armCtl

Summary

A suite of software useful in experimenting with small robotic arms. Use as a teaching framework with a low barrier to entry for robotics and programming.

History

Whilst an expansive scope, the principal development and implementation happened over 3 days in the summer of 2019.

Software Components

An Arduino firmware to recieve commands and position the robot arm.

firmware/armCtl/armCtl.ino

A streaming serial command & control protocol to communicate with the Arduino from a computer.
A Python3 module that is a threaded serial reader/writer, and state machine for the arm.

robot.py

An Antlr4 domain-specific scripting language for maneuvering the robot.

ArmControl.g4

A Python3 implementation of that language for the Robot module.

ArmCtlListener.py

A Python3 module to interface the scripting language to the robot module. When called directly, this module also provides an interactive shell for the scripting language.

armCtl.py

Hardware Components

This BOM is one possible configuration. Substitute parts are available, and any servo controlled arm is acceptable.

Part	Cost
Arduino Uno	$22
Arduino Sensor Shield V5	$7.19
Power Supply 25W 5V 5A	$9.50
6-Axis Desktop Robotic Arm	$170

Activities

Control the arm interactively.

> ./armCtl.py
command# go jib 90
command# wait
command# go home

Script a simple sequence of moves.

# my_script.txt
go jib 90
wait
go home

> ./armCtl.py my_script.txt

Write a Python3 script for complex movements.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import armCtl as arm

command("go home")

arm.r.target = [90, 120, 10, 95, 90, 90]
arm.r.move()
while arm.r.isMoving():
    pass
print(arm.r.angle)

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