one. Thanks..
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September 19, 2010 9:13 PM
Katie, yes it may be able to fix. Please post a few photos and explain which leg has been broken and what it does. I'll see if I can help you out in the repairs.
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
September 26, 2010 9:48 AM
My Elmo just repeats the phrase "help Elmo up" with any button is pressed, I put it in demo mode and stands up and repeats the phrase "elmo kiss ..." remove demo mode and leans a bit but ... "helps Elmo get up" I'm from Bogota - Colombia sorry for my English .. Thanks for the help and I read all the forum ... and I congratulate them are geniuses.
View unverified member's comment - posted by Lilmomma82
View unverified member's comment - posted by Lilmomma82
February 11, 2011 5:28 AM
updated: February 12, 2011 8:22 PM
hi. i need assistance. my daughter's elmo is malfunctioning. i took the fur off the head to see if i could see what the problem was, but so far, i have not had any luck. let me try to describe the problem (i don't know what she or her friends did to cause this). elmo works well, except, when his head comes forward to talk, there are numerous clicking sounds. i though it had something to do with the jaw. and i was hoping when i opened it, that there would be something clearly out of place that i could pop back in place. but i don't see anything. it seems to be related to the white plastic piece - and it may be coming from in the torso? i just can't figure it out... any help appreciated.
March 25, 2011 7:58 PM
Hi Jax and RetroPlayer,
I've carefully read this whole thread. WOW! I'm guessing you two are pretty busy, as I haven't seen either of you post since last year. I realize you've gotten lots of requests for help too.
Still, I'm hoping with the reading I've done and the video I made of our Elmo Live problem that helping me would be something you'd see as quick enough to do. In case so, the video is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/keeganwclark?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/NEcyjjaOLTw
I believe Jax' detailed directions/photos about repairing the left leg may be what you'll suggest we follow. BUT I wanted to be sure before opening him up, as our Elmo Live's leg injury is a bit unique it seems.
Fingers crossed that you get this and are willing to take a moment with it. In any event, THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO TO HELP PEOPLE!!! :) Tiffany
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March 26, 2011 7:21 AM
Tiffany said: Hi Jax and RetroPlayer, I've carefully read this whole thread. WOW! I'm guessing you two are pretty busy, as I haven't seen either of you post since last year. I realize you've gotten lots of requests for help too. Still, I'm hoping with the reading I've done and the video I made of our Elmo Live problem that helping me would be something you'd see as quick enough to do. In case so, the video is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/keeganwclark?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/NEcyjjaOLTw I believe Jax' detailed directions/photos about repairing the left leg may be what you'll suggest we follow. BUT I wanted to be sure before opening him up, as our Elmo Live's leg injury is a bit unique it seems. Fingers crossed that you get this and are willing to take a moment with it. In any event, THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO TO HELP PEOPLE!!! :) Tiffany
Tiffany,
Yes you are correct the leg is the problem, The high strength springs have popped out of location causing Elmo to bend over. With out these springs the motors are not strong enough to pick it back up in the standing possition. It also looks like the plastic leg that holds the springs in place is also broken. So the first thing to do is to break down the leg as I instructed earlier in this thread and repair the leg shell. Use epoxie and a lot of it then brace it off with some metal strips placed on the outside of the leg at the broken point and secure it with some small blots and nuts that can be found at your local Radio Shack. Since the leg is covered up you don't have to worry about what it looks like as long as it's strong enough to hold those springs in place. After you give the repairs a good 24 hours of curing time reinstall all parts back into the leg via the instructions. Hope this helps out.
I would show you how to do this type of repair but since my MS has now effected the use of my hands I am limited in what I can do to help others with.
