Star Wars R2-D2 Repair Video

I bought this huge R2-D2 from eBay for £300. In this video I fix a couple of faults on it. Originally it was part of a magazine DIY build over 2 years (100 issues) from DeAgostini. It is incredibly well made, an absolute beauty...but can these 2 faults be fixed?
If you want to watch the earlier video when he arrived from eBay then watch this • £899 Broken 1:2 Scale ...
If you would like to support these videos, please click here / mymatevince
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@OfflineSetup]

"I wonder if you knew what you were doing, you could re-program this to say other things like rude words". Kid at heart, never change;

[@HD-wf3bp]

XD but I like it more with the original sounds.

[@maximusmax4557]

I could def hear C3PO telling R2 to "bugger off."

[@MrAsBBB]

What about dressing it up.? A wig? Sorry I am being silly but it would be fun.

[@ChrisCreats]

Please check out my R2 build series then u can how involved this build was over the 2 years

[@MYTHofficialChannel]

Guess why it beeps when 'talking'. This kinda fellow already swears like a sailor

[@jeffwalker7185]

You are a genius Vince. I am in the process of building the Fanhome release of this R2D2 and could not get the light sabre flap to open. Then I recalled watching this video and came back to see how you resolved the issue. I copied your method of using two staples and now the lightsabre flap opens smoothly and still sits flush to the metal housing. Thank you.

[@flynne9876]

I am about 40 stages through the assembly of R2, this video has given me so much confidence that I will be able to troubleshoot any issues. Thanks. The kit comes with a test board so you confirm the components work before assembly. Really is a nice kit, loads of fun to assemble with the kids.

[@lkswift]

Re: the Orange Pi… you’ve got it right. A USB or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse would be attached for debugging. Also, I agree that it’s probably the brain of the whole thing. It would be overkill to just control LCDs on the head.

[@pherman8852]

Your fixes make my wife and I so happy Vince. Thank you for being the blessing that you are….don’t forget your guitar pick.

[@marcellipovsky8222]

Hi Vince, I love the robot! You might use some hot glue for the connectors to hold them in place. In case you need to remove them a bit of IPA helps to loose it up.

[@Mymatevince]

Very good idea Marcel. I used to hate hot glue as it was a nightmare to remove until I realised IPA actually makes removing it enjoyable. I normally try to get it off in one whole blob...and then it can be reused again. The process feels like a stress relief toy. Hope your keeping well👍

[@snowysnowdon5584]

Great video Vince, the Orange Pi is the result of the Clone Wars. Had to get that one in. 🤣

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

Now R2-D2 is fully alive thanks to you. To see the HDMI working and showing some cool stuff on the TV was very interesting too.

[@proesterchen]

LOL @ Vince getting completely mesmerized by the sound the shaft makes when pulling out. 😂😂

[@francoispapadakis76]

Yep, reminded me of Mr. Bean discovering the carton drawing containers...

[@burtbaxter6485]

Long LCD not LED, loved the video , screamed every time you said LED 😢😂😂

[@densis007]

Came here to check if I was the only one 😅

[@etiennevanharen3893]

great video Vince, love the r2d2. thanks for having me think "vince don't forget the blue plastic thingy that fell in" for about 25 minutes.

[@andymouse]

Open the box and look inside, oh look there's an SBC and Vince fell into the rabbit hole....cheers.

[@MichaelBritt23]

R2-D2 ASMR. Vince has found a corner of the internet that we all wanted to be a part of. Even down to the pop sound from removing the neck brace.

[@Mymatevince]

🤣 How nice was that pop sound!!!!!!

[@uvgotredonu]

It should be noted, this is a full scale R2 unit. Vince is just an absolute giant in repair entertainment.

[@mannixmd]

In his last video it's said it's 1:2 scale ;)

[@alha3869]

I don't think Kenny Baker would fit in that so no way full size.

[@uvgotredonu]

I know of at least two people that missed the joke

[@michael5089]

​@@uvgotredonuI must be thick as I missed joke as well!!!

[@Mcqlfc]

I always thought that these weekly build it yourself magazines were a rip off but this is awesome!!

