Description

This tutorial will show you how to take over the controls of the OWI Robotic Arm with the help of an Arduino compatible, open-source PLC called the Controllino MAXI, together with Cayenne (my go-to iOT application for remote connection to my Arduino projects). The Controllino MAXI will provide the physical connections to the OWI robotic arm, and Cayenne will allow me to control the arm via my web browser or via the Cayenne app on my phone.

Parts Required:

• OWI Robotic Arm
• Controllino MAXI - Arduino Compatible, open-source PLC
• Free Cayenne Account
• 2.1mm DC Socket with Screw Terminals
• Female to Male Jumper Wires
• Solid Core wire

Arduino Libraries and IDE

1. The Arduino IDE can be used to program the Controllino. You can dowload the Arduino IDE from here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software.
2. You will also need to read the Cayenne Ethernet library installation instructions in order to install the Cayenne Ethernet Library.
3. The Controllino will connect to the internet via the Ethernet port onboard.
4. You do not need the Controllino library for this project, however, if you have a Controllino, you might as well install the library. You can read the Controllino library installation instructions from their GitHub webpage here: https://github.com/CONTROLLINO-PLC/CONTROLLINO_Library.
5. You will need to notify the Arduino IDE of the Controllino MAXI board by pasting the supplied URL into the "Additional Boards Manager URLs" in the Arduino IDE.
6. This is located under: FILE - PREFERENCES - Additional Boards Manager URLs.
7. The URL that you need to paste is in STEP 3 of the Controllino Library installation instructions on their GitHub page.
8. The video at the top of this tutorial may help clarify the process.

ARDUINO CODE:

The code above is very simple, however you will need to create a dashboard of widgets from within your Cayenne account in order to control the OWI robotic Arm from your phone or via the Dashboard webpage.

Setting up Cayenne Dashboard

Once you have created your Cayenne account, you will be presented with a webpage to choose a board to connect to. Controllino is an Arduino compatible PLC, so make sure to follow these instructions for setting up the Controllino in your Cayenne Account.

1. Select Arduino from the available list of boards.
2. Make sure to install the necessary libraries if your have not done so already.
3. Select Arduino MEGA from the avaliable list of Arduino boards
4. Select Ethernet Shield W5100
5. Copy and paste the Arduino code that pops up on screen into your Arduino IDE and upload to the Controllino.
6. Alternatively, copy and paste the code from above, however you will need to insert your Authentication token to get it to work

After you upload the code to the Controllino, and providing it has an ethernet cable connected to the internet router (and has access to the internet), and is powered on, it will connect to your Cayenne Dashboard. You can now add widgets to the dashboard in real time to interact with the Controllino, and without uploading any more code to the open source PLC.

Adding Widgets

We need to add a number of widgets in order to activate the relays on the Controllino. The relavent digital pins that we will need to know about can be found on the Controllino website here: https://controllino.biz/downloads/.

Here is the direct link to the PINOUT file for the Controllino MAXI.

"Armed" with that knowledge, we can now create the widgets which are necessary to control the relays on the Controllino. From within the Cayenne dashboard, please follow these instructions to create a widget:

1. Select - ADD NEW
2. Select - DEVICE/WIDGET
3. Select - ACTUATORS
4. Then - RELAY from the dropdown box
5. Select - RELAY SWITCH
6. Give the widget a descriptive name to differentiate it from the other widgets and a name that is somewhat informative (eg. R0 - Pos)
7. I gave the first widget the name "R0 - Pos", because it will connect to Relay R0, and that relay will be connected to the Positive (POS) terminal of the OWI robotic arm.
8. Select the device you would like to connect to. Be aware that you can change the name of the device in the settings. If you followed this tutorial, it should have the name "Arduino MEGA", but I changed the name of the device to "Controllino" to be more accurate.
9. We will be using a digital pin to control the relay, therefore select "Digital" as the Connectivity option
10. For this specific widget, we will be controlling R0, which is activated by digital pin D22 on the Controllino. Therefore select "D22" from the "Pin" dropdown box.
11. Choose a "Button" as the widget type
12. Choose an icon from the dropdown box that makes sense to you
13. Skip Step 1
14. Select Step 2: Add actuator

You should now see your new widget on the dashboard. Select the widget to enable or activate that relay. If you do this, and if everything goes to plan, you will see the LED for R0 illuminate on the Controllino. You now have to add the rest of the widgets to the dashboard in order to control the rest of the relays on the Controllino.

Widget Dashboard

Here is a table to show you how I setup my dashboard.

