My latest project arrives -- the parts to build a robot arm
There's a lot of work to be done
Starting with the rotating base
Installing the bearings (just steel rods through nylon balls)
Smoothing out the bearings with sandpaper
Open up the main arm parts bag because we need the mounting bracket
Bracket installed on baseplate
Lacking 3-in-1 oil, I figured my robots can use the same oil as my motorcycle
Servo installed in base
Baseplate installed
Removing protective covering from lexan. Clearly these parts were cut with a laser
Power jack and switch installed
Next we move on to the gripper
More protective plastic removal
Before
After
More assembly
Wrist rotate servo mounted
Lots of small lexan parts to prepare
Gripper servo mounted
Assembling gripper mechanism
Gripper mechanism complete
Assembling the main arm components -- more servos
Assembling the forearm -- even more servos
Clever adhesive clips turn servos into hinges
Forearm assembled
Forearm installed
Gripper installed. Arm complete!
Electronics mounted on custom adapter plate. Arduino Diecimila for primary control, and Pololu Micro Serial Servo Controller to handle the drudgery of communicating with all those servos
Seven servos consume a surprising amount of power. I had really flaky performance with the 4xAA battery pack, but this 2.5A AC adapter took care of that problem
The 'remote control' I built -- originally meant to be a quick hack, I ended up spending two days making it way nicer than it needed to be
The LED both indicates that power is on but can also be flashed to communicate things back to you
Look at that, a fancy grommet and rubber feet and everything
The controller connects to the Arduino's six analogue inputs, along with power, ground, and an I/O pin for the LED
