Hi guys, totally new to electronics and have been reading up on arduinos and I'm currently doing a renovation at home which I think could integrate some robotics using a servo and two actuators. Rather than me explaining take a look at the video below:
Basically I'm building a wall outside that'll have a TV mounted to it but I don't like the idea of having the TV out in the open when I'm not home. So I think with the push of an button (Rf remote) the door pushes in about 2 inches using a servo, then the door is lowered using a 20" actuator and then finally a third actuator brings the TV forward. Obviously when the button is pushed again the sequence is reversed. I can't seem to locate any info on the script for actuators used in sequence, only simultaneously.
Am I dreaming here or can this be done? Also components wise I'm thinking of using a a laptop transformer as this will be a permanent fitting, servo running off the arduino and the two actuators running of a motor shield. Is this right? Apologies for having no idea but any help would be awesome. Company's charge thousands for this set-up and if I can build it myself I'd be extremely happy
From a programming viewpoint, this project would be pretty simple. You would probably need to use an actuator for all movements since the weight of the mechanism you will be moving around would be pretty substantial so a motor driver for each actuator, a limit switch for each stop position and a few lines of code to stop the actuator when you reach the desired limit. Robotshop.com has all the pieces you would need on their site so might be the way to go. I have used the Cytron 10 amp motor drivers they have on their site for several projects and been very happy with them. There is also sample code that you can use as a starting point for this project.
The mechanical aspect is the big deal and why it costs good money to buy these. If you decide to build this, that will be by far the most time consuming aspect, TVs can be heavy and are definitely a bit unwieldy to move around since the weight isn’t evenly distributed. You could use heavy duty drawer slides connected to some sort of cradle or mechanism which holds the TV in place. It would be a bit of a challenge to build something like this but certainly doable for someone motivated and with enough time.
If you do decide to build it, I would look at trying to simply what you have in mind. Having three actuators and trying to keep that in a wall space is going to be a tight fit and a bit difficult. Maybe just have it swing out and then back into the wall so you could minimize the mechanical complexity.
I think you are trying to make this too complicated with an arduino. For thousands of years, very intricate and complex mechanical designs were build with no electronics whatsoever. You should be able to accomplish this fairly easily with some actuators, limit switches, and diodes. I realize this is a robotics website, but there’s no point making something complicated just for the sake of making it complicated. The cleaner & more elegant the design, the easier it is to build and the more reliable it will be. I believe in the KISS principal, Keep It Simple Stupid.
