Hi,
I'm a mechanical engineering student and for a project, I'm designing a colour sensing machine. Basically I want a epson scara robot to pick up a coloured product, move it over to a colour sensor and then place it in the correct location based on what colour was scanned. After researching online, I see you can use an Arduino Mega 2560 and a TCS 230 TCS3200 to detect colour. I am wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to connect this Arduino board to the Epson robot so my project will work? I am a beginner at both Arduino and robots so any help is appreciated. Thanks
Please provide a link to the robot that you are using
What sort of external interface does it provide for controlling it ?
Thanks for the reply. The robot is an Epson Scara G6-451s and the controller is a RC 180. Software is Epson RC+5.0.
https://www.epson.ie/products/robot/epson-scara-g6-451s
That site and the Datasheet/Brochure seem short of details about how the robot is controlled. Have you got any more details ?
Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
I can see here that to even get started interfacing the two, you need to be familiar with both devices.
So may I suggest you look up an online tutorial for Arduino programming and also for controlling the Epson robot.
Have you got the robot and had a play with it?
Have you got an Adruino controller and had a play with it?
Once you are proficient with both then it will be easier for you to see how to connect them.
If you are a student, then you must have resources at your educational institution to help you with Arduino code and circuitry.
Is this your project that you have come up with or a suggested project for you to do.
Tom... 
Hi Tom,
After researching more I have found the following:
I will copy this setup exactly for the colour sensing part of the project, using an an Arduino Mega 2560 and a TCS 230 TCS3200. The Inputs/outputs will be connected into the Digital side of the Arduino.
The arduino will connect to a RC180 Epson robot controller via a 50 pin D-sub I/O connector. The robot controller I/o specs are attached.
As seen above, the controller is 24v. Therefore, I was planning on using step up voltage converters and step down buck voltage converters to go from 5v to 24v and vice versa.
There are three different coloured product. When the colour sensor detects blue, for example, it will output a digital signal to the robot controller (via the power up voltage module). When the robot completes the task, a return signal will be sent back to the arduino via the buck converter. As there are three different coloured product, I will therefore need 3 Power up converters and 3 Buck converters.
One of the issues I am unsure about is what influence the converters will have on the current in the lines. As seen in the picture of the controller inputs, it says the controller input current is 10mA. Will the power up module screw with the current or has anyone any experience or input on this? I don't want frying the robot!
I am not worried about the actual arduino programming or the robot programming using epson Rc+5.0. I am worried about trying to get the arduino to communicate to the robot as I don't know if what I have explained above will work.
I will greatly appreciate any feedback on this,
Thanks
