I read through the wonderful Robot Builders Bonanza by Gordon McComb, and I saw a diagram for a gripper mechanism like this in the book. I tried to recreate using parts from an Erector Set, but I just couldn't get the functionality I had hoped to see. Luckily, after some random searching -- and Amazon's ability to track my constant "window" shopping -- I landed on this hobby style robotic arm with gripper. Lots of servos, 5 degrees of movement, and well drawn plans made this build a blast!
It is wired to the control panel, but I bet once I learn more, it'll be a breeze to hack that into something wireless. The build really gave me first hand experience with building the gripper portion. That was a huge struggle in my FIRST robotics team last year (Shout Out to Team 1880!). Now I have a model that is usable as an exemplar for future builds.
If you decide to build the OWI Kit Robotic Arm Edge (OWI-535) yourself, here are a few tips:
- Separate and label all the tiny screws, you'll thank yourself later
- Overtightening tap screws will strip the joint, so turn carefully.
- Use a multimeter to check your batteries before installing. You don't want to have to open the case back up for a while.
- When wiring to the PC board, watch your ground and power connections. The wires are colored for a reason.
- For some reason, I seem to have bad luck around battery cases. Don't ask me why, but when it comes to building around or moving batteries, I seem to be cursed to screw something up. Dropping a tiny tap screw into the battery case after it has been installed and encased beneath a is a frustrating time waster. Be careful when putting on the PC board atop the case lid of the batteries.
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