Everything but the kitchen sink

Barring any further technical difficulties, I think the programming is completed for motion control. The code will need to be updated for all servos and possibly for efficiency. You'll notice the motor pulsing at the end; this may just be a power issue. The Xbox controller may restart on low power, so the chassis motors will have to be powered separately. Three battery packs! Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Sex Machine

In a shocking turn of events, I've learned to hold the cameraphone sideways to capture more material with a better perspective. Control of 4 motors like this should give us 3 axes of movement. All that needs to be done is to assign the motors to an input, and possible solve the issue of snapback. Since this is being controlled in pulse-width modulation, there doesn't seem to be an evident way to move the arm without having it return to its primary position.

For your scientific endeavors...

Forward to destiny

Initial programming of the chassis motors is slightly successful. The motors don't work as well in reverse, simply because the signal is not repeated like the forward motion signal. This may get changed in the future to a backing up on/off switch.

And if you're curious as to what that sweet, sweet sound is, click here.

Ebony and Ivory

Initial parametric testing of baselines looks to be a success.

For further research on the tunes (I promise).

The little servo that could.

This test was conducted to test the output torque on the little servo included in the Sparkfun kit. I cannot say I'm disappointed. Yes, the golf ball is for science. In light of this, Snooter Magruder has elected to use servomotors in the robotic arm vice the previously decided (and disappointingly tested) stepper motors.

Fun with Strippers

I found some 4-strand alarm wire at Lowe's. It's 22 gauge solid-core, and perfect for this project. All we have to do is strip the ends a bit, and the rest of the wire is contained in the sheath. The strippers I'm using need a bit of lubrication, but work well enough if you fiddle with them long enough.

Song Says It All

Ok, well, maybe not ALL. More coding was done with the color detection system including an LCD output. Currently, the input is a rheostat with the wiper being sent to the analog input of the Arduino. Once the actual sensor housing is built, the sensor can be properly calibrated for colors. After this, it's on to all of the moving parts.

For your enjoyment.