Hi All any and all suggestions would be really appreciated. First off I know nothing about robotics but it seems that I may find a solution here. I want to make and automatic ball feeding mechanism for a baseball pitching machine I am making. I plan to have a small wheel that will be in contact with the upper surface of a
baseball. When this wheel is rotated it will move the ball forward and it will fall by gravity against a spinning wheel. where I need help is with suggestions
on what type of motor/controller (if thats the right word) etc to use to rotate this wheel.
IDEALLY 1. I would like to control the rate at which the balls are fed into the launcher. This could be done by varying the speed of a servo motor that rotates continuously. like the … RB-Pix-180 ? (picture attached)
2. I would like to control this motor by bluetooth from my phone possibly using the RoboRemo app.
So I am picturing a fairly small wheel maybe 3/4 in diameter rotating at a slow enough speed that it drops a ball every 5 to 30 seconds.
I considered stepper motors and dc controlled motors but this option seemed to me with my limited knowedge to be more difficult and would not be as potentially
“controlable” as the variable servo
I hope I have done an ok job at explaining what I would like to achieve… any and all suggestions as far as how to do this and what might be needed
would really be appreciated. Thanks in advance
Consider having the feeder above the “pitcher” and a channel which will be filled with tennis balls. You could have two standard servos act as gatekeepers which left in one ball at a time (not a wheel design, just “gates”.
Automatic ball pitching machines are not new, so you can take a look at what existing technology uses.
A bluetooth Arduino should be sufficient to control one or two servos and work with the app. Ex: robotshop.com/en/bluno-ardu … oller.html
Thanks Coleman I hadnt thought of the gatekeeper option. I assume they would have to operate alternately then?
Once you had the timing set in order for the servers to “load the next ball” would you be able to keep this timing between the 2 servos constant while at the same time speeding up and slowing down the sequence? It is the frequency a ball is fired that I was hoping to control with the app. Would you happen to know what kind of range you might expect to get on the bluetooth? Are there "boosters available? Thanks again for your help Coleman really apppreciate the ideas Rick
Correct. Some mechanical creativity might bring it to one servo. Do you have a better idea of the controller? If you’re opting for a standard servo controller, then the speed just depends on the input, and the servo’s maximum rate of rotation.
Bluetooth tends to be rated for around 10m without any obstructions, and as soon as you have a wall, slight temperature fluctuations etc. it drops. Given that you want to use a phone, you can only work with Bluetooth, WiFi or potentially IR (if your phone has that). IR doesn’t work well outdoors, but indoors it might allow for greater range. Bluetooth boosters? Have never looked actually.
Suggest creating a mechanical design in a CAD software, and if you’re new, try Sketchup.
Hi All any and all suggestions would be really appreciated. First off I know nothing about robotics but it seems that I may find a solution here. I want to make and automatic ball feeding mechanism for a baseball pitching machine I am making. I plan to have a small wheel that will be in contact with the upper surface of a