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
March 26, 2011 9:00 AM
Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about your MS. I'll bet that's so hard, when your into working with your hands (with robotics). :(
ESPECIALLY in light of this I am deeply grateful for your help. I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing the outer leg repair you described just now, but I'll go over your instructions with my husband, who's more mechanical than I. We'll do our utmost to follow your tips without further requests for help. After going over the instructions with him I could see us having a clarification question or two before we dive in, but hopefully nothing requiring much typing, if you're moved to help at that point. I think I'll also try to video our work, so we can trace back our steps if need be.
Thanks again Jax. I so appreciate your assistance and wish you well in coping with your MS.
:)Tiffany
May 27, 2011 7:18 PM
updated: July 15, 2011 11:50 PM
You guys should also try dissecting Rock Star Mickey and Dance Star Mickey from Fisher-Price/Mattel. There is even a new elmo toy called Let's Rock Elmo that I would love to see dissected.
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June 10, 2011 5:39 PM
Bad news,
I had a house fire on 29 April that destroyed all my data, photos, movies, robots, electronic test equipment ect. So unless I get another Elmo Alive and my test equipment back I can no longer help you all out. I hope Retroplayer pops in from time to time to help everyone out.
Good luck with any of your repairs but I think everything has been covered in this thread so please read it over from the start and I'm sure you'll find your answers to your problems.
Happy Hacking,
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
Member
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June 11, 2011 3:56 AM
yea it does suck but in the long run I get new equipment. But as for the robots I'll never see some of the old ones again. I guess that's life. ;)
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
June 11, 2011 8:11 AM
Wow, even the elvinator? And do you know how to get yellowing out of white plastic?
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June 11, 2011 3:25 PM
GWJax, You, my friend, have had some of the worst luck lately. Inspiring to see how good of spirits you keep in light of it all. Best wishes, amigo.
Omnibotman, check out "retrobright" for reversing the yellowing of old plastics.
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
Retro
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June 11, 2011 3:41 PM
The Elvinator has had some more fire damage to it so it will not work but I was able to keep it anyways.. hehehe I just adds to the look. When I get another camera I'll post a photo of him and yes my 2 cameras were destroyed as well. :(
@Retro,Your right about my luck but if there was no bad luck my way I would not have any luck at all. All I can do is just keep smiling and enjoy life while I can. and good to see you back buddy!!!
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
June 11, 2011 5:06 PM
Hi
Jax > So sorry to hear about the fire Jax. That is terrible news.
Retroplayer > The only way I thought removing the yellow sun damage from old plastic was to paint the plastic. That's great as I have a rs v1 which is discoloured yellow and now there is hope for it to have it's whiteness brought back. cheers for the link.
Cheers
Gerber
Go to my website to download the latest version of the RS Media Control Station software www.TheMadRobot.talktalk.net
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June 11, 2011 6:17 PM
OK retro I have one for ya. How do you repair a bot that was melted by fire. LOL answer: "Buy another one" hehehe
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
June 11, 2011 6:40 PM
@Jax i hope you get all new stuff and a new house. What part caught?
@retro Thanks, I'll try the retrobright.
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June 11, 2011 8:48 PM
Only partially back. Should be able to spend more time on things next month. I still lurk ocassionally, though.
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June 11, 2011 8:51 PM
OmnibotMan said: @Jax i hope you get all new stuff and a new house. What part caught?
The house is being rebuilt so that I can use my wheelchair in it better like wider doors and a walkin shower and ramps through out the outside doors.
What started it was a shorted wire in the attic over the garage and from there it ran through the roof after it destroyed all my contents in the garage. Over $32K was lost in the garage alone and the total house took another $62K worth of damage. So when they are done I'll have an updated house and New house as well. All this for the low cost of my deductable of $500 US. I guess you can't beet it at that price..
Down side is that I have to start all over with my robotics and electronics which sucks because I had over 2 terabyte of info that I lost and did not store it off site. I learned my lesson on that so now I'll make sure that I have everything off site just to be on the safe side..
Jax
GWJax, To Hack and make mods on robots is a life style and comes natural and not by choice. If a robot has a screw to open it then it must be opened!
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