EDUCATIONAL ROBOT
ROBOT ARM PRO
MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS: Model RA1-PRO
© AREXX - THE NETHERLANDS V0610
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Table of Contents
1. Product description ROBOT ARM 3
2. Required tools 5
3. Part list 6
4. Mounting instructions 8
5. Starting the robot 13
6. Software installation 14
7. Programmer and Loader 27
7.1 Robot loader 28
7.2 Connection of USB interface Windows 29
7.3 Connection of USB interface LINUX 32
7.4 Testing the USB Interface 33
7.5 Opening a port LINUX 34
7.6 Selftest 35
7.7 Calibration 37
7.8 Keyboard Test 39
8. RACS 40
9. Programming the ROBOT ARM 45
xx. APPENDIX
A. Circuit diagram Robot Arm 54
B. Circuit diagram Power Supply 55
C. Circuit diagram Connectors 56
D. Circuit diagram Keyboard 57
E. PCB 58
AREXX and ROBOT ARM are registered trademarks of AREXX Engineering - HOLLAND.
© English translation (March 2006): AREXX Engineering (NL).
This manual is protected by laws of Copyright. Any full or partial reproduction of the contents are forbidden
without prior written authorization by the European importer:
AREXX Engineering - Zwolle (NL).
Manufacturer and distributor cannot be held responible for any damage resulting from mishandling, mounting
mistakes or disrespect of the instructions contained in the manual.
Subject to changes without prior notice.
Technical mounting support:
WWW.AREXX.COM
Manufacturer:
AREXX Engineering
DAGU HI-TECH
European importer:
AREXX Engineering
ZWOLLE The Netherlands
© AREXX Holland and DAGU China
© English translation: AREXX - The Netherlands
WWW.ROBOTERNETZ.DE
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1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ROBOT ARM
This big metal Robot Arm is ideally suited for school and educational projects
to learn the basics of electronics, mechanics and programming. The ROBOT
ARM is controlled by a powerful ATMEGA64 microcontroller that is programmable via Open Source Tools in C. The user can upload his own programs
simply and easily via the supplied USB interface and the Uploader software.
The I/O in- and outputs together with the exible I2C bus system allow the
addition of extra modules thus enabling the robot to react to its environment.
Contents of the package:
- Complete Robot Arm construction set (mechanics and electronics)
- USB interface with lead
- CD-ROM containing all required software and manuals
1.2. Specications:
- ATMEGA64 processor
- Various available I/O In/Outputs
- I2C Bus
- 6 maxi-servos
- 100% metal
- Armlenght: 390 mm
- Height: 460 mm
- Base diameter: 210 mm
- Power supply: 6-12V
Warnings
* The right of return does not apply after opening the plastic bags containing parts and components.
* Read the manual thoroughly prior to assembling the unit.
* Be careful when handling tools.
* Do not assemble the robot in presence of small children. They can get hurt with the tools
or swallow small components and parts.
* Check the correct polarity of the batteries.
* Make sure that batteries and holder remain always dry. If the ROBOT ARM gets wet, remove the
batteries and dry all parts as thoroughly as possible.
* Remove the batteries if the ROBOT ARM will not be used for more than one week.
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1.3. What can we do with the Robot Arm?
- Transfer example and new programs into the Robot Arm.
- Control the Robot Arm via a keyboard
- Control and program the Robot Arm via the RACS software.
- Extend the Robot Arm with ready-to-use extension modules
so that it can hear, feel and see in order to react to its
environment
- Just like genuine robots can build e.g. cars, this robot can also
do some tasks for you.
- The Robot Arm can communicate with its environment and
many other units through its I2C interface.
- Articial intelligence: The Robot Arm improves its software
automatically through its selearning software.
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2. Required tools
Needle-nose
pliers
Sidecutter
Screwdriver set
Screwdriver
Selftapping screws (Parker)
Selftapping screws behave like wood screws i.e.
they cut a thread into the material in a rotating
motion that functions like a nut. To this end, this type
of screw has a larger thread and a sharper tip as a
normal screw.
