ShadowRC - ShadyRC Fork - Printed Droid

You are here:

Estimated reading time: 4 min

The ShadowRC Control System is an evolution of the Shady RC dEvolution sketch, originally developed by joymonkey, combined with MarcDuino command integration from Shadow MD.

ShadowRC provides complete RC control for R2-D2 style droids using a traditional RC transmitter/receiver while maintaining full MarcDuino integration for dome panels, holoprojectors, and lighting effects.

Key Differences from Shady RC dEvolution

Feature	Shady RC dEvolution	ShadowRC v1.3
MarcDuino Functions	Basic	Full 89 function codes
Sound Control	Via MarcDuino	Direct MP3 Trigger + MarcDuino parallel
Panel Control	Limited	Individual dome & body panels
Holo Control	Basic	Full control with toggle states
Custom Sequences	None	11 custom sequences (79-89)
Knob Mapping	Fixed sounds	Configurable MarcDuino functions
Documentation	Minimal	Extensive in-sketch documentation

What Does It Control?

ShadowRC controls all aspects of your droid:

Motion: Foot drive (differential/tank style) and dome rotation
Sound: Direct MP3 Trigger control with 255 sound slots
Dome Panels: Individual or grouped panel control via MarcDuino
Body Panels: Full body panel integration (requires MarcDuino Body)
Holoprojectors: Filthy HP, R-Series HP, or servo-based holos
Logic Displays: Teeces or other MarcDuino-compatible displays
Lighting: Magic panel, holo lights, and custom effects
Sequences: Pre-programmed sequences like Scream, Leia, Cantina, Disco

Required Components

Main Controller

Arduino Mega 2560 or Arduino Mega ADK

RC System

Turnigy Evolution RC Transmitter (or compatible)
Turnigy TGY-iA6C or iA10B Receiver (iBus protocol)

Motor Controllers

Sabertooth 2x32A or 2×25 (foot drive)
Syren 10 (dome rotation)

Sound System

SparkFun MP3 Trigger
Speaker + Amplifier

MarcDuino System (recommended)

MarcDuino Dome Master (Arduino 328P based)
MarcDuino Body Master (optional, for body panels)
Servos for dome/body panels

Optional

Teeces Logic Displays
Holoprojectors (Filthy HP, R-Series, or servo-based)
XBee System (for smartphone app control)

Wiring Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         ARDUINO MEGA 2560                                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                             │
│  TX1 (Pin 18) ──────────────────────────────► MarcDuino Dome RX             │
│                                                   │                         │
│                                                   ├──► Dome Panel Servos    │
│                                                   ├──► Holoprojectors       │
│                                                   └──► Logic Displays       │
│                                                                             │
│  TX2 (Pin 16) ──────────────────────────────► Sabertooth S1                 │
│                         │                         │                         │
│                         │                         └──► Foot Motors (L+R)    │
│                         │                                                   │
│                         └───────────────────► Syren S1                      │
│                                                   │                         │
│                                                   └──► Dome Motor           │
│                                                                             │
│  RX3 (Pin 15) ◄─────────────────────────────── iBus Receiver                │
│                                                   │                         │
│                                                   └──► From TGY-iA6C/iA10B  │
│                                                                             │
│  Pin 11 ────────────────────────────────────► MP3 Trigger RX                │
│                                                   │                         │
│                                                   ├──► SD Card (sounds)     │
│                                                   └──► Amplifier + Speaker  │
│                                                                             │
│  Pin 44 ────────────────────────────────────► Left Foot ESC (PWM)           │
│  Pin 45 ────────────────────────────────────► Right Foot ESC (PWM)          │
│                                                                             │
│  Pin 12 (optional) ─────────────────────────► MarcDuino Body RX             │
│                                                   │                         │
│                                                   └──► Body Panel Servos    │
│                                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Pin Connections

Arduino Mega Pin	Connection	Notes
TX1 (Pin 18)	MarcDuino Dome RX	9600 baud
TX2 (Pin 16)	Sabertooth S1 + Syren S1	9600 baud, active serial
RX3 (Pin 15)	iBus Receiver Signal	From TGY-iA6C/iA10B
Pin 11	MP3 Trigger RX	9600 baud (check your MP3 Trigger settings)
Pin 44	Left Foot Motor	PWM signal to ESC
Pin 45	Right Foot Motor	PWM signal to ESC
Pin 12 (optional)	MarcDuino Body RX	9600 baud

