# Animating Animatronics
## Overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5W4CSSK4qY
Build simple animatronics with sophisticated motion using Bottango software and an Adafruit servo controller. Instead of coding your motion parameters you'll use a friendly animation timeline UI with keyframes, interpolation curves, and more.
Here are some demos to check out:
https://www.youtube.com/live/KCn5s-VjFcw?feature=shared&t=525
https://www.youtube.com/live/D9GfRYsLl0E?feature=shared&t=419
## Parts
### Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2
[Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4775)
What's Metro shaped and has an ESP32-S2 WiFi module? What has a STEMMA QT connector for I2C devices, and a Lipoly charger circuit? What has your favorite Espressif WiFi microcontroller and lots of memory for your next IoT project?
That's right - its the new Adafruit Metro...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4775)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4775/guides)
### Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Shield - I2C interface
[Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Shield - I2C interface](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1411)
You want to make a cool Arduino robot, maybe a hexapod walker, or maybe just a piece of art with a lot of moving parts. Or maybe you want to drive a lot of LEDs with precise PWM output. Then you realize that the Arduino has only a few PWM outputs, and maybe those outputs are conflicting with...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1411)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1411/guides)
### 5V 4A (4000mA) switching power supply - UL Listed
[5V 4A (4000mA) switching power supply - UL Listed](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1466)
Need a lot of 5V power? This switching supply gives a clean regulated 5V output at up to **4 Amps** (4000mA). 110 or 240 input, so it works in any country. The plugs are "US 2-prong" style so you may need a plug adapter, but you can pick one up at any hardware store for $1 or so,...
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1466)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1466/guides)
### Female DC Power adapter - 2.1mm jack to screw terminal block
[Female DC Power adapter - 2.1mm jack to screw terminal block](https://www.adafruit.com/product/368)
If you need to connect a DC power wall wart to a board that doesn't have a DC jack - this adapter will come in very handy! There is a 2.1mm DC jack on one end, and a screw terminal block on the other. The terminals are labeled with positive/negative assuming a positive-tip configuration...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/368)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/368/guides)
### Part: Servo Extension Cable
quantity: 2
50cm / 19.5" long
[Servo Extension Cable](https://www.adafruit.com/product/973)
### Part: Standard servo
quantity: 2
TowerPro SG-5010
[Standard servo](https://www.adafruit.com/product/155)
**or:**
### Mini Pan-Tilt Kit - Assembled with Micro Servos
[Mini Pan-Tilt Kit - Assembled with Micro Servos](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1967)
This fully-assembled pan-tilt kit is the perfect way to give your project full range motion with two micro servos. The pan-tilt can rotate roughly 180° from side-to-side and can tilt up&downwards around 150°. It also comes fully assembled with two
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1967)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1967/guides)
## M2 M2.5 M3 'Laptop' Screws Assortment
[These low-profile screws](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HC3LQYS/) are great for fastening the pan-tilt rig.
### Optional
## USB Gamepad
A compatible wired gamepad with analog sticks, such as a Sony Dualshock controller, is great for realtime puppeteering.
# Animating Animatronics
## Bottango Arduino Setup
## Prep Servo Shield
Assemble the 16-channel PWM/Servo Shield per the instructions in this [Learn Guide](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-16-channel-pwm-slash-servo-shield).
Use two short lengths of wire to connect the DC barrel jack breakout to the power screw terminal on the shield as shown here. You'll use an external 5V power supply to power the servos separately from the Metro's power.
Then, connect the shield to the Metro (shown here fastened to a [Swirly Grid](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5781) with nylon [M2.5 standoffs](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3299)).
## Install Bottango
First, download and install Bottango on your computer. You can find instructions [here](https://www.bottango.com/#download).
## Bottango Arduino Driver
Bottango controls your servo motors via serial commands sent to an Arduino-compatible microcontroller -- in our case, the Metro ESP32-S2.
