Quadruped - Solidworks 3D Model + Matlab kinematics test #1


  

**work in progress** 

 **programming and fabrication to be done**


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Arduino/MATLAB - Interfacing with ADXL330 Accelerometer



Seeeduino MEGA 2560 with ADXL330  
Reference: 
http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ADXL3xx 
http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/ADXL330 https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/ADXL330_0.pdf


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DIY Electronic "Glow Stick" LED for Night Fishing!


Materials Required: 1) 3V button cell and battery holder
2) 1x micro switch
3) small piece of prototyping board
4) 1x LED
5) 1K resistor























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Arduino / MATLAB - 4DOF with force sensing

Setup can be made to automatically sweep in X and Y direction or controlled manually using the GUI.

Last link is fitted with a force sensing resistor to detect obstacles. It is always perpendicular to the datum plane. On contact with obstacle (my hand in the video), it changes direction in the Z axis. The location of the obstacle is recorded and shown on the MATLAB GUI.

Resources: Seeeduino Mega1280, MATLAB, x4 Hitec servomotors and 1 force sensing resistor.

Prototype Setup

MATLAB GUI



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Arduino / MATLAB - Servo Calibration

Interface between MATLAB and Arduino microcontroller to calibrate servo.
The Seeeduino Mega 1280 is used in this case.

Problem:
Servo does not center accurately and extends beyond 180 degrees.
Solution:
Identify error margin and apply correction in MATLAB

Resources used:
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/27843
http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/map



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Final Year Thesis - CFD and Prototype

Attachable walking skid to a propeller representation body.
Hydrodynamic characteristics of design justified with Solidworks Flow Simulation.
Prototype simulation carried out in Matlab.
Open source microcontroller used to interface with Matlab for prototype control.
Servos are off the shelve hobby servos modified to be waterproof (total 22 servos).



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Arduino Servo Pan/Tilt - dual mode control with joystick



Components:
1x Arduino Duemilanovue
2x 3.7V Lithium polymer batteries in parallel
2x HiTEC HS-485 servos
1x Playstation 2 style analog joystick
1x yellow LED


Setup overview:




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DIY Pegboard with Acrylic Cover


Step 1: Find a sturdy piece of material (eg. plywood, styrofoam, etc.)


Step 2: Drill evenly spaced holes
 

Step 3: Create the pegs from wires as shown
 
 

Step 4: Tape the end of the peg to the back of the board to secure it
 

Step 5:Add panels of acrylic sheet by using brackets and hinges


Step 6: Put in the tools 






-=End=-




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Arduino Robot - Quadruped - body kinematics tests






This is a quadruped robot in prototyping using seeeduino mega, 12 HXT900 hobby micro servos, 3.7V lipo battery. Materials used are all plywood secured with small bolts and nuts. Programmed with Processing and Arduino IDE.

The first clip shows the horizontal movement of the body and the corresponding reaction angles of the legs.

The second clip includes both the horizontal and vertical movement of the body and the corresponding reaction angles of the legs.

3.7V lipo battery is used to power the servos and the seeeduino mega runs off the power from USB.

Will be working on the walking gait soon.. when i have time..

Visit http://retardokiddo.blogspot.com/ for more projects and future updates!





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Arduino / Processing ADXL330 accelerometer




Visit http://arduinotutorials.blogspot.com/ for more arduino and processing tutorials.
Also available on http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Processing-ADXL330-accelerometer/

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MATLAB/Simulink - Simple Pendulum



Pendulum's equation of motion done in Simulink using ode45 solver. Calculated angle and corresponding x and y coordinates of the pendulum mass are exported to MATLAB workspace and plotted accordingly with timer object. Video shown is accelerated version of 40seconds duration.


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Modified Mint Box Torch


Take out parts of a faulty torch light and give it a second life in a mint box!

Recovered a torch with leaking batteries. Metal contacts of torch is badly rusted and the battery holder is slightly corroded. Too lazy to clean away interior of torch body too.

Get an empty mint box and get to work. Most mint boxes are made of soft and thin metal, so no drilling is needed. Just get a nail and punch a hole. To enlarge the hole (for the switch), simple use a nose plier and bore through it.

Wiring is extremely simple. From positive of battery (9v to fit nicely into my chosen box) to one connection of switch, then from the other connection of switch to the LEDs and lastly back to the negative end of the battery! Only trick here is to figure out how to connect to the PCB of the LEDs. This you will have to do some exploring on your own. TIP>> use aligator clips hooked up to a battery and start poking away at the PCB until you the light!




























For more projects, please visit : http://retardokiddo.blogspot.com/




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DIY Cactus Display Tank!





Subject: DIY Cactus Display Tank
Materials:
1)Fish Tank Stand
2)2X 36W PL lights + eBallast
3)6X clear acrylic sheets(2mm thick, 18X12 inch)
4)8X L-brackets
5)large shiny sheet metal
6)4X hinges





The fish tank stand is laid on its side instead of upright. Reason being the supporting area is more and to reduce the height of the display so that it is only at slightly higher than waist level. I covered up the sides of the stand with black plastic cardboard, with the front two panels hinged to act as a cupboard.

The acrylic sheets are held together by the L-brackets with hotglue. A better method would be to drill holes and use transparent acrylic bolts, but it is too troublesome and costly for me =P.

The lighting fixtures are actually old aquarium light housings, but with the common 15W flourescent tube is switched out. I used a 36w daylight PL tube for each of the lights, arranged transverly across the top of the tank as shown. I find that this arrangment lights up a bigger area, and no additional supporting is needed to fix as compared to placing the lights along the length of the display tank. PL lights require specific ballast to light up, so make sure the correct type is bought and wired up correctly!



***TIP: Use vinegar and newspaper to wipe the acrylic sheets without leaving trail of stains!

Also available with annotated pictures here: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Cactus-Display-Tank/





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