RC Channel Assignments

Channel	Control	Function
CH1	Right Stick X	Steering (left/right)
CH2	Right Stick Y	Throttle (forward/reverse)
CH3	Left Stick Y	Autodome frequency / Volume (when knob full CW)
CH4	Left Stick X	Dome rotation (manual)
CH5	SwB (3-pos)	Drive speed: Slow / Medium / Fast
CH6	SwA (2-pos)	Drive enable (safety switch) – UP=off, DOWN=on
CH7	VrA Knob	MarcDuino function selector
CH8	SwC (3-pos)	MarcDuino trigger – UP=trigger, MID=off, DOWN=alt

MarcDuino Functions Available

ShadowRC includes all 89 standard MarcDuino function codes:

Panel Sequences with Sound (1-14)

Code	Function
1	Close All Panels
2	Scream – all panels open
3	Wave – one panel at a time
4	Fast Wave (smirk) – back and forth
5	Wave 2 – open progressively, close one by one
6	Cantina – beep with marching ants
7	Faint / Short Circuit
8	Cantina Dance – orchestral, rhythmic
9	Leia Message
10	Disco
11	Quiet Mode Reset
12	Full Awake Reset
13	Mid Awake Reset
14	Full Awake+ Reset

Panel Sequences without Sound (15-21)

Code	Function
15	Scream – NO SOUND
16	Wave – NO SOUND
17	Fast Wave – NO SOUND
18	Wave 2 – NO SOUND
19	Marching Ants – NO SOUND
20	Faint – NO SOUND
21	Cantina Dance – NO SOUND

Holoprojector Control (22-25)

Code	Function
22	Random Holo Movement ON (all)
23	Holo Lights Toggle (on/off)
24	Holo Lights OFF
25	Holo Reset (movement off, lights off)

Volume Control (26-29)

Code	Function
26	Volume Up
27	Volume Down
28	Volume Maximum
29	Volume Medium

Dome Panel Control (30-53)

Code	Function
30	Open ALL Dome Panels
31	Open TOP Dome Panels
32	Open BOTTOM Dome Panels
33	Close ALL Dome Panels
34-53	Open/Close individual panels 1-10 (even=open, odd=close)

Body Panel Control (54-75)

Requires MarcDuino Body Master

Code	Function
54	Open ALL Body Panels
55	Close ALL Body Panels
56-75	Open/Close individual panels 1-10 (even=open, odd=close)

Magic Panel (76-78)

Code	Function
76	Magic Panel ON
77	Magic Panel OFF
78	Magic Panel Flicker (10 seconds)

Custom Sequences (79-89)

Code	Function
79	Spook Wave (dome + body)
80	Wave Bye
81	Utility Arms Open then Close
82	Full Body Show
83	Gripper Arm
84	Interface Tool
85	Ping Pong Body Doors
86	Star Wars Disco
87	Star Trek Disco
88	Play Next Song
89	Play Previous Song

Default Knob Function Mapping

The VrA knob (CH7) selects which function is triggered when SwC (CH8) is pushed UP:

Knob Position	Function
Full CCW	Quiet Mode Reset (11)
Position 2	Full Awake (12)
Position 3	Wave (3)
Position 4	Scream (2)
Position 5	Cantina (6)
Position 6	Leia Message (9)
Position 7	Disco (10)
Position 8	Short Circuit (7)
Position 9	Open All Panels (30)
Position 10	Close All Panels (1)
Position 11	Holo Toggle (23)
Position 12	Wave Bye (80)
Full CW	Random Sound (0)

You can customize this mapping by editing the knobFunctions[] array in the sketch.

Configuration Options

All settings are configurable at the top of the sketch (Section 1):

// Enable/Disable Features
#define DEBUG 1                     // Serial debug output (0=off, 1=on)
#define MARCDUINO_DOME_ENABLED 1    // MarcDuino Dome (0=off, 1=on)
#define MARCDUINO_BODY_ENABLED 0    // MarcDuino Body (0=off, 1=on)
#define MP3_TRIGGER_ENABLED 1       // MP3 Trigger (0=off, 1=on)

// Motor Controller Settings
#define FOOT_CONTROLLER 1           // 0=Sabertooth Serial, 1=PWM Mode
#define SYREN_ADDR 129              // Syren serial address
#define SABERTOOTH_ADDR 128         // Sabertooth serial address

// Drive Settings
byte driveSpeeds[3] = {30, 80, 127};  // Slow, Medium, Fast (0-127)
#define TURN_SPEED 50                  // Turn sensitivity (40-75 recommended)
#define JOYSTICK_DEAD_ZONE 10          // Stick center dead zone