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

Usually they are, and the customer service is ropey. It's a reasonable way to get something expensive by spending small amounts regularly. It's a bit like HP! Like HP, it's expensive compared to the 100% outlay. Missing an issue can be a nightmare. They offer back issues, but only if they have them in stock. If they sell out of an issue, you are in trouble.

[@johnrutherford4276]

Thank you for all your videos Vince. Particularly enjoyed these ones & hope you decide to keep R2D2, it’s so good! Speedy recovery of injured finger 👍

[@greamepenney5947]

Best video so far. You fixed R2 May the force be with.

[@potrzebieneuman4702]

18:46 I have an Orange Pi PC running Linux, great little board at a fraction of the cost of Raspberry Pi. Interesting to see it used in this model. It's nice to see things being repaired.

[@user-gw3pt1sy7c]

Hi Vince I love your fault finding on R2D2 it just goes to show sometimes it’s just a simple fix

[@frankowalker4662]

So cool that you got it all working.

[@wisher21uk]

Brilliant fix Vince , that’s a gorgeous bit of kit well done

[@bigstak2010]

I only discovered your channel a week ago and I'm addicted. Your knowledge and logical process is a joy to see. From your reactions in this pair of videos, I'd be surprised if your children ever get to see R2D2 again 😉

[@GregorydavidMck]

For something like that wee hinge, you could also use paper or thin cardboard, like a cereal box, as a shim. Cheers from future Greg.

[@miro_trendafilov]

Yes! Another R2-D2 video, loved the first one! Also, those magazines are amazing, would love a full set.

[@jameshhilton]

I have the full set, built it every month but like many others there are faults, mine being the sensors are not working properly so he just keeps crashing into things, lol

[@Ckpe4]

Actually raspberry pi is mostly open source. It is ment to be "copied" (is open source it called fork). And the orange pi is open source. There also is a Banana pi and a whole bunch of another pies. They have different set of form factors, different processors and other hardware. For example banana pi has a board for DIY router based on similar to raspberry pi hardware

[@geraldfast3d]

Thanks vince.. Super model.. And great repair video.. May the force be with you..

[@deadalusshadowduck]

Damn... I love that thing! Thanks for showing us R2 againe Vince! 😍

[@Fifury161]

I signed up for a few magazine projects back in the day - the Robots one was a kit before the Pi or any of these small compute boards where a thing so the controls where all made with discrete components. Quite an achievement given the era. £8.99/week is quite expensive, but the end result does look good!

[@TBL_stevennelson]

100% love you pointing out the Dangers of Thoses batteries.

[@dash8brj]

Lovely to see R2-D2 back together and working properly. I could see you dropping that guitar pick inside. Going... going... GONE! :)

[@andrewmurray1550]

that's what prevented R2 from showing Luke Leia's hologram message. "you've got something stuck in here real good".

[@michaeldoak3299]

Just a quick note.. the two silver vents on the front ( centre vents ) are upside down.. just sayin' 😃

[@jcreazy]

Hey Vince, the Raspberry Pi was designed to be a cheap and mostly open source computer to give everyone the chance to have a computer.The raspberry pi pico is even fully open source. Orange Pis and many other of these computers are open source. They are meant to be tinkered on and improved. Open Source is amazing.

[@paulmitchell1099]

Thoroughly enjoyable view of both videos. Really lucky buy.

[@thegees]

love the use of the pro tech toolkit in these vids, ive had mine for a few years now an its great

[@eathenalexander2836]

great video Vince. well done.

[@kiphakes]

I WANT ONE!!! What a fantastic toy!

[@stevebrown1974]

I have one and it's awesome. Was great fun to build!

[@magnets1000]

@17:55 didn't expect to see an Orange Pi in there!

[@sibriers5254]

Hi Vince, only just found your channel and subscribed last night, I'm building this very same R2 D2 at the moment for my son, I'm on magazine 91-95 so almost finished. I found your video really useful. Brilliant. Been building R2-D2 for almost 2 years now. 😎

[@binkman853]

Good luck. This looks awesome!

[@599miata]

Great video Vince. I am not a R2-D2 fan but it was fascinating.

[@NeonNightmares]

With all the magazines that came with it there are probably some information about the orange pi and what you can do with it.