Next, copy the `BottangoArduioDriver` folder from the downloaded directory you uncompressed during installation to your Arduino `library` folder.
Launch Arduino IDE and then install the **Arduino PWM Servo** library with all dependencies when asked.
## Arduino Sketch
Open the included **BottangoArduinoDriver.ino** sketch in the Arduino IDE.
When the sketch opens it will also open the associated config files in the Arduino IDE tabs. Click on the **BottangoArduinoConfig.h** tab and then uncomment the line `#define USE_ADAFRUIT_PWM_LIBRARY` then save the file.
Switch back to the BottangoArduinoDriver.ino tab. Set the following setting:
- **Tools \> Board \> "Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2"**
- **Tools \> Port ** select the port you've plugged the board into
Then, click **Sketch \> Upload ** to flash the board.
## Servo Setup
Next we'll look at how to configure a servo part in Bottango to control a real-world servo via the Servo Shield over I2C.
In Bottango, create a servo motor part. With it selected click **Part Setup \> Connection \> Pin** and then select **i2c and Pin**. Set the **i2c Address** to **0x40** and **Pin** to **0** (or 1, 2, 3, etc. as you plug in more servos to the shield.
## Hardware Port
In Bottango you need to establish the Serial connection to the Metro ESP32-S2's hardware port. Click the **Hardware** button at the top of the UI.
in section **2 ** click on the **Search or select port?** dropdown and choose **Select port from list**.
Click the **Select Port** button. Then, pick the USB port you used earlier for Arduino sketch upload from the list on the right, in my case it was **/dev/tty.usbmodem4101**. On a PC it'll be something like **COM3:**
## PWM Settings
You can select a servo and adjust PWM ranges on a per-motor basis. With the driver running you'll see the real-world servo motor move as you adjust these settings.
The high torque Tower Pro servos seem to work well with the 500-2500 PWM range shown here, but you can adjust as needed.
Info: Now that you're set up, follow the basic tutorial [here](https://www.digikey.com/en/maker/tutorials/2024/how-to-get-started-with-bottango) to familiarize yourself with the basics of setting up your rig and setting keyframes.
# Animating Animatronics
## Build the Servo Mounts
Download and 3D print the set of models linked below. These settings worked well:
- PLA
- 0.2mm layer height
- 20% infill
- Support on for **anim\_pan.stl** and **anim\_tilt.stl**
[Anim Pan Tilt models](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/415/original/anim_pan_tilt.zip?1736373594)
I modeled these parts as a modified version of [this pan tilt model](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1941574) to fit the specific needs of the gnome.
You can animate pretty much any figure you like. I went with these inexpensive, lightweight gnomes that were available for $5.99 at CVS during the winter holiday season.
They are officially called Merry Brite Light Up 10" Gnome and can still be tracked down on eBay until they make their return next holiday season to stores.
## Remove the Base
A hobby knife was all it took to loosen up the hot glue holding the base/battery pack to the gnome.
Warning: Be careful using a hobby knife to avoid cutting oneself. Use of gloves, eye protection, and perhaps help is recommended.
## Prep Tilt Servo
Prep the tilt servo by using a supplied horn to find the middle position.
Place the side bracket A piece over the servo as shown.
Then reseat the horn so it is positioned as shown. This will allow a full range of motion.
Screw the horn into place using the supplied horn screw and one small M2 screw through one of the horn holes into the bracket.
## Connect Tilt Servo to Tilt Base
Use two M2.5 screws and nuts to connect the tilt servo to the tilt base as shown. The tilt base will snap into the bottom of the gnome.
## Prep Pan Base
Use two M2 screws to mount the circular servo horn to the pan base as shown.
## Prep Pan Bracket
Screw the pan servo into the pan mount as shown by using the provided servo mounting screws.
## Connect Pan Servo to Horn
Press fit the two pieced together as shown.
## Connect Pan Mount & Side Bracket A
Use two M2.5 screws to mount the side bracket A to the pan mount.