Fritzing diagram

OWI Robotic Arm Pins

Normal OWI Robotic Arm Circuit

The following circuit diagram will show you how the wired control box is normally connected to the OWI Robotic arm. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm under normal operating contidtions.

OWI Robotic Arm Circuit when connected to Controllino

The following circuit diagram will show you how the OWI Robotic Arm will be controlled by the relays of the Controllino. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm when it is connected to the Controllino.

Summary

Now that you have all the physical connections made, uploaded the code to the Controllino, and have created your dashboard in Cayenne, you should be able to control your OWI Robotic arm from anywhere in the world. As demonstrated in the video at the start of this tutorial, the robotic arm has quite a bit of give on each of the joints, which makes it difficult to achieve certain tasks that require an element of precision. There goes that idea of being able to perform surgery with this thing !!! At least you can get it to make you a cup of tea, and if you are patient enough, you might even get a grape once in a while.

Thank you to Controllino and Cayenne for making this tutorial possible. If you would like your product featured in my tutorials, please contact me on my contact page.

Description

This tutorial will show you how to take over the controls of the OWI Robotic Arm with the help of an Arduino compatible, open-source PLC called the Controllino MAXI, together with Cayenne (my go-to iOT application for remote connection to my Arduino projects). The Controllino MAXI will provide the physical connections to the OWI robotic arm, and Cayenne will allow me to control the arm via my web browser or via the Cayenne app on my phone.

Parts Required:

• OWI Robotic Arm
• Controllino MAXI - Arduino Compatible, open-source PLC
• Free Cayenne Account
• 2.1mm DC Socket with Screw Terminals
• Female to Male Jumper Wires
• Solid Core wire

Arduino Libraries and IDE

1. The Arduino IDE can be used to program the Controllino. You can dowload the Arduino IDE from here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software.
2. You will also need to read the Cayenne Ethernet library installation instructions in order to install the Cayenne Ethernet Library.
3. The Controllino will connect to the internet via the Ethernet port onboard.
4. You do not need the Controllino library for this project, however, if you have a Controllino, you might as well install the library. You can read the Controllino library installation instructions from their GitHub webpage here: https://github.com/CONTROLLINO-PLC/CONTROLLINO_Library.
5. You will need to notify the Arduino IDE of the Controllino MAXI board by pasting the supplied URL into the "Additional Boards Manager URLs" in the Arduino IDE.
6. This is located under: FILE - PREFERENCES - Additional Boards Manager URLs.
7. The URL that you need to paste is in STEP 3 of the Controllino Library installation instructions on their GitHub page.
8. The video at the top of this tutorial may help clarify the process.

ARDUINO CODE:

The code above is very simple, however you will need to create a dashboard of widgets from within your Cayenne account in order to control the OWI robotic Arm from your phone or via the Dashboard webpage.

Setting up Cayenne Dashboard

Once you have created your Cayenne account, you will be presented with a webpage to choose a board to connect to. Controllino is an Arduino compatible PLC, so make sure to follow these instructions for setting up the Controllino in your Cayenne Account.

1. Select Arduino from the available list of boards.
2. Make sure to install the necessary libraries if your have not done so already.
3. Select Arduino MEGA from the avaliable list of Arduino boards
4. Select Ethernet Shield W5100
5. Copy and paste the Arduino code that pops up on screen into your Arduino IDE and upload to the Controllino.
6. Alternatively, copy and paste the code from above, however you will need to insert your Authentication token to get it to work

After you upload the code to the Controllino, and providing it has an ethernet cable connected to the internet router (and has access to the internet), and is powered on, it will connect to your Cayenne Dashboard. You can now add widgets to the dashboard in real time to interact with the Controllino, and without uploading any more code to the open source PLC.

Adding Widgets

We need to add a number of widgets in order to activate the relays on the Controllino. The relavent digital pins that we will need to know about can be found on the Controllino website here: https://controllino.biz/downloads/.

Here is the direct link to the PINOUT file for the Controllino MAXI.

