Robot arm kit?

hello all, i'm looking for the best/cheapest place to find a robot arm kit?

This isn't exactly a kit, but it is cheap. This video shows one made out of popsicle sticks and four servos. I'm planning on doing something similar, but with wood, once my servos arrive.

Not cheap $) but really cool in my opinion:

ps
I am crazy for theyr exapods but I can't afford the servos :disappointed_relieved:

Have you looked into the OWI-535 Edge Robot arm? There have been a couple of people who have successfully interfaced them with the Arduino (research the old forums)...

This is how one added feedback to it

bld:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Modifications-to-Robot-Arm-for-Opto-Coupler-Feedba/

This is how one added feedback to it

I had heard of others implementing potentiometers as a feedback mechanism; I had always thought there might be room inside the gearboxes to do an optical feedback system - nice to see somebody did it! Thanks for posting that...

:slight_smile:

i will also advice you to have a look at owi 535 edge arm kit. its sold below $50 nowadays. i am also working on a robotic arm project based on this arm kit. i already coupled the arm with arduino. managed to make it work remotely by a second FIO hooked onto Nunchuck. i can provide some pics, schematics and code if you need help.. details on my robotics page at http://borsaci06.com
regards...

It depends on what make/model servo you use, but most servos run between $6.00 (USD) to $60.00 (USD).. It's dependent on size, torque, sleeve or ball-bearing. I've used mostly Futaba S3004 for most of my projects.. Ball-bearing support of the shaft, the drive gear is easy to modify to convert from 180-degree to constant (full) rotation. (grinding down the stop tab, removing the 10K POT from the underside, and replacing the POT off the circuitboard, with a mini POT that could be trimmed through a hole through the case.) Ran roughly $15.00 (USD) from a local hobby store.

the frame/claw of your arm could be metal (milled parts or sheet metal) or wood (milled or cut).. As the above video showed, even Popsicle sticks work.

Also, watch what the load is on the arm joints. (shoulder, elbow wrist.) If the load weight is too heavy, even gear driven, most servos do have some give, and will back-roll or possibly even break.