Selftapping screws have a cutout at the top
that makes it easier to drill into the material.
The best way to fasten such a screw is:
If the screws are loosened and tightened too often, the hole enlargens gradually
and the screw doesn’t fit properly anymore.
1 Drive the screw into the material
2 Slightly loosen the screw
3 Tighten the screw again
Included
2
3
1
Locknut
Locknut
Fastening a locknut
Do not force the screws otherwise
the plastic may crack.
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3. PART LIST
Servomotor
O 6 pcs. maxi
Metall-Disc
with axis
O 3 pcs
O 1 pc.
Servo-Disc
Plastic
O 1 pc.
CD
USB lead
Servo-Disc
Metall Big A
O 1 pc.
O 1 pc.
Keyboard
O 1 pc.
Servo-Disc
Metall Big B
O 1 pc.
Servo-Hebel
Big
O 3 pcs.
Spacer
M3x6
O 4 pcs
Spacer
M3x16
O 2 pcs.
Servoholder
O 1 pc.
Spacer
M3x40
O 4 pcs.
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Mounting arm
O 1 pc.
Spiral
Montage
Winkel
O 1 pc.
O 1 pc.
Finger Part A
O 1 pc. O 4 pcs.O 1 pc.
FingerspitzeFinger Part B
Servo bottom plate Servo coupling rod
M3 - M4
O 1 pc.
O 2 pcs.
PCBRobot Arm base
O 1 pc.
Kuppelstange
Servos-Hebel
Klein
O 1 pc.
Servo coupling rod
M2 - M3
O 2 pcs.
Programming
lead
O 1 pc.
Keyboard lead
O 1 pc.
Round-head screw
M3x20
Program
adaptor
O 1 pc.
Servo extension lead
O 1 pc.
Selftapping screw
M3.2x6
O 5 pcs.
Round-head
screw M3x6
O 2 pcs.
Round-head
screw M3x8
O 42 pcs.
O 1 pc.
Round-head screw
M3x12
O 9 pcs.
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O 9 pcs.
Nut
M3
O 24 pcs.
O 4 pcs.
Locknut M2
O 3 pcs.
4. Mounting instructions for mechanical
parts
4.1. Mounting parts in this construction kit
Bottom plate
Gripper
Arm
Round-head screw
M3x8
O 8 pcs
Spacer
M3x16
Option
Abstandsbolzen als Kabelführung von Servokabels
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O 2 pcs.
Selftapping screw
M3.2x8
O 2 pcs.
4.2. Mounting the Servo-Arm:
Following parts are required:
Screw M3.2x8
Option
Spacer M3x16
Round-head screw M3x8
1 pc. Bottom plate
1 pc. Arm
2 pcs. Spacer M3x16
4 pcs. Round-head screw M3x8
2 pcs. Selftrapping screw M3.2x8
Arm
Option
Spacer M3x16
Round-head screw M3x8
Bottom plate
ATTENTION!
Nehmen Sie erst die komplette Verkabelung vor, bevor Sie diese Schritte ausführen. Den Schaltplan für den Kabelanschluß finden Sie auf Seite 20.
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4.3. Mounting the gripper:
Following parts are required;
1 pc. Bottom and Arm
1 pc. Gripper
2 pcs. Selftapping screw M3.2x8
Selftapping screw M3.2x8
Bottom plate
Montieren Sie die Servoachse auf dem Servo, beachten Sie dabei bitte die kleine
Detailskizze!
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READY !
Selbstzapffendeschraube
M2.3x8
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Terminal assignment on the main PCB
Connect the servos via the servo extension leads and use the spiral to run the wires properly.
Servo 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,1
I2C
SPI
Start
Stop
Reset
Extra I / O
ISP
DC Socket
Keyboard
Battery terminal
ON/OFF
switch
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PROGRAMM / UART
5. Starting the Robot
1. Start by assembling the mechanical and electronic modules of the
Robot Arm by reading the mounting instructions.
2. If necessary, connect the 9V mains adaptor (7- to 12 V max.).
3. Switch the robot on with the main On/Off switch.
Voltage supply
Mains adaptor
There are 2 options to power the robot. The easiest solution is to connect a
mains adaptor with an output voltage of 7-12V / 2 Amps to the DC 9V input.
