Anyone have any ideas about how to get rid of the jumpiness of the arm movements?
I am using the RIOS software to program sequences with an AL5C arm, and when I run my sequences, the arm can be very jittery at times and not very precise. Any ideas how to correct this situation?
Fuzzyfester
Jittery? A classic symptom of marginal power supply.
One way to get smoother action from the arm is to use a fairly slow speed. Also using properly sized and installed springs, to dampen and cushion the motion.
First, check all connections, and ensure the wires aren’t flexing too much. Wire is flexible but the strands will eventually part, with the motion producing spotty connections hence the ‘shakes’.
Next, slow the speed down to 25 and see if moving one servo at a time makes it go smoother. If it shivers while several servos are moving you should consider a beefier power supply.
Check the physical alignment of the joints, and tighten or adjust as needed.
My arm is kit-only, no mods yet, and it seems to work very smoothly with RIOS, at least at less-than-75 speeds.
Please provide more information as to the power supply. Are you using a separate 9vdc battery for the VL with the VS1=VL jumper removed?
If the dampening disks are too loose or too tight it can cause problems. Have you adjusted the carefully?
Are you using the provided 6vdc 2amp supply for VS or are you using something else?
As it turns out, the majority of the jitters were cause by a loose mounting of the arm. I was able to prevent most of the random movements by simply mounting the arm to its’ platform better.
Thanks for the info though.
Jerald
Glad you got it solved! 