"Armed" with that knowledge, we can now create the widgets which are necessary to control the relays on the Controllino. From within the Cayenne dashboard, please follow these instructions to create a widget:

1. Select - ADD NEW
2. Select - DEVICE/WIDGET
3. Select - ACTUATORS
4. Then - RELAY from the dropdown box
5. Select - RELAY SWITCH
6. Give the widget a descriptive name to differentiate it from the other widgets and a name that is somewhat informative (eg. R0 - Pos)
7. I gave the first widget the name "R0 - Pos", because it will connect to Relay R0, and that relay will be connected to the Positive (POS) terminal of the OWI robotic arm.
8. Select the device you would like to connect to. Be aware that you can change the name of the device in the settings. If you followed this tutorial, it should have the name "Arduino MEGA", but I changed the name of the device to "Controllino" to be more accurate.
9. We will be using a digital pin to control the relay, therefore select "Digital" as the Connectivity option
10. For this specific widget, we will be controlling R0, which is activated by digital pin D22 on the Controllino. Therefore select "D22" from the "Pin" dropdown box.
11. Choose a "Button" as the widget type
12. Choose an icon from the dropdown box that makes sense to you
13. Skip Step 1
14. Select Step 2: Add actuator

You should now see your new widget on the dashboard. Select the widget to enable or activate that relay. If you do this, and if everything goes to plan, you will see the LED for R0 illuminate on the Controllino. You now have to add the rest of the widgets to the dashboard in order to control the rest of the relays on the Controllino.

Widget Dashboard

Here is a table to show you how I setup my dashboard.

Fritzing diagram

OWI Robotic Arm Pins

Normal OWI Robotic Arm Circuit

The following circuit diagram will show you how the wired control box is normally connected to the OWI Robotic arm. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm under normal operating contidtions.

OWI Robotic Arm Circuit when connected to Controllino

The following circuit diagram will show you how the OWI Robotic Arm will be controlled by the relays of the Controllino. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm when it is connected to the Controllino.

Summary

Now that you have all the physical connections made, uploaded the code to the Controllino, and have created your dashboard in Cayenne, you should be able to control your OWI Robotic arm from anywhere in the world. As demonstrated in the video at the start of this tutorial, the robotic arm has quite a bit of give on each of the joints, which makes it difficult to achieve certain tasks that require an element of precision. There goes that idea of being able to perform surgery with this thing !!! At least you can get it to make you a cup of tea, and if you are patient enough, you might even get a grape once in a while.

Thank you to Controllino and Cayenne for making this tutorial possible. If you would like your product featured in my tutorials, please contact me on my contact page.

Description

In this tutorial, I will be evaluating Prextron CHAIN blocks – a new system that allows you to connect your sensors and actuators to an Arduino NANO using clever 3D-printed prototyping boards that can be stacked sideways. This very modular system makes it easy to connect, disconnect and replace project components, and eliminate the “rats nest of wires” common to many advanced Arduino projects. CHAIN BLOCKS are open, which means that you can incorporate any of your sensors or actuators to these prototyping boards, and you can decide which specific pin on Arduino you plan to use. The CHAIN BLOCK connections prevent or reduce common connection mistakes, which make them ideal for class-room projects and learning activities.

I am going to set up a project to put these CHAIN BLOCKs to the test:
When I place my hand in-front of an Ultrasonic sensor, the Arduino will transmit a signal wirelessly to another Arduino, and consequently turn on a motor.

Parts Required:

You need the following Prextron Chain Blocks

• Arduino Nano x2
• 433MHz RF Transmitter and Receiver modules
• HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor
• RGB LED module
• Relay Module

You also need a few extra components:

• DC motor
• 9V battery
• 9V battery adapter

Arduino Libraries and IDE

This project does not use any libraries. However, you will need to upload Arduino code to the Arduino. For this you will need the Arduino IDE which can be obtained from the official Arduino website:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software

ARDUINO CODE: RF Transmitter

ARDUINO CODE: RF Receiver

Fritzing diagrams for Transmitter

Fritzing diagrams for Receiver

Concluding comments

The purpose of this project was to evaluate Prextron CHAIN BLOCKs and put them to the test. Here is what I thought of CHAIN BLOCKS at the time of evaluation. Some of my points mentioned below may no longer apply to the current product. It may have evolved / improved since then. So please take that into consideration

What I liked about Chain Blocks

Thank you very much to Prextron for providing the CHAIN BLOCKS used in this tutorial, and allowing me to try out their product. If you are interested in trying them yourself, then make sure to visit them at:

             

Description

In this tutorial, I will be evaluating Prextron CHAIN blocks – a new system that allows you to connect your sensors and actuators to an Arduino NANO using clever 3D-printed prototyping boards that can be stacked sideways. This very modular system makes it easy to connect, disconnect and replace project components, and eliminate the “rats nest of wires” common to many advanced Arduino projects. CHAIN BLOCKS are open, which means that you can incorporate any of your sensors or actuators to these prototyping boards, and you can decide which specific pin on Arduino you plan to use. The CHAIN BLOCK connections prevent or reduce common connection mistakes, which make them ideal for class-room projects and learning activities.