[@chefhawk]

Great video. Loved building mine and I repainted it as I was building...cheers

[@fdfmad]

Vince, you are now ready to go on arduino computing and start my mate vince robotics

[@gavinm894]

You know I gave this subscription a cursory look originally and dismissed it after assuming it would be plastic rubbish. I'm amazed at the quality of it! Damn!

[@ilpotus]

@10:25 I was 100% sure that Vince would take the metal washer thingy from that E.T. cards corner :D

[@Mymatevince]

🤣🤣

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

Love the video Vince - I was hoping for the follow up! In terms of Raspberry Pi vs. Orange Pi - Raspberry had sever supply chain issues over the past 3 years and when you could get what would normally be a $75 Pi 4 it would be upwards of 2 or 3 times the price and sold from an untrusted source. I think that companies weren't necessarily trying to put Raspberry Pi out of business or flooding the market with cheap knock offs but providing a lot of hobbyists a way to work on their projects. I think that Raspberry is just now _starting_ to catch up with demand and supply chain issues - hopefully so.

[@fallwitch]

Great job! Chewbacca would be proud!

[@Cha-chingWV]

Vince, as you are trying to take out that bend, I was thinking about the watch and all the other things where you wish you left well enough alone. Glad it worked out though!! This is a cool fix!

[@vapermyke]

Well done on completing Vince. Was looking forward to this after you told me via email. Im by no means an avid Star Wars buff but as we spoke about in out emails back and forth I am a massive smart home/automation need and this would be so cool if you reprogram aspects of him to work with Google Home/ Alexa especially with the camera integration. Massive respect to your work as always. We'll done. Myke

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Myke. Yessss an Alexa R2D2 would be quite easy. Maybe an Echo Show with the screen popping out of his back to play KZbin vids etc. Would be something

[@lukedavis436]

vince is a man of taste, he has the same "multiple tip laptop charger" as me XD

[@Billy.Nomates]

My OCD was off the charts with the staple repair..but it worked still 😁

[@vcancer]

I have been getting the kits of this to build him but have been waiting for all of it to show up. Within these next few months, I think I'll receive the 100th kit. I will be going out on leave from work for a total knee replacement in June, so I think I'll start putting mine together in between knee therapy. Thanks about the battery problem as I'll be making sure to get them with the nibs.

[@TheMadrory]

16:45 I'm sorry, I laughed so much at the "Oops!"

[@KrisDouglas]

The Orange Pi is an ARM based single board computer, as you say a clone of the raspberry pi, running Linux. You can use a micro USB to full size USB adapter to plug in a keyboard/mouse in and control the interface that way. Ctrl+alt+f1 or f2 should also give you a full Linux command line where you can browse around the operating system. As you say, the build quality of this is very impressive, and considering its a magazine build, I don't honestly think the price is that obscene.

[@thebasset]

I so want one of these.. It`s wicked.. i would spend all day playing with it.😃

[@BuyitFixit]

Another Great Video Vince! Ingenious use of staples, and glad you got the long LED working even though it was just a loose plug! I especially liked the debug mode, it's my kind of thing! I would think either a USB touch screen? or keyboard / mouse would be needed to access it. Hope your finger is doing better!

[@Mymatevince]

I reckon you could work some of your magic on one of these Mick 👍👍

[@BuyitFixit]

@@Mymatevince Oh yes.. I'm sure we could have it swearing like a pirate in no time 😂😂😂

[@Mymatevince]

@@BuyitFixit 😂🤣🤣

[@kawikajones9436]

That "debug" mode has me curious now. It would be great to have this be able to program also on this. I'm building this model now. I know there are some toys like "Optimus Prime from Transformers where you can program him to do all kinds of things like situps, martial arts kicks etc... If you haven't seen this yet, this is a real transformer. It actually transforms into a truck and back into Optimus Prime with just commands from your phone. It would be great to see if we could do this on this model also. You could trade movements with other's that have a particular model that have created their own movements. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6WsamVvnJmjq6c

[@wowdad3055]

Awesome. Thank you.

