I am trying to build a magic the gathering sorting machine and a friend of mine mentioned that arduino might come in handy for this. After some research i totally agree with him, but since i'm totally new to this i find it hard to decide what hardware i precisely need to buy to start.
The first part i want to create is relatively simple (i think) i already have image recognition software written, but now i need a module i can couple to my pc that, when the card is recognized and decided where it needs to go, can run a motor/servo to send the card to either the right or the left.
I found that it is possible to control arduino from my pc, and that it can control servo's but i'm just very puzzled by all the many choices of main boards, and different motors and connections to the pc there are.
In the future i might also want to add a conveyor belt, so more motors are needed, is that also possible on the same main board or do you need multiple for this?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! And if i was not clear in my description, i can always clarify.
thank you for your fast reply. I had not yet heared of it, but it looks really cool, althought it is not something i need yet since i already have the image recognition working trough my computer using java. I was planning on first coupling the arduino to my pc to controll the motors, and then if that works, work toward also doing the recognition by the arduino