This way, the voltage is connected to the INPUT of the voltage regulator.
Batteries
The second solution is to connect a battery to the battery terminal. This way,
the battery voltage is connected to the OUTPUT of the voltage regulator
and should therefore never exceed 5.5V!! If you use 4 pieces of normal
1.5V mono batteries (‘D’ cells), you should connect a diode in series (in
forward direction) to the positive wire. Even more appropriate would be 4
pieces of the large 1.2V mono D size accumulators.
If the voltage drops below
< 4.4 V, a warning is
displayed.
WARNING!
The max. voltage that the
RobotLoader is able to
measure is 5.1 V!
Battery terminal
5,5 Volt MAX !
DC Terminal
7 to 12 Volt
As soon as the Robot Arm is connected to a power supply, the servos move
slightly and the yellow LED (LED1) lights up.
So, the start was not as difcult as that and it looks as if the job is nished
now. But the real hard work does only start now.....!
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6. Software Installation
Let’s do the software installation now. A properly installed software is of paramount importance for all following chapters.
As you need administrator rights, you have to log into your system as an administrator!
We recommend to read the whole chapter thoroughly rst and then start with
the installation step by step.
The user must have basic knowledge of Windows or Linux based computers
and be familiar with current programs such as le managers, web browsers,
text editors, le compression software (WinZip, WinRAR, unzip and others)
and eventually Linux shell etc.! If your computer knowledge is very limited, you
should learn more about systems before you start using the Robot Arm. This
manual is not intended as an introduction to computers which would go much
too far! It is only aimed at the Robot Arm, its programming and the specic
software required.
The Robot Arm CD-ROM
You have probably already inserted the CD-ROM into your computer drive - if
not, please do it now! In Windows, the CD menu should appear shortly after-
wards per autostart. If not, you can open the le “start.htm” with a web browser as e.g. Firefox in the main directory of the CD through le manager. By the
way, the installation les for Firefox are also on the CD in the folder
<CD-ROM drive>:\Software\Firefox
if ever you haven’t installed an updated web browser (it should be at least
Firefox 1.x or Internet Explorer 6 ...)
After the language selection you will nd in the CD menu, in addition to this
manual (that you can also download from our home page), information, data
sheets and pictures, also the menu item “Software”. It contains all software
tools, USB drivers and example programs with source code for the Robot Arm.
Depending on the safety settings of your web browser, you can start the installation programs directly from the CD!
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If the safety settings of your web browser don’t allow a direct installation from
the CD-ROM, you have to copy the les rst into a directory on your hard disc
and start the installation from there. For more details please refer to the software page in the CD menu. Alternatively, you can also switch to the CD drive
through a le manager and install the software from the CD. The names of the
directories are self-explanatory so that you can allocate them easily to the cor-
responding software packages and operating systems.
WinAVR - for Windows
We will start with the installation of WinAVR. WinAVR is - as the name says only available for Windows!
Linux users can skip to the next section.
WinAVR (pronounce like the word “whenever”) is a collection of many useful
and necessary programs for the software development for AVR micro controllers in C language. In addition to the GCC for AVR (designated by the term
“AVR-GCC”, more details later) WinAVR includes the convenient source text
editor “Programmers Notepad 2” that we will also use for the program deve-
lopment of the Robot Arm.
WinAVR is a private project that is not supported by a company. It is available
for free in the internet. You will nd updated versions and more information at:
http://winavr.sourceforge.net/
In the meantime the project gets the ofcial support from ATMEL and the
AVRGCC is available for AVRStudio, the development environment for AVR’s
from ATMEL. However we will not describe it in this manual as Programmers
Notepad is much better suited for our purpose.
The WinAVR installation le is on the CD in the folder:
<CD-ROM drive>:\Software\AVR-GCC\Windows\WinAVR\
The installation of WinAVR is simple and self-explanatory. Normally you don’t
need to change any settings. So, just click on “Continue”!