// Sound Settings
byte volume_level = 50;               // Initial volume (0=loud, 255=silent)
#define MIN_VOLUME 100                // Quietest setting
#define MAX_VOLUME 0                  // Loudest setting

// Autodome Settings
#define AUTODOME_MIN_SPEED 15         // Minimum rotation speed
#define AUTODOME_MAX_SPEED 50         // Maximum rotation speed
#define AUTODOME_CHATTINESS 6         // Sound frequency (1-10)

Motor Controller DIP Switch Settings

Sabertooth 2×32/2×25 (Foot Drive)

DIP Switches: 1=DOWN, 2=DOWN, 3=UP, 4=UP, 5=UP, 6=UP
Configures: Packetized Serial, Address 128, 9600 baud

Syren 10 (Dome Rotation)

DIP Switches: 1=DOWN, 2=DOWN, 3=UP, 4=DOWN, 5=UP, 6=UP
Configures: Packetized Serial, Address 129, 9600 baud
Note: Some users add 10K resistor between S1 and GND for stability

Failsafe Setup (IMPORTANT!)

Configure failsafe on your Turnigy Evolution transmitter:

Go to Settings → Failsafe
Enable Failsafe for Channels 1-4
Set all channels to go to 0% (1000μs) on signal loss

This ensures the droid stops moving if the RC connection is lost.

MP3 File Naming

Sound files on the MP3 Trigger SD card should use 3-digit prefixes:

001_happy_beep.mp3
002_sad_beep.mp3
003_scream.mp3
007_short_circuit.mp3
009_leia_message.mp3
010_disco.mp3
...
255_startup.mp3

Only the first 3 digits matter to the MP3 Trigger.

Required Libraries

Install these libraries via Arduino Library Manager or manually:

IBusBM – iBus protocol for Flysky/Turnigy receivers

https://github.com/bmellink/IBusBM

Sabertooth – Dimension Engineering motor controller library

https://www.dimensionengineering.com/software/SabertoothArduinoLibraries.zip

Credits

joymonkey – Original Shady RC dEvolution sketch

vint43 – Shadow MD AstroCan MarcDuino integration

Tim Ebel (Eebel) – Custom sequences (79-89)

BigHappyDude – Differential drive mixing algorithm

Attachments

Bens R2D2 Electronic Diagram with Shadow MD plus Shady RC - v5.4 2020-01 (4 MB)

ShadowRC_v1.3 (12 KB)

Was this article helpful?

Like 1 Dislike 0 1 of 1 found this article helpful.

Previous: Turnigy Evolution

Next: Shady RC dEvolution

ShadowRC – ShadyRC Fork

Key Differences from Shady RC dEvolution

What Does It Control?

Required Components

Main Controller

RC System

Motor Controllers

Sound System

MarcDuino System (recommended)

Optional

Wiring Diagram

Pin Connections

RC Channel Assignments

MarcDuino Functions Available

Panel Sequences with Sound (1-14)

Panel Sequences without Sound (15-21)

Holoprojector Control (22-25)

Volume Control (26-29)

Dome Panel Control (30-53)

Body Panel Control (54-75)

Magic Panel (76-78)

Custom Sequences (79-89)

Default Knob Function Mapping

Configuration Options

Motor Controller DIP Switch Settings

Sabertooth 2×32/2×25 (Foot Drive)

Syren 10 (Dome Rotation)

Failsafe Setup (IMPORTANT!)

MP3 File Naming

Required Libraries

Links

Original Shady RC dEvolution

MarcDuino Information

Credits

Attachments

ShadowRC – ShadyRC Fork

Key Differences from Shady RC dEvolution

What Does It Control?

Required Components

Main Controller

RC System

Motor Controllers

Sound System

MarcDuino System (recommended)

Optional

Wiring Diagram

Pin Connections

RC Channel Assignments

MarcDuino Functions Available

Panel Sequences with Sound (1-14)

Panel Sequences without Sound (15-21)

Holoprojector Control (22-25)

Volume Control (26-29)

Dome Panel Control (30-53)

Body Panel Control (54-75)

Magic Panel (76-78)

Custom Sequences (79-89)

Default Knob Function Mapping

Configuration Options

Motor Controller DIP Switch Settings

Sabertooth 2×32/2×25 (Foot Drive)

Syren 10 (Dome Rotation)

Failsafe Setup (IMPORTANT!)

MP3 File Naming

Required Libraries

Links

Original Shady RC dEvolution

MarcDuino Information

Credits

Attachments

Related articles