I ordered a 6-DOF Banshi Robotic Arm. I also have a Rover body with a H-bridge motor controller, along with a Futaba 6 Channel PPM digital RC and receiver.
I want to use the RC unit to control both the rover and robotic arm. Can you help me with this?
Mark McCumber
What is the micro-controller you are using?
The processor on the robotic arm is ATMEGA64 processor.
Does your H-bridge accept R/C signals? My RoboClaws do. Connect to one pair of channels (one joystick), then connect the other joystick and aux channel(s) to the arm servos. Might use a switch channel to operate an R/C relay.
Alan KM6VV
The H-bridge is the U8 motor controller IC from Snap Circuits.
My Futaba Radio Control systems list the control functions like so:
Channel 1 - Aileron
Channel 2 - Elevator
Channel 3 - Throttle
Channel 4 - Rudder
Channel 5 - Gear
Channel 6 - Flaps
My nephew received a Snap Circuits RC rover for Christmas and it got me to wondering: Could I adapt a robotic arm to the rover body and control both through a RC radio I had laying idle?
Thanks,
Unfortunately we do not offer the Banshee arm, so you would need to read the guide to see if it has an RC input.
However, it does seem to use RC servos, so you should in theory be able to plug them directly into your RC receiver, though this does not allow for inverse kinematics.
Note that the arm has six degrees of freedom, as does your remote control, so you would ideally need an 8ch remote control to control both the arm and a 2dof mobile base.
I’m confused. RobotShop has many different kinds of robots and motorized platforms. You also have RC systems from 5 to 8 channels. Most of your prebuilt robots use a 5 or six channel radio system which controls both the platform and the robotic arm. Your systems use Arduino based microcontrollers.
My Banshee arm uses a ATMETA64 processor. Why shouldn’t mine work like yours?
If you have the interfaces on the ATMETA64 for servos (probably) and can write C code for it like an Arduino, then it could work. Might be easier to just add an Arduino, and run code that reads the R/C channels, and does IK for you. I.E., copy one of the ones that does what you want!
Alan KM6VV
I can write C code. One of the benefits of a computer science degree.
As of this moment my robotic arm is three days away from delivery and then I have to put it together.
Radio Shack is closing up a store nearby, and I bought a $160.00 Makey Beginners robotic kit for $51.00. This is something else to play with. It uses an IR remote control and has a Sonic Range sensor
You also have RC systems from 5 to 8 channels. Most of your prebuilt robots use a 5 or six channel radio system which controls both the platform and the robotic arm. Your systems use Arduino based microcontrollers.
Most mobile robots use a standard RC remote which directly controls servos. The Lynxmotion arms however use a BotBoarduino with PS2 input, which requires programming / electrical connections.
Once again, we do not know much about the Banshee, so if it is shipped with an Arduino bootloader, you have a chance of adapting the PS2 controller.
I guess I will have to see what happens after I get my robotic arm.