First post so I’ll give you a quick backstory. I’m quite enthusiastically looking to order some stuff and get started integration some hardware and software. I’ve been writing software for over a decade and really want to open some knowledge into robotics. Aside from personal interest I also want to use this to spend some time with my daughter having fun.
So here’s what I want to get started with (I know it’s kind of specific):
Description:
Move liquid from one container to another and measure it, display output on screen.
Basically like a Keurig but just moving water between containers.
Hardware concerned:
Specifically I want I work with things like:
RPi or Arduino with wifi
Water Flow Sensor
Water Valve
Water pump
5" Touch Screen
Software concerned:
Programming language doesn’t matter. I’d assume Python based on what I’ve read so far.
Troubleshooting steps already taken:
Read lots of articles but nothing specific enough to get me rolling.
Some examples I found:
That sounds like a very good reason to get into robotics! I will make an attempt to help out.
I have some questions that will help guide you to the right stuff.
First, what kind of software have you been writing? That will make quite a difference in where you should start. Controlling devices is a lot different than, say, web apps or windows apps.
Second, have you found appropriate parts (pump, flow sensor, etc)? Can you provide links?
For the application you mentioned I highly recommend using an Arduino. One reason is that with the Arduino you don’t have to deal with operating system issues; you just write code to control your device, not the OS. Another is that the Arduino uses (mostly) C++ which is more in tune with controlling devices than something like Python. Third, and perhaps most important, is that the Arduino is considerably easier to interface to the types of devices you mention. It has more than enough power to do what you want. It will drastically lessen the learning curve since there are far fewer things to worry about.
I don’t any articles and such off the top of my head, but when I get a chance I will look around to see what I can find.
EDIT: How much experience do you have building hardware? How well do you understand things like voltage, current, digital interfaces, and that sort of thing?
I’ve been writing mostly cloud stuff in the Linux world (Python, Java, Go, C/C++, etc.). Never really did much front-end work and mostly focused on back-end development. I did some C work a while back on robotic arms for TV stations, but very minor stuff.
I can’t post all the links yet because I have a new account and I’m limited to 2.
Building hardware I did in college (way too long ago). It’s still in my brain but it’s not nearly good enough to get rolling. I don’t know what to search for online to freshen up on that stuff. I took digital and analog electronics and had a blast but everything I look for is more academic than “hey, let’s actually DO something”
I think you are in better shape for this project than you realize. It shouldn’t be hard. Your background will make it pretty easy.
Fortunately you don’t need a lot of in-depth knowledge, but basic concepts are important.
Basically what you are going to need are the components you mentioned, including whichever controller (Arduino, pI, etc.) you choose, some electronics to interface some of those items to the controller, and a power supply. And some way to hook it all together – a prototyping board, jumper wires, whatever.
Robotshop sells a variety of flow sensors that should work fine: https://www.robotshop.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=flow+sensor&order=relevance&dir=desc
The pump selection isn’t as good, but there are a couple that should work: https://www.robotshop.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=water+pump&order=relevance&dir=desc
It would be good if you could find water-handling components that all have the same fittings.
It’s also good if all the parts run off the same voltage. The display voltage should match the controller signal voltage ( arduino is 5V, pi I think is usually 3.3V) The pumps and valves are usually 6 or 12.
You will need some sort of power source. A battery of appropriate voltage and capacity is probably best.
To drive the pump and valve will need some sort of driver circuit. It might be a transistor or some type of IC or even a relay. There are arduino shields you can get, small boards that connect with jumpers, or you can build your own. A motor driver board will work fine, even for driving things that aren’t motors (valves, etc)
Turning the valve on or off, the pump on or off only requires setting a pin high or low.
Getting data from the flow sensor requires reading the pulses from it and counting them up. Using interrupts is probably a good idea.
The display is a lot different, but there are lots of tutorials on the web. I recommend getting a display that has a good library for your controller and some good tutorials available.
