T-800 Robotic Arm ECE342-W23

This project is a robotic arm that is intended to mount a drawing device and then draw via the use of G-code. The system revolved around the use of SCARA topology, G-code, and python. SCARA topology stands for Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm. It is a design topology for the robot arm in which two axial joints are used as the primary construction of the robot. G-code is a coding language used in CNC machines to denote commands for movement/actions. Python was used to create a user interface to drive the system and operate the robot. This project was one of the most challenging school projects yet. The main challenge was the software, specifically the data transfer from python to Arduino and the communication between the code and motors. An Arduino Uno operates the system, and the python GUI where commands are selected needs to be sent to the Arduino, and the connection through Python and Arduino proved to be a challenge. The communication between the software and motors was the major challenge because it took lots of research to figure out how to write the Gcode string as a byte array over serial communication and then read that data in Arduino. Oddly enough, it was also tricky to drive the motors after we already transferred the data to Arduino. The most significant success was seeing the arm move for the first via a test Arduino command in the beginning.

2 Lifts 

Artifacts

Name Description
Executive Project Summary Summary of the Project problem statement, development phases, ongoing evaluations/revisions, project timeline, and lessons learned   Download
System Verification Document Detailed overview of the project, including design, PCB and electrical diagrams, code, datasheets, BOM, etc.   Download
T-800 Robotic Arm ECE342-W23 Project Showcase Video Video summarizing the functionality of our arm and our overall experience working on the project   Link