MarcDuino

R2-D2 Control and Automation

The MarcDuino system controls the animatronics of an R2 (dome panels, light and sound) from an iPhone. It currently controls 10 dome panels, an "MP3 Trigger" sound board, dome "Teeces" lights and holoprojectors light and movements, and I2C gizmos you can add-in yourself. It has lots of pre-programmed effects making all these act together. Here is the info on how it works, how to build or order the parts, and customize it to your liking.

Demo of the MarcDuino system

The system is centered around the MarcDuino boards which sit in the R2. There are two kinds, the Master and the Slave board, which are very similar to each other - they mostly differ by the firmware that runs on them. The two videos below explain what each board does, you should watch them to understand how the system works. Note that the videos feature the "v2" boards, but I now recommend the "v1.5" boards (newer despite the strange numbering) which are currently available and functionally equivalent.

MarcDuino Master Board

MarcDuino Slave Board

MarcDuino System Links

The links below will take you to the reference pages that show you how to build your system: order or build the boards, interconnect them, use the app, and even modify and expand the system to your liking.

Complete guide on how to choose, build or order and connect the MarcDuino boards.

How to setup and customize the iPhone app

(Note: there is also an Android R2 Touch app not build by myself, but developed with my blessing. It is not supported by me, but by Astromech member KG 204, more details here)

How to setup the recommended dome light systems to connect to the MarcDuino

How to setup the recommended sound board for your MarcDuino system.

An older, more expensive, but quite capable sound system that also works with the MarcDuino.

Complete R2 Touch command reference and MarcDuino source code, for the adventurous that wants to customize and expand the system.