[@UltimatelyEverything]

Legend says Vince is still playing with R2-D2 to this day

[@whiteslick00]

thanks for the videos

[@human7656]

From my understanding orange pi is a single board computer that can be programmed on board if you connect a keyboard and mouse but you need have the correct software on it. I think they used an SD card with the r2d2 firmware and inserted it in the pi to flash the firmware. I think Vince found a development/debug interface for the people manufacturing the magazine.

[@MichaelM28]

Use the force Vince

[@andreamitchell4758]

Surprised Vince doesn't have more knowledge of SBC's, single board computers. He should definitely subscribe to explaining computers. It s a great channel for learning about SBC's. The Orange PI 5 is much more powerful than a raspberry pi 4 , it has a rock chip 3588, the thing about non raspberry pi boards is that they don't have as great of software and support for different OS's and other stuff but there are tons of different SBC's and a lot of them have better hardware and specs than the raspberry PI boards. Also it's not a copy any more than different Windows desktop or laptops from different OEM's are copies of uh something, they are just computers.

[@ptjogara]

That was fun!

[@eugenerusselnash]

Heya! I just came across your channel. Very interesting especially with the short and long LCD Display Units. The Long Display is correctly at the rear, the short one, However is the Round LED in the Front. The Stacked LCD Display next the Round LED Display is actually R2's Processor Display that indicates his calibration as he's powering up or charging while switched on. The Lightsabre Unit unfortunately has a hinge that has to be loosened slightly so attain functionality. The connection in the rear panel power's R2's speaker. I will continue to watch! Enjoying the Show.

[@KraftyLive]

Fab video again, love this series of R2D2 videos, I would check if you can remote into the pi boards ip address on you local network via a browser and control the UI you see on the hdmi output. if not i would be looking to connect a keyboard and mouse to setup a remote desktop service to enable that same kind of functionality.

[@Tim_3100]

Been looking forward to the repairs on r2-d2 only thing i can think of that would have tiny washers is rc car kit parts/ spares kits you can buy

[@adelestevens]

To make shim washers. Drill the correct size hole for the screw into that hard plastic cover material on the super glue packet(or similar type) and then use a hole punch (like one for ring binder folders) and make as many as necessary to "shim up". Great also if you need insulator shims. Learned this on model railway stuff.

[@chronos1002]

You can also use plastic playing cards, or cardboard ones for that matter.

[@andreamitchell4758]

10:20 you could have just got a hole punch and punched out a bit of the blister pack from that super glue package or some other blister pack plastic and then got a Dremel and drilled a hole through the bit of blister plastic that was punched out, or just cut a tiny square and cut he corners off off and made a hole in the middle blister pack plastic makes good washers in a pinch and I bet you can find different thickness plastic around the house no problem.

[@evilutionltd]

A quick tip for the people who are technical enough to modify 18650's without blowing themselves up. To convert a flat top to a button top, get yourself some 6mm x 2mm neodymium magnets and put one on the positive end of the battery. A dot of super glue can also be a good idea to stop it sliding.

[@cjmfebruary]

Greetings, I believe in the film the blue trapazoid shaped hatch recessed and slid open for the lightsaber to be laumched out versus just opening like a hindged lid. It would have been nice if this had those options, but it would have definitely increased the price considerably. Awesome fix! Thanks for doing this video!

[@SqualidsargeStudios]

As far as I remember it did just hinge open, then again it has been a while. Certainly gonna rewatch the old movies again soon

[@HavingFunRepairs]

Well at least it wasn't broke in Alderaan places 🤣 Enjoyed!

[@Mymatevince]

Badum tish 😂

[@LegendSpecialist]

Nice video 👌

[@solveit1304]

You could connect USB keyboard and mouse to OrangePi and play with it. Debug mode sounds interesting.

[@Bradenjoseph1]

Vince maybe look at the magazine for the week the orange pi was installed maybe there are some instructions !!

[@ovalwingnut]

ShOcK & AWE quality "machine". Vince, you R the "R2D2 Whisperer"... Cheers from So.Ca.USA 3rd House On the Left.

