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Current Project
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I designed a PCB for the second version of the robot arm and it is my most complicated PCB yet. Its purpose is to control a stepper motor intelligently with many features. It will have built-in acceleration computing, absolute positioning with a magnetic encoder, three communication protocols (WiFi, step/dir, I2C), temperature sensing, collision detection (sensorless homing), current sense compensation, 1/256 micro-step resolution, and extra programmable pins. It should be compatible with 5-3.3v logic and 12-24v power. I have just commissioned this board, and it will be tested soon!
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6-Axis Robot Arm
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This is my most ambitious and successful project I have completed. In Fiji, I started prototyping the machine. I designed and printed the plastic parts and sourced the other parts for under $200. It was all programmed in python, including the micro-controller. I programmed my own 3D rendering/controller that connects to the ESP32 micro-controller though a WIFI socket. It has 7 NEMA-17 stepper motors and uses belt pulleys for gear reduction. It also has 6 hall-effect sensors for the homing protocol. It has a custom PCB I developed with all of the stepper drivers onboard. I also developed my own analytical kinematic method using trigonometry and matrices. I plan on building a better robot arm that will improve upon the deficiencies of the previous robot.
See more...
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Boat Automation Project
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Another ambitious project was the boat automation project. An engineer on a sailboat I was traveling with had an idea for an automation system. I developed a PCB that would automate, read, and control features of the boat: measure voltage and amperage, temperature, turn on and off relays, control speed of fans, detect 12V. I also programmed an app to control and automate the system. You can download the demo of the app for windows soon. Unfortunately I figured out later that the product wasn’t very marketable, so I discontinued the project.
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