In this article, we will learn how to use the Arduino development board to make a simple robot arm, which can be wirelessly controlled and programmed using a custom Android application. I will show you the entire process of making it, from designing and 3D printing the robot parts to connecting the electronic components and programming the Arduino, as well as developing our own Android application to control the robot arm.

Introduction

Using the sliders in the application, we can manually control the movement of each servo or axis of the robot arm. By using the “Save” button, we can record each position or step, and then the robot arm can run automatically and repeat these steps. With the same button, we can pause the automatic operation and reset or delete all steps so we can record new steps.

3D Model of the Arduino Robot Arm

First, I designed the model of the robot arm using Solidworks 3D modeling software. The robot arm has 5 degrees of freedom.

For the first three axes: waist, shoulder, and elbow, I used MG996R servos, while for the other two axes, wrist roll and wrist spacing, as well as the gripper, I used smaller SG90 micro servos.

You can download these 3D models from the links below.

● Arduino Robot Arm 3D Model STEP File: Arduino Robot Arm 3D Model STEP File.rar

● STL files for 3D printing: Arduino Robot Arm STL Files.rar

3D Printing the Robot Arm

The model of the 3D printer I used is the Creality CR-10, and with this device, I 3D printed all the parts of the Arduino robot arm.

Here, I would like to thank Banggood.com for providing me with this awesome 3D printer. The print quality of the Creality CR-10 is amazing, and its price is also very good, with a pre-assembly rate of nearly 90%.

To complete the assembly, we only need to use a few bolts and brackets to connect the upper and lower frames, and then use the provided cables to connect the electronic components to the control box.

Before trying, it is recommended to check if the rollers are tight enough; if not, you can tighten them with eccentric nuts. After leveling the 3D printer bed, you can turn your 3D creations into reality.

I spent several hours completing all the parts of the Arduino robot arm.

Assembling the Robot Arm

In this section, we will prepare to assemble the robot arm. First, use screws to connect the base of the first servo motor. Then I fixed a circular horn bolt on the output shaft of the servo motor.

On the top of the base, place the upper cover and secure it with two screws.

At this part, first install the servo motor, then place the circular horn on the next part, and then use bolts on the output shaft to secure them together.

Here we can note that it is best to include some kind of spring on the shoulder axis, or like in this case, I used rubber bands to secure the servo, as this servo also carries the entire weight of the remaining arm.

In a similar way, I continued to assemble the remaining parts of the robot arm. As for the gripper mechanism, I used about 4mm bolts and nuts for assembly.

Finally, I installed the gripper mechanism onto the last servo, completing the Arduino robot arm.

Circuit Diagram of the Arduino Robot Arm

Next is connecting the electronics. The circuit diagram for this project is actually very simple. We only need an Arduino development board and an HC-05 Bluetooth module to communicate with the smartphone. The control pins of the six servos are connected to six digital pins of the Arduino development board.

To power the servos, we need a 5V power supply, but this must be powered by an external source, as the Arduino cannot provide all the current needed. The power supply must be able to provide at least 2A of current. This way, once we connect all the components together, we can proceed to write the Arduino code and create the Android application.

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