[@arghjayem]

19:50 LEGO is thriving these days. A huge increase in profits over the past few years, thanks in part to an increase in sales to AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO) during the pandemic rediscovering the hobby and that LEGO builders show on E4/Channel four. I mean just look at how many LEGO YT channels there are and how many LEGO sets cost £400+. They’ve just unveiled a new one in that price category, a Lord of the Rings Rivendell set with over 6000 pieces cost £500. They also have things like a giant version of the Titanic and a massive ATAT from Star Wars!

[@andrewd4906]

Orange Pi is a single board computer like the Raspberry Pi. There are lots of different SBCs on the market. It was probably easier to utilise an SBC rather than design something from the ground up.

[@phreapersoonlijk]

Vince, I know you'd either buy the right cells or use magnet spacers, don't worry about that. My worry is about people who didn't know the foil was very temporary, and copy you on that part, or people who just kinda scrub through your video, saw that part, thought it was a solution and copied it. Not everybody understands that these video's are meant for entertainment only, and are maybe a bit dense and saw the foil worked, and thought: hey, solution to my problem ! :) I never thought you yourself would do this for any length of time or any sort of even semi permanent solution.

[@TerryLawrence001]

Selling a device without the lithium batteries is a good practice since it removes any fall back on you if the end user does unsafe things with the battery pack.

[@LuisVazquez-hx3bk]

I am building my own from Fanhome sucription. The mistakes I made was putting parts backwards. The only problem with the manufacturer is that they don't lable the screw packets.

[@Sheevlord]

I had an Orange Pi actually. It has a USB port so you can connect a USB hub and a normal keyboard and mouse to it, as if it was an ordinary computer. Too bad I misplaced it somewhere. As for the lightsaber door - in the movie it slides open on the inside of the head. Which would probably be harder to implement in the model, so they went with a simpler design that swings open

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Sheevlord👍👍👍

[@SimonEllwood]

The HDMI looks like a debug screen made by the developer to control everything from a mouse.

[@mopagemo]

I'm quite sure the Orange Pi is the brains. It seems to be the Orange Pi Zero Plus2, which has 8GB eMMC flash and also a SD card reader. I wonder if they pre-flashed the eMMC with the software for the robot. Either way, you can definitely connect a keyboard and play with the UI. If there is a SD card (it would be on the underside) you can check on a computer what's on it. Most likely it's formatted as the ext2 (or ext3/ext4) filesystem and should be readable by at least Linux or a Mac. If there is no SD card the software will be on the eMMC. You can flash a SD card with Linux (the orange pi website has an image and instructions), put it into the Orange Pi, boot it and then mount the eMMC and look around the files. Requires a bit of knowledge working with Linux and navigating with command line tools, but you'll very likely be able to mess with the sound files :)

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks for the info 11xY. The SD card slot is empty on this one so it must be on the flash memory 👍👍

[@wthornton7346]

I think you missed the point with Raspberry Pi clones. It's all OPEN. Open hardware, open firmware, open software. Copying is the whole point.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Aside from the fire dangers of lithium batteries, having seen one in person, I'd say for an indoor fire, the bigger danger would be poisoning from the huge volume of toxic smoke that would literally fill the room you are in, which simply adds to the danger of the fire. Most folks (I would hope) are aware of the possibility of fire, but the smoke is incredibly dangerous, much moreso than the smoke from say: a nickel metal hydride battery fire.

[@dodgydruid]

Always worth keeping things in a stash for the future, I bought a NOS Seiko 5M62 Kinetic at a very cheap price, dead cell and I was just about to order a new cell from cousins when something prompted me to check my kinetic cells tub and lo and behold, bought in error a few years back was a brand new, sealed Seiko 302324T capacitor saving me a fair bit as I bought that when they were only £4. So now I have up and running a brand new Seiko kinetic at a tiny fraction of the price of buying one working :) (also my first Seiko branded kinetic as I had only Pulsar and Lorus although I do have the ultra rare Pulsar Antonio Banderas (voice actor for Puss in Boots of Shrek fame) kinetic)

[@danke4051]

You would connect via ssh or vnc for remote desktop to use the orange pi as a remote computer. You would also be able to look around the file system and probably the mp3 files to change the sounds.

[@Davejazz]

Good job 👏 👍. Would be good for next video where u connected it to a keyboard and change a few things like voice or lights

[@markstevens5442]

With reference to Meccano - it was announced on Friday that the last remaining dedicated Meccano factory is to close. It is in Calais. Meccano will still be made in other factories alongside other toys.

