Weekly Progress

This week we finalized the list parts we need and ordered them. We also wrote out a basic idea of what functionalities we must implement for each part.

This week we focused on the mechanics of our project. We decided on a rack and pinion system to move our arm along the x and y axes, so we have begun testing gear sizes and motor rotation for our ideal speed. We have also received our motors in the mail and have decided to power them through an Arduino, which will communicate with our STM to determine its motion.

This week we began working on a system to control our x-y motion. We tested our stepper motor rotation and attached gears to them, so that they could move along a belt. We also changed our joystick to a Wii nunchuck and began implementing the I2C communication with the board.

This week we established the communication between our Arduino and STM32, with our Wii nunchuck sending values to the STM32, which then sends these values to the Arduino. We also fully constructed our motion system using drawer sliders and wood. This is what we will attach our gears, belts, and motors to in order to move the pen around.