Welcome to my first ever Instructable. Before I get started, I would like to thank the Instructables team for providing me with the Intel Edison kit with the amazing add-ons in the recent Intel give away. Robotics has always amazed me so it was easy for me to decide what i wanted to make when i got my Edison. The edison kit had all that I wanted to dive into the field of robotics. 4 DC geared motors with 2 I2C motor shield, a joystick add-on etc. Since this is my first step into the world of robotics and robot making, I decided to make the infamous "Robotic Arm". If you like this Instructable, then please vote for it as this is/was my entry for the Intel IoT Invitation as well :)

AN IMPORTANT NOTICE BEFORE I CONTINUE. ANYONE WHO DECIDES TO BUILD THIS WILL DO SO ON HIS OWN AND I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE HE/SHE INCURS. THIS PROJECT INCLUDES A FAIR BIT OF DRILLING,USING A SAW MACHINE AND SOLDERING. IT IS ADVISED THAT THIS PROJECT SHOULD BE DONE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF AN ADULT OR SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO OPERATE THESE MACHINES.

Now lets gets started. When I got to know that I was one of the lucky few to receive the Edison Kit, i decided to make a robotic arm and work myself up the robot making ladder. Following list provides with all the item you will/may need to build one of these robotic arm for yourself.

List of Items

From the Intel Edison Kit

Grove-Thumb Joystick (Optional)

12 V,1.5 A adapter(included in the kit)

Non-Edison Kit Items

MDF (Medium Density Fiber)

Rosewood

Jumper Wires

Push Buttons

Nuts and Bolts

12 V,7 A Battery

Relays

LED Lights

Push Buttons

7805 I.C (5 V regulator)

Soldering Iron and Wire

Servo Motors

Screws,

Step 1: - CAD Model and Simulation

My father always insisted about making a model of what ever i wanted to make first and hence I decided to make a CAD model of the robotic arm. This way i could "play" around with all the different settings and placements of all the building blocks. It saved some time as well, allowing me to simulate and see how it will operate.

Using Solidworks 2014, the modeling was fairly simple but time consuming :). Initially I had designed a couple of rough models, but they didn't work out. Finally it came down to 2 models. Having done a poll among friends, it was decided model 2 was a better option and has it was decided that model 2 would be made.

Step 2: Step 2:- Electronics

Now starts the fun part :). The amazing thing about Intel Edison is the cross compatibility programming option it has. Having already worked on Ardunio, it was easy programming the Intel Edison.

The electronics are pretty simple and straightforward. I have used 2 DC geared motors rated at 12 V and 1.6 A at no load and 2 servo motors. Using the motor driver I had from an earlier project allowed me some freedom when it came to controlling the motors. 1 motor controls the Arm 1, 1 motor controls the Link 1 and Arm 2. 1 servo motor controls the opening and closing of the gripper while 1 servo controls the rotation of the gripper. I decided to make a joy-pad with a joystick, included in the giveaway, and some push buttons for the operation of the motors.The servo motors used are TowerPro Micro sevo

Step 3: -Mechanical Hardware

Having previously worked with wood based projects, it was an easy decision for me on the material that i wanted to use to build this robotic arm. The wood used in this project is completely recycled and reused. It saved me some time and money as well :) and its always nice to reuse old stuff for something useful.

The arm is divided into segments for easy assembly. The segments are as follow

1) The base

2) Support 1 ( 2 Pcs.)

3) Support 2

4) Link 1

5) Link 2

6) Connector 1

7) Connector 2

8) Arm 1

9) Arm 2

10) Gripper/Claw

Assembly Steps