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Robotic arm using Arduino - Arduino Geek

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Hello everyone! Welcome to Arduino Geek. Today we will discuss about an Arduino based Robotic arm. So let's get started.

Robotic arm using Arduino:

A robotic arm is a type of semi autonomous project that is controlled using an Arduino microcontroller board. The Arduino board acts as the brain of the robotic arm, receiving input signals from sensors and user input, and translating them into output signals to control the movement of the robotic arm's actuators.

To build a robotic arm using Arduino, you will need to connect servo motors, potentiometers, and other components to the Arduino board, and then program it using the Arduino IDE or other programming environments. By programming the Arduino board, you can define the movements of the robotic arm, including its range of motion, speed, and force, based on the input signals from sensors and other sources.


Robotic arms using Arduino are often used in educational settings, as well as in DIY projects, to teach students and hobbyists about robotics and automation. They can also be used in a variety of applications, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare, to automate tasks that would otherwise require human intervention.

Components:

To make a robotic arm using Arduino, you'll need the following materials:
  1. Arduino board
  2. Servo motors (3-6)
  3. Wires and connectors
  4. Breadboard or PCB board
  5. Power supply
  6. Potentiometers (2-3)
  7. Mechanical structure for the arm (3D printed or DIY)

How to make Robotic arm using Arduino:

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1:

Assemble the mechanical structure of the robotic arm. You can use 3D printed parts or create your own design. The arm should have at least 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) to move up and down, left and right, and back and forth.

Step 2:

Connect the servo motors to the Arduino board. Use jumper wires to connect the motors to the PWM pins on the board (usually pins 9, 10, and 11). Connect the power supply to the motors.


Step 3:

Attach the potentiometers to the arm joints. These will be used to provide feedback to the Arduino about the position of the arm. Connect the potentiometers to the analog input pins on the Arduino board.

Step 4:

Write the Arduino code to control the robotic arm. You'll need to define the servo motors and their corresponding PWM pins, as well as the potentiometers and their analog input pins. The code should include functions to move the arm in different directions based on input from the potentiometers.


Step 5:

Test the robotic arm. Power up the Arduino board and upload the code. Move the potentiometers to see how the arm responds. Make adjustments to the code and hardware as necessary.

Step 6:

Once you're satisfied with the arm's performance, you can add additional features such as sensors, cameras, or wireless communication.

Note: Remember to always follow safety precautions when working with electronics and robotics. Good luck!

Arduino Code:

Here's an example code for a robotic arm using Arduino. This code controls three servo motors with three potentiometers, allowing the user to move the arm up and down, left and right, and back and forth:

#include <Servo.h>
Servo servo1;
Servo servo2;
Servo servo3;
int pot1 = A0;
int pot2 = A1;
int pot3 = A2;

void setup() {
  servo1.attach(9);
  servo2.attach(10);
  servo3.attach(11);
}

void loop() {
  int pos1 = map(analogRead(pot1), 0, 1023, 0, 180);
  int pos2 = map(analogRead(pot2), 0, 1023, 0, 180);
  int pos3 = map(analogRead(pot3), 0, 1023, 0, 180);

  servo1.write(pos1);
  servo2.write(pos2);
  servo3.write(pos3);

  delay(15);
}

Arduino Code Description:

In this code, the Servo library is used to control the three servo motors connected to pins 9, 10, and 11 on the Arduino board. The three potentiometers are connected to analog input pins A0, A1, and A2, and are used to control the position of the servos.

The map function is used to convert the values from the potentiometers (which range from 0 to 1023) to values between 0 and 180 degrees, which is the range of motion for the servo motors. The write function is then used to set the position of the servos based on the values from the potentiometers.

Finally, a delay of 15 milliseconds is included to ensure smooth and stable movement of the robotic arm.
 
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