Best way to establish communication between Cobot and Arduino?

Here is my goal: The Arduino senses an object in the way using sonar. It sends a signal to the Cobot. The Cobot sees that signal as HIGH.

My main issue: How do I wire in this 5-12V Arduino to send signals to a 24V Cobot?

Other Burning Questions:

  1. Is a relay needed? If so, how do I even implement that?
  2. Can I power the Arduino with the Cobot with said relay? Or is this too risky?
  3. Is it better to supply power to my Arduino using an external battery?
  4. Does a wire go from 0V (Cobot) to GND (Arduino)?

Please see image below. This is the Electrical Interface of the Cobot I have. I want to use its Digital Signals in this case.

Welcome!

Addressing Your Issue:

What is the end use of this? Is it an industrial application or a school project?
I have no idea what your Cobot is or what its interface looks like.

The best part is that you want us to tell you how to wire something we cannot see
or for which we do not have the appropriate documentation. The "Other Burning
Questions" can be answered after we know what we are working with, or we can only guess.

You tell us you have an Arduino (which one?) that senses something with SONAR.
It sends a signal (what are the parameters of this signal: contact, voltage, serial
bit stream, etc.?) to a 24V Cobot. If you are in the US and use a plug-in supply,
we could assume 120V AC, or maybe 12V DC out of the supply, etc.

You can spend weeks spinning your wheels, or you might get lucky and solve your
problem quickly. To avoid unnecessary delays, it is crucial to provide an annotated
schematic of your circuit as you have it wired, showing all connections including
power, ground, and power supplies.

Why Detailed Information Matters:

Annotated Schematics: These are essential because they show exactly how your circuit is set up. Without them, it's difficult for anyone to understand what you’ve done, which makes troubleshooting nearly impossible. Fritzing diagrams or unclear pictures are not enough.

Technical Information: Many modules look similar and may even have the same name, but they can function differently. This is why we always ask for links to detailed technical information—not just sales pages like those on Amazon, which often lack the specifics we need.

Post your Software Without that we do not have a clue as to how it is expected to operate. Be sure to use code tags.

Show All Connections: It’s important to include every connection, especially power, ground and power sources in your schematic. Missing these details makes it hard to determine if a setup issue might be causing your problem.

My Process:

When I see a question, I spend a moment assessing it. If it’s missing critical information, I might ask for it. However, if it's repeatedly lacking important details, I may assume the questioner is not serious and move on to another query.

What You Need to Consider:

We don’t know your skill level or what resources you have available. If you’re missing key technical details or seem unprepared, it may indicate that you need to spend more time learning the basics before starting your project.

Providing the right information upfront will help you get the best possible assistance and avoid the frustration of running into dead ends. Let us help you by sharing what you have clearly and completely!

Hello, thank you. This is a home project. The Arduino I am using is Arduino Uno. I have experience coding with Arduino IDE. Setting up the ultrasonic sensor is not a concern for me.

I'm only worried about the relay wiring. I do not want to burn out the Arduino board & Cobot I/O. I just want the Arduino to send a signal strong enough for the Cobot to pick up. I was told that relays do that when a low voltage component needs to send a signal to a higher voltage component. I've no experience working with relays.

Please see image below. Assume my Arduino is already programmed and ready to set out port 2 ON when my sensor detects my hand for example. That signal goes through the relay, sends it to my DI0, and on my Cobot's GUI, I expect to see Digital Input checked green. This wiring is just a wild stab in the dark so please correct me if wrong.

I'm still concerned about the Arduino not having the output capability for the relay module..

You have given absolutely NO information about what this signal is! You mention 24 volts, but this may be the motor for your Cobot. What is the actual document description of this signal? If you are dealing with 24 volts off and on for a signal, use a MOSFET to switch the 24 volts on and off. Drive it with your Arduino.

Your picture in post #3 is missing two things:

  • You need to connect the GND of the uno to the DC- of the relay module.
  • You need to connect 5V to the DC+ of the relay module in order to power the relay.

Please post a link to the data sheet or user guide for this thing.

Please clarify your project! The industry standard for “cobot” is a co-operative robot. That is a robot that aids a person to complete a job or function. The robot has special features that attempt to stop the robot from injuring the person.

I am just taking a guess as you have not provided the needed information. The relay module appears to require 12VDC to operate, that is based on the relay label. So the ‘-’ needs to go to ground and the ‘+’ to 12VDC. The 12V ground must connect to the 5V ground, the Arduino connection appears OK..