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CHAPTER 10 Character Head Turning System
Vehicle robots that have characters driving them will have this system. The main components
of this system consist of the head turning motor, motor control circuit, and the feedback pot.
When you move the joystick on the radio control, a signal is sent to the receiver in the Robot.
The receiver sends this signal to the microcontroller on the Character board. The motor control
circuit is on the Character board. The motor control circuit is directed by the signal to send 12
Volts to the motor and in what polarity. What polarity is sent to the motor will cause the motor to
move right or left.
The job of the feedback pot is to track the position of the head and continually relay information
to the motor control circuit and micro-controller so that when you release the joystick and it goes
back to center, the head also goes back to center.
Location of Parts
Motor control circuit-On the Character Board mounted on the inside the chest of Character.
Feedback potentiometer- directly below the motor.
Set screw- on the inside of the neck.
Troubleshooting – Head Movement
The head is out of position but operates
The head could have been hit out of position or the setscrew is loose. Try to move the head manually. If
you can, move it back into the correct position and make sure the setscrew is tight. The setscrew can be
accessed through hole in the plastic below the neck. If you cannot manually move the head, you may
need to loosen the setscrew, re-position the head and then tighten the setscrew. When re-positioning the
head, have the robot on so that the motor will maintain the motor center position.
The head motor is keeping the head position to the extreme left or right
The in line connector to the blue feedback potentiometer has come disconnected. Check if one of
the wires has broken off the pot.
The feedback pot could have slipped. The pot could be loose or the head needs to be re-centered.
There are two ways to re-center the head. Option1: Find the hole in the plastic just below the neck,
as you look at the neck from the front. You have to pull down the fur. To access the set screw the
head has to be looking straight forward. Loosen the set screw (3/16” Allen wrench). With the robot
on, position the head and tighten the set screw. Option 2: The feedback pot which is a blue pot just
below the head turning motor will need to be lowered clear of the tubing that joins its shaft to the shaft
of the head turning motor. Now you will have access to be able turn the shaft of the feedback pot
until the head comes back into center position. Bolt the pot back up into its correct position.
Feedback pot is bad and needs to be replaced. It is a 5K 360 degree single turn pot.
The head motor is not operating
Check the motor wire to see if it came disconnected at its in line connection (blue/yellow).
The Character board is not getting power- if this is the case you would not be getting eyelid
movement. Check the fuse inside the main electronics box. See the main electronics box diagram
for location of the fuse.
Look at the red and black wire bringing power to the Character board. If you have a
Voltmeter, check for 12 Volts going to the board. Is there 12 Volts; a broken wire?
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