Last time I have created a software for communicating with my Arduino using HC-05 bluetooth module. Now that I have had that prepared, it was time to do some serious work. It was time to create the robotic arm itself!
Now, I have never done any robots before, so I didn't knew where to start. I've looked at some instructables and saw simple, 3D printed robotic arms. They seemed sensible, but I haven't used CAD software in ages, and I didn't have access to 3D printer anyways, as I currently am staying couple hundred kilometers away from my hackerspace (and haven't yet decided to buy my own 3D printer). I could have done some blind design and just print it out when I would be in Warsaw, but I wanted the robot NOW. So, after looking at the room for scavengable materials, I have decided to take some old box that was lying under table and make robot out of cardboard
First I needed a base on which the whole arm would be rotating. I've cut out a small square of cardboard, and in it made a small hole that would hold the base servo:
Now that the first step has been made, it was easier to follow it up. I took a second servo - the one that would be used for angling the main arm, wrapped it in cardboard, and prepared it to put on top of the previous servo via liberal application of scotch tape
I have repeated the process twice for main and secondary arm, and it was ready, the CARDBOARD BOT OF DOOM appeared before me:
Now all that was left was testing it. I've tried using it, but the SG92R servos have insane torque for something so small, and the whole robot was flailing around whenever I tried rotating the arm. Again I scanned my surroundings for something to help me, and I found stack of CD-Rs and some small plastic box. I've applied scotch tape yet again, and here is the result:
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Next I'll be working in some CAD, probably solvespace or openscad, and try to create something looking bit more professional, hopefully also bit more durable.
Till then, bye!