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If you use Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must install the latest version of
WinAVR! It should also work perfectly with Windows 2K and XP. If not, you
can try one of the older versions that are also on the CD (before you make a
new installation of WinAVR, you have to uninstall the existing version rst!).
Ofcially Win x64 is not yet supported but the CD contains a patch for Win x64
systems if a problem arises. You will nd more information on the software
page of the CD menu.
AVR-GCC, avr-libc uad avr-binutils - for Linux
(Windows users can skip this section!)
Linux might require more effort. Some distributions already contain the required packages but they are mostly obsolete versions. Therefore you need
to compile and install newer versions. It is impossible to describe in detail
the numerous Linux distributions as SuSE, Ubuntu, RedHat/Fedora, Debian,
Gentoo, Slackware, Mandriva etc. that exist in many versions with their own
particularities and we will keep here only to the general lines.
The same applies to all other Linux sections in this chapter!
The procedure described here must not necessarily work for you. It is often
helpful to search in the internet e.g. for “<LinuxDistribution> avr gcc” or similar.
(Try different spellings). The same applies to all other Linux sections - of
course with the suitable keywords! If you encounter problems with the installation of the AVR-GCC, you can also take a look in our robot network forum or
in one of the numerous Linux forums. First of all, you have to uninstall already
installed versions of the avr-gcc, the avr-binutils and the avr-libc because, as
said, these are mostly obsolete. You can do that via the package manager of
your distribution by searching for “avr” start up and uninstall the three above
mentioned packages - as far as they exist in your computer. You can nd out
easily if the avr-gcc has already been installed or not via a console as e.g.
> which avr-gcc
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If a path is displayed, a version is already installed. So just enter:
> avr-gcc --version
and look at the output. If the displayed version is smaller than 3.4.6, you have
to uninstall in any case this obsolete version.
If the version number lies between 3.4.6 and 4.1.0, you can try to compile
programs (see following chapter). If it fails, you have to install the new tools.
We will install hereafter the currently most updated version 4.1.1 (status March
2007) together with some important patches.
If the packages above do not appear in the package manager although an
avr-gcc has denitely been installed, you need to erase manually the relevant
binary les- i.e.search in all /bin, /usr/bin etc. directories for les starting with
“avr” and erase these (of course ONLY these les and nothing else!). Eventually existing directories as /usr/avr or /usr/local/ avr must also be erased.
Important: You have to make sure that the normal Linux development tools
as GCC, make, binutils, libc, etc. are installed prior to compiling and installing!
The best way to do so is via the package manager of your distribution. Every
Linux distribution should be supplied with the required packages on the installation CD or updated packages are available in the internet.
Make sure that the “texinfo” program is installed. If not, please install the relevant package before you continue - otherwise it will not work!
Having done that, you can start with the installation itself.
Now you have two options: either you do everything manually or you use a
very simple to use installation script.
We recommend to try the installation script rst. If this doesn’t work, you can
still install the compiler manually.
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Attention:
You should have enough free disk space on your hard disk! Temporarily more
than 400Mb are required. Over 300Mb can be erased after the installation but
during the installation, you need all the space.
Many of the following installation steps require ROOT RIGHTS, so please log
in with “su” as root or execute the critical commands with “sudo” or something
similiar as you have to do it in Ubuntu e.g. (the installation script, mkdir in /usr/
local directories and make install require root rights).
Please note in the following the EXACT spelling of all commands!
Every sign is important and even if some commands look a bit strange, it is all
correct and not a typing mistake! (<CD-ROM-drive> has of course to be replaced by the path of the CD-ROM drive!)
The folder on the CD:
<CD-ROM drive>:\Software\avr-gcc\Linux
contains all relevant installation les for the avr-gcc, avr-libc and binutils.
First of all, you have to copy all installation les in a directory on your hard disk
- this applies for both installation methods! We will use the Home directory
(usual abbreviation for the current home directory is the tilde: „~“):
> mkdir ~/Robot Arm
> cd <CD-ROM drive>/Software/avr-gcc/Linux
> cp * ~/Robot Arm
After the successful installation you can erase the les to save space!
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