Introduction: Strife![Beta] Omega Gauntlet

Around October 5, 2018, I was conceptualizing a SIDE project in Ms. Berbawy's Principles of Engineering class that utilized the tools I had access to and provided a nice amount of difficulty without being too tedious. Then, I remembered a project I had intended to do during my freshman year: recreate a weapon model from one of the video games I've played. I specifically wanted to try and create Auswirkung, a greatsword wielded by the class Grand in Strife! [Alpha]. In 2018, the platform that Strife! was created on, Roblox, forced an additional security measure that caused many older games to be unplayable due to needed changes in code. Since I actively followed the game I was given information that a beta version of the game was in development, and subsequently got documented progress of it. One reworked class I found to be interesting was Omega, which wields mining drill gauntlets. I finally decided on what I wanted to recreate it for my SIDE project based solely off of released images.

The bulk of the project was done in Fusion 360, Adobe Illustrator and the Arduino IDE, with fabrication actually being done with Cura Lulzbot Edition.

After months of work and several iterations, the finalized design of the gauntlets were realized.

Note: Project accomodates 1 gauntlet. If you want the one for your other arm just repeat the process.

Step 1: Prerequisites & Materials

Part Fabrication:Week+

Assembly:12 hrs max

PREREQUISITE SKILLS

  • Simple soldering
  • Simple wiring
  • Editing shapes in Adobe Illustrator
  • Familiarity with Cura Lulzbot Edition's environment
  • Knowledge on how to upload code onto an Arduino microcontrollers
  • Competency with a laser cutter & programs necessary for function
  • Competency with a vinyl cutter & programs necessary for function

MATERIALS & TOOLS

  • 3 reels of grey filament (2.85 mm)
  • 1 reel of green filament (2.85 mm)
  • Lulzbot TAZ 6 (.25 mm nozzle)
    • optional: Ultimaker 2 (.4 mm nozzle)
  • Arduino Mega 2560 REV3 (plastic casing needed)
  • 3cm x 7cm double sided PCB board (prototyping kind)
  • 1 spool of 1mm solid core copper wire (1 ft.+)
  • Vinyl cutter (support for 32+ cm width)
  • Forest green vinyl roll (32+ cm recommended)
  • MTS-102 SPDT 6A 125VAC toggle switch
  • 3mm shrink tubing (5 in.+)
  • 7 in. x 6.5 in. wood sheet (1/8 in. thickness recommended)
  • 13.5 in. x 8.5 in. smoke color acrylic sheet (any translucent color works)
  • 5.5 in. x 4.5 in.translucent red acrylic sheet
  • soldering iron
  • solder (flux core recommended)
  • 7 male headers (group of 3 & 4)
  • 6 female headers (group of 2 & 4)
  • battery holder for AA batteries (2 min, 4 max battery capacity)
  • 9v to Arduino DC power plug adapter
  • 3 prong 2 position switch of choice
  • 28BYJ-48 ULN2003 stepper motor
  • ULN2003 driver board
  • scissors & X-acto knife
  • 2 6-32 x1/2" flat screws & accompanying nuts
  • Hot glue gun & at least 2 glue rods
  • Optional: Superglue of choice (loctite recommended)

Step 2: Printing(Large) & Assembly

[Necessary Files]

The link above contains all the necessary information, code and parts files for each step. In this step, download the .stl files under Large Parts in 3d Printed Parts. Using Cura Lulzbot Edition, set the scale to 1000% while maintaining uniform scale and follow the print settings given in the folder. Note: print frontsegment in its current orientation, rotate middlesegment so the side with 2 square holes faces the bottom, and do the same with rearsegment.

Use the Lulzbot TAZ 6 for this (0.25mm nozzle)

Note: change infill for head to 20%. It doesn't require supports either. Rearsegment does not require supports either.

Assembly:

Note: These parts take the longest to print, taking several days to print them all. Assembly can be put off until all main parts are finished.

Assembly is just following the first render of the gauntlet, using your glue of choice to bind all the parts together. The pegs and holes act as guides in general. It is recommended to find methods of keeping the parts aligned during the glue curing process such as rubberbands or just using the set tolerances to keep them in position with friction.

Step 3: Printing(Small) & Assembly

You can use the Lulzbot TAZ 6 again for the smaller parts, but that would reduce precision by a small margin. If possible, use the Ultimaker. The .stl files for this section are provided under Small Parts in 3D Printed Parts, as well as print settings. Scale the objects up to 1000% (or x10) before printing 3 of the "grinder" piece using the green filament, and printing out the rest with grey filament. Print the 2 supportpieces in 1 go and print the part labeled PVC separately. The primary picture for this step illustrates the assembly of the 3 previously stated parts, keeping mind of using the quadrilateral hole as a guide. The rods in the last 2 illustrations can be printed together as well. Glue together like the illustration and check those 2 pictures for distances.

Step 4: Cutting

Use the illustrator files in their respective folder(Cut) and cut the shapes out of their respective pieces of acrylic or wood. Stickers are to also be cut in this step. Freely edit the illustrator file to fit the dimensions of what ever green vinyl roll is available.

Assembly:

You may notice the 2 rectangular prisms cut from the acrylic for the front face. Those slot into the sides of the large acrylic panel. Then, they're superglued together, keeping the acrylic panel frictioned in. Push the 3 pieces into the front of the first segment. The wooden piece is superglued on according to the second image. The stepper motor can be attached to the acrylic panel via the 2 screws and nuts. Make sure to have the screws face outward, not the nuts. In the illustrator file you will find a circle piece that attaches to the stepper motor. Use hot glue or superglue to attach this piece to the stepper motor and later the headpiece. The small hexagonal piece that borders this circle must be glued to the large acrylic piece, as it helps to retain the middle piece and share the load of the headpiece.

The stickers can be applied with the first render as reference,

Step 5: Wiring, Soldering and Code

Take the separated headers and separate them into the indicated amounts in the materials tab. Arrange them like the image above. Then use 4 2.4 cm long segments of solid wire to solder the headers corresponding to the motor controller and arduino ports. The 3 longer wires seen in the images are around 30 cm in length. The corresponding ground wire should go to the center of the toggle switch seen, while the other 2 can be on any side of the switch. Check the code under the Code folder for corresponding ports. Outside of the image is a 2 position switch. Its ground connects to both the battery holder and the header for the motor controller, while the positive center is connected to the battery pack's red wire and the last prong left goes to the motor controller's + labeled header. Keep the switch as close to the battery pack as possible, as it will be free-hanging. Also, make sure the wire length is around 30 cm. Place the arduino and other components inside of the first segment, keeping the battery pack in the space behind. Solder all attachments like the image above and don't forget to use the heatshrink tubing on the switch prongs. Hot glue everything into place

Place the components into the hollow of the firstsegment. Attach the PCB and its components to your Arduino, and upload the code. Fish the 3 position switch through the hole in the wooden backpiece and pull it out of the hole in the handle, or "PVC" part. Hot glue the switch into place as well as the arduino. Attach the 9V battery and its adapter. For the battery pack, glue it into the same compartment as the arduino.

Step 6: Final Touches

Take the circular shapes cut out as well as the triangle and place them accordingly. The circles should be placed in the middle of the rectangles formed. Don't forget to cut out the red acrylic shapes as well to fill out these areas. Superglue all of these pieces in, using the first image of the finished model as reference. You can also use hot glue as an alternative.

Special thanks to Mojhar, the designer of the ingame weapon model, along with the rest of the Strife! development team!