I am going to set up a project to put these CHAIN BLOCKs to the test:
When I place my hand in-front of an Ultrasonic sensor, the Arduino will transmit a signal wirelessly to another Arduino, and consequently turn on a motor.

Parts Required:

You need the following Prextron Chain Blocks

• Arduino Nano x2
• 433MHz RF Transmitter and Receiver modules
• HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor
• RGB LED module
• Relay Module

You also need a few extra components:

• DC motor
• 9V battery
• 9V battery adapter

Arduino Libraries and IDE

This project does not use any libraries. However, you will need to upload Arduino code to the Arduino. For this you will need the Arduino IDE which can be obtained from the official Arduino website:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software

ARDUINO CODE: RF Transmitter

ARDUINO CODE: RF Receiver

Fritzing diagrams for Transmitter

Fritzing diagrams for Receiver

Concluding comments

The purpose of this project was to evaluate Prextron CHAIN BLOCKs and put them to the test. Here is what I thought of CHAIN BLOCKS at the time of evaluation. Some of my points mentioned below may no longer apply to the current product. It may have evolved / improved since then. So please take that into consideration

What I liked about Chain Blocks

Thank you very much to Prextron for providing the CHAIN BLOCKS used in this tutorial, and allowing me to try out their product. If you are interested in trying them yourself, then make sure to visit them at:

             

Guest Post Disclaimer

This is a guest post by the EasyEDA team. I would like to thank EasyEDA for providing this tutorial for everyone to enjoy. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.

Description

Parts Required:

• An EasyEDA account (free)
• Arduino Nano (or compatible board)
• LED strip
• Dupont wire connectors
• Custom control board

Image source: EasyEDA

Arduino Libraries and IDE

No libraries are required for this project. The Arduino IDE can be downloaded from the Arduino website. Here is the download link.

ARDUINO CODE:

Preparing the LED strips

Designing the Control Board

I have made a custom control board that incorporates an Arduino Nano. The control board is used to boost the incoming signal from Arduino and lights up the corresponding LED strips.

Control Board Circuit diagram

Schematic

PCB Board Design

Here is the PCB board design for this project.
You can access the actual EasyEDA design by clicking on the image below.

PCB Fabrication

After completing the PCB design, you can click on the Fabrication icon.

You will then have access to the PCB order page which will allow you to download your PCB Gerber files that can be sent to any manufacturer. However it is a lot easier (and cheaper) to order it directly from EasyEDA.
Here you can select:

• the number of PCBs you want to order
• the number of copper layers you need
• the PCB thickness
• copper weight
• and even the PCB color

PCB final product

When I received the PCBs, I am quite impressed with the quality, they are pretty nice.

PCB Build of Materials

PCB connections

Project Video

Concluding comments

Hope you like this RGB light effects project, do try it out and post your feedback below.
 
Disclaimer:
This is a guest blog post by the EasyEDA team. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.

Guest Post Disclaimer

This is a guest post by the EasyEDA team. I would like to thank EasyEDA for providing this tutorial for everyone to enjoy. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.

Description

Parts Required:

• Arduino Nano (or compatible board)
• LED strip
• Dupont wire connectors
• Custom control board

Image source: EasyEDA

Arduino Libraries and IDE

No libraries are required for this project. The Arduino IDE can be downloaded from the Arduino website. Here is the download link.

ARDUINO CODE:

Preparing the LED strips

Designing the Control Board

I have made a custom control board that incorporates an Arduino Nano. The control board is used to boost the incoming signal from Arduino and lights up the corresponding LED strips.

Control Board Circuit diagram

Schematic

PCB Board Design

Here is the PCB board design for this project.
You can access the actual EasyEDA design by clicking on the image below.

PCB Fabrication

After completing the PCB design, you can click on the Fabrication icon.

You will then have access to the PCB order page which will allow you to download your PCB Gerber files that can be sent to any manufacturer. However it is a lot easier (and cheaper) to order it directly from EasyEDA.
Here you can select:

• the number of PCBs you want to order
• the number of copper layers you need
• the PCB thickness
• copper weight
• and even the PCB color

PCB final product

When I received the PCBs, I am quite impressed with the quality, they are pretty nice.

PCB Build of Materials

PCB connections

Project Video

Concluding comments

Hope you like this RGB light effects project, do try it out and post your feedback below.
 
Disclaimer:
This is a guest blog post by the EasyEDA team. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.