[@nleseul]

Most likely, the original designer used that debug interface to test the motors and such before the iPad app was developed and the wifi control was set up. You could probably connect a wireless mouse dongle to the Pi board and control it with the head closed. There might also be HDMI touchscreens out there that you could hang out the side and not have to be tethered to a TV.

[@desmondduffy8105]

Hi just came across your channel. My son built this when he was 12. I bought all the magazines 100 and saved them to give as a Christmas present. Took him 4 days to build it fully. Sadly whilst plugged in charging smoke stared to come from the head. Turned out the light saber motor burnt out. Hoping to try and repair this year. Also my projector never worked. Sound and light but no image 😭. Just manged today to get a replacement but £43. Worth it if now works. Will let you know when I get the time to look at it l as later this year.

[@danielhulan3058]

My Mate Vince, the Macgyver or electronics repair. Using staples to fix r2d2 lol

[@Kevin-mf7wb]

You made the battery issue very clear in the previous video. There will always be someone that moans.

[@stephenjames8256]

you use a wireless keyboard and mouse the USB is normally to power outside of the robot and it outputting the os on the pi used to program it and test it

[@andrewtomlinson5237]

I enjoyed that at no point did you consider referring to the stack of magazines they sent you, that explained how it all fit together and worked in order to find out for yourself!

[@tylerzerbe6861]

so um... dollars to doughnuts that somewhere in the magazines (specifically where they have the directions for installing the orange pi) it will have the instructions on flashing the OS to the pi. to do that you'd have to have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor hooked up. what'd be really cool is if you ran a hdmi extender cord to someplace on the r2 unit and mounted a hdmi port to the shell somewhere. that way you can just plug in the little droid to an hdmi whenever you want. also maybe extend the usb leads down so you can plug other hardware into him. so far as hacking the sounds for rude words, that would be really easy. those sounds are just recordings (probably mp3s) that are on the pi's storage. if you were to copy a different sound of someone yelling "bollucks!" and give it the same file name as one of the sounds it is expecting to play, well, you'd have the cussing roomba from the michael reeves video. incidentally, that orange pi is being way under-utilized. that's a full blown linux computer in there. you could throw together a custom kali linux distro that has the r2d2 functionality and have your little r2 unit running around hacking the passwords off of peoples' wifi routers. i'd also venture say that if you poked around in the guts of that thing long enough you're likely to find arduinos in there too.

[@StevenIngram]

I thought the kinds of things that were wrong with R2 were really fair. Nothing major, but intimidating enough to keep someone from tearing into it. But in the end, just some usage faults that weren't real damage, but just needed to be poked at a little. I love this R2 though, its really bad ass. And its funny how people's perception of things differ. I try to keep track of the single board computer market and when I saw an orange pi in it, I was like wow - they gave it teeth. LOL (The OrangePi is faster than a raspberry pi in megahertz as you mentioned, its RAM is also faster. And the OS in your R2 is apparently booting from an eMMC module rather an SD card. So, faster boot times, faster load times, faster ram, faster processor, faster sensor polling and faster response times. The OrangePi is aggressive. LOL

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers for the info Steven. Up until this video I had never heard of it👍👍👍

[@TerryLawrence001]

A fun mod would be to add an extender to the HDMI and usb from the Orange Pi and install the connector to a spot on the head so you can hack R2D2 while he is fully together.

[@abn0rm1]

Pretty sure you could mess with the orange pi and sounds etc, not sure if it's secured/encrypted or anything, but if this is a orange pi zero plus2 board, it contains an 8gb eMMC, i would think that's where the software is located. What a cool little bot

[@stevenbarrett7648]

So you are saying the two pie pcb manufacturers have started a Clone War ??!!!!!

[@Smartphonekanalen]

This R2-D2 is a lot better then the version from Thinkway Toys.

[@logothaironsides2942]

I think the HDMI is just a way to see the OS running in the pi. If you have a usb connector maybe you could use a mouse to get to the menu you are looking at. IF the pi has bluetooth maybe you could use a bluetooth mouse and keyboard with it.