TehMaxwell
Tales of a Rookie
Hey all,
I haven't been on the forums for a very long time, life has been kind of busy due to exams and other things getting in the way of RC. But now it's time to pick up the transmitter again.
I say that, but I must apologize, as this post is not strictly RC related (although it could be in the future). But in my opinion it's just a tad to cool not to share, so I thought Id put it in the scratch builders section, as it isn't store bought. Introducing, my Robotic Arm, which doesn't really have a proper name yet!
The arm is my school project for this year. It has six points of rotation (Base, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Wrist Rotate, Claw), all of these can be controlled by one micro controller board. It's a built up construction of Laser Cut Ply Parts that are held together with a combination of screws and wood glue, the separate sections are rotated by seven different servo's (the shoulder has two combined for added torque) which provide around 2.5kg per cm of torque (I think Im saying that right) at 5v and around 3kg at 6v. During testing the arm nearly threw itself off of the table, it can definitely handle it's own weight and needs added weight in the base. I am using brass tubing for the pivot points so that the separate sections can rotate smoothly around each other. Here is a picture:
When this arm goes off for marking it will be controlled by a PICAXE Microcontroller. I have only really recently got into programming properly, my only past experience being a graphical interface called Logicator which is used to program the PICAXE Chips. I have been trying to learn Python by making different little programs, such as a number sorting program and a riddles game. I have also bought an Arduino Starter Kit as I enjoy controlling things in the real world, and until I bought the kit I had no electronics at home. Not even a bread board. This will allow me to tinker to my hearts content!
So my question is, has anyone in this community got any experience with Arduino Control and if so what sort of set-up would you recommend for controlling the arm. I was thinking a series of potentionmeters, two touch pads or a Joystick. Something cool and intuitive to make it easier to control.
Thanks all,
TehMaxwell
I haven't been on the forums for a very long time, life has been kind of busy due to exams and other things getting in the way of RC. But now it's time to pick up the transmitter again.
I say that, but I must apologize, as this post is not strictly RC related (although it could be in the future). But in my opinion it's just a tad to cool not to share, so I thought Id put it in the scratch builders section, as it isn't store bought. Introducing, my Robotic Arm, which doesn't really have a proper name yet!
The arm is my school project for this year. It has six points of rotation (Base, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Wrist Rotate, Claw), all of these can be controlled by one micro controller board. It's a built up construction of Laser Cut Ply Parts that are held together with a combination of screws and wood glue, the separate sections are rotated by seven different servo's (the shoulder has two combined for added torque) which provide around 2.5kg per cm of torque (I think Im saying that right) at 5v and around 3kg at 6v. During testing the arm nearly threw itself off of the table, it can definitely handle it's own weight and needs added weight in the base. I am using brass tubing for the pivot points so that the separate sections can rotate smoothly around each other. Here is a picture:
When this arm goes off for marking it will be controlled by a PICAXE Microcontroller. I have only really recently got into programming properly, my only past experience being a graphical interface called Logicator which is used to program the PICAXE Chips. I have been trying to learn Python by making different little programs, such as a number sorting program and a riddles game. I have also bought an Arduino Starter Kit as I enjoy controlling things in the real world, and until I bought the kit I had no electronics at home. Not even a bread board. This will allow me to tinker to my hearts content!
So my question is, has anyone in this community got any experience with Arduino Control and if so what sort of set-up would you recommend for controlling the arm. I was thinking a series of potentionmeters, two touch pads or a Joystick. Something cool and intuitive to make it easier to control.
Thanks all,
TehMaxwell