Two Servo and Drawer Slide Pen Plotter

 

Pen holder: tube mounted on hinge with microservo to pull.

TD 8130MG servos (analog servos work too).

 

Pulley for counterweights to pull on servo to control gear lash.

 

Sensor shield for servos on Arduino Uno. Notice I pulled out 5 volt pen so external 6 volt power only goes to the servos.

Guitar capo to clamp plotter to table.

 

SOFTWARE:

DrawingBotV3 software to translate jpeg image into Gcode.

Python IDLE GUI script to read Gcode file and send to Ardunio Uno via serial.

Arduino Uno sketch to read serial from python script and send Gcode to line drawing function.

Note using polynomials to translate 100mmx100mm coordinates into write.microseconds.

 

Lessons learned: don't use servos to build a pen plotter. But as crude as it is, it works for my artwork.

Todo: perhaps replace servos with gear rack and stepper motors for more conventional approach.

 

ARTWORK

Copied character from internet and printed it. Loved the Mandalorian and Grogu.

Copied character from online and printed it.

Took wet brush and washed it over printout to give a little more 3D effect.

 

If you squint your eyes you can probably tell who this is. A plot of a drawing of a photograph of a statue.