## Side Bracket B Prep
Thread two M2.5 screws through the base holes of side bracket B.
The tilt pivot piece is screwed to the upper screw using an M2.5 screw and two nuts as shown. This should have a little slack so it can pivot freely.
## Connect Pivot to Tilt Base
Screw the tilt servo mounting screws through the tilt base as shown and feed the pivot piece up through to connect. You can use a small bit of CA glue to fix it in place, although this isn't strictly necessary.
## Base Magnets
There are plenty of ways to mount the rig, I decided to fasten four [magnetic feet](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4631) to the pan base using [M3 hardware](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4685).
This allows the animatronic puppet to be placed on a ferrous metal surface (such as [this rework station](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5253)) and easily repositioned.
You can also plug in the servo extension cables in order to get more room between the animatronic puppet and the driver board.
## Mount the Gnome to the Tilt Base
Simply snap-fit the gnome onto the tilt base.
You can dress up your gnome to hide the robot innards...
# Animating Animatronics
## Animate!
You can download the example file linked below to try out a few basic animations.
[pan tilt rig anim.btngo](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/134/416/original/pan_tilt_rig_anim.btngo.zip?1736374127)
## Multiple Animations
You can see in the screenshot below that Bottango supports multiple animations in a scene file. In the Animations panel in the upper right of the interface you can see that I've selected _ **head nod shake** _ animation here and that it is in **looping** mode.
## Playback Preview
Select the animation and hit play -- you'll see a real-time preview in the software.
## Hardware Playback
With the Metro ESP32-S2 selected and the driver live, you'll see the real hardware playback.
Add one gnome...
## Realtime Puppeteering!
Setting keyframes by hand is a great way to animate pose-to-pose, but you can also get a bit more performance oriented by enabling direct game controller support in Bottango.
With a USB game controller plugged in (I used a PS4 controller), go to the Animate section and click on **Live Input Control Scheme.** You can ** ** pick your controller and set the inputs to drive different joints in the rig.
Here, I picked the **Left Stick X** to drive `lower_bracket_joint` and **Right Stick Y** to drive the `tilt_servo_joint`.
### Capture Session
Click the **Practice** button to test out the controls. When you're ready you can record a performance capture by pressing the red record button and then puppeteering with the controller.
When the timeline runs to the end (or you press pause) the capture animation will be fit to a sparse set of points which you can then edit on the graph editor as usual. Pretty amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5W4CSSK4qY
## Featured Products
### Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2
[Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4775)
What's Metro shaped and has an ESP32-S2 WiFi module? What has a STEMMA QT connector for I2C devices, and a Lipoly charger circuit? What has your favorite Espressif WiFi microcontroller and lots of memory for your next IoT project?
That's right - its the new Adafruit Metro...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4775)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4775/guides)
### Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Shield - I2C interface
[Adafruit 16-Channel 12-bit PWM/Servo Shield - I2C interface](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1411)
You want to make a cool Arduino robot, maybe a hexapod walker, or maybe just a piece of art with a lot of moving parts. Or maybe you want to drive a lot of LEDs with precise PWM output. Then you realize that the Arduino has only a few PWM outputs, and maybe those outputs are conflicting with...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1411)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1411/guides)
### Mini Pan-Tilt Kit - Assembled with Micro Servos
[Mini Pan-Tilt Kit - Assembled with Micro Servos](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1967)
This fully-assembled pan-tilt kit is the perfect way to give your project full range motion with two micro servos. The pan-tilt can rotate roughly 180° from side-to-side and can tilt up&downwards around 150°. It also comes fully assembled with two
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1967)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1967/guides)
### Standard servo - TowerPro SG-5010
[Standard servo - TowerPro SG-5010](https://www.adafruit.com/product/155)
This high-torque standard servo can rotate approximately 180 degrees (90 in each direction). You can use any servo code, hardware, or library to control these servos. Good for beginners who want to make stuff move without building a motor controller with feedback & gearbox. Comes with 3...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/155)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/155/guides)
### 5V 4A (4000mA) switching power supply - UL Listed
[5V 4A (4000mA) switching power supply - UL Listed](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1466)
Need a lot of 5V power? This switching supply gives a clean regulated 5V output at up to **4 Amps** (4000mA). 110 or 240 input, so it works in any country. The plugs are "US 2-prong" style so you may need a plug adapter, but you can pick one up at any hardware store for $1 or so,...
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1466)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1466/guides)
### Female DC Power adapter - 2.1mm jack to screw terminal block
[Female DC Power adapter - 2.1mm jack to screw terminal block](https://www.adafruit.com/product/368)
If you need to connect a DC power wall wart to a board that doesn't have a DC jack - this adapter will come in very handy! There is a 2.1mm DC jack on one end, and a screw terminal block on the other. The terminals are labeled with positive/negative assuming a positive-tip configuration...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/368)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/368/guides)
### Adafruit Swirly Aluminum Mounting Grid for 0.1" Spaced PCBs
[Adafruit Swirly Aluminum Mounting Grid for 0.1" Spaced PCBs](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5781)
With most of our dev boards, sensors and feathers now sporting [plug-and-play stemma QT ports](https://learn.adafruit.com/search?q=stemma%2520qt) it can be very fast to put together projects with half a dozen boards snapped together. But that ease of use has one...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5781)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/5781/guides)
### Black Nylon Machine Screw and Stand-off Set – M2.5 Thread
[Black Nylon Machine Screw and Stand-off Set – M2.5 Thread](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3299)
Totaling 380 pieces, this **M2.5 Screw Set** is a must-have for your workstation. You'll have enough screws, nuts, and hex standoffs to fuel your maker tendencies for days on end! M2.5 size screws fit almost all of the Adafruit breakout/dev board mounting holes...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3299)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3299/guides)
## Related Guides
- [Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-metro-esp32-s2.md)
- [Robotic AI Bear using ChatGPT](https://learn.adafruit.com/robotic-ai-bear-using-chatgpt.md)
- [Wireless ESP32-S2 Touch Screen Controller for Pure Data](https://learn.adafruit.com/wireless-esp32-s2-controller-for-pure-data.md)
- [Pip-Boy 2040 Wrist-Mounted Prop](https://learn.adafruit.com/pip-boy-2040.md)
- [Arcade Bonnet Controller](https://learn.adafruit.com/arcade-bonnet-controller.md)
- [Adafruit 16-channel PWM/Servo Shield](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-16-channel-pwm-slash-servo-shield.md)
- [How to Make Animated Graphics for Hologram Displays](https://learn.adafruit.com/how-to-make-animated-graphics-for-hologram-displays.md)
- [Chilled Drinkibot](https://learn.adafruit.com/chilled-drinkibot.md)
- [USB C Power Delivery Monitor](https://learn.adafruit.com/usb-c-benchtop-power-supply.md)
- [Light Up Prop with Prop-Maker](https://learn.adafruit.com/prop-maker-light-wand.md)
- [Doomscroll and Chill - A Wireless BLE Scroll Wheel Remote](https://learn.adafruit.com/doomscroll-and-chill-wireless-ble-scroll-wheel-rotary-encoder-remote.md)
- [CircuitPython Hardware: PCA9685 PWM & Servo Driver](https://learn.adafruit.com/micropython-hardware-pca9685-pwm-and-servo-driver.md)
- [ESP32-S3 BLE iOS Media Controller](https://learn.adafruit.com/esp32-s3-ble-ios-media-controller.md)
- [Generating Text with ChatGPT, Pico W & CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/generating-text-with-chatgpt-pico-w-circuitpython.md)
- [Raspberry Pi Halloween Costume Detector](https://learn.adafruit.com/raspberry-pi-halloween-costume-detector.md)
- [NFC Raspberry Pi Media Player](https://learn.adafruit.com/nfc-raspberry-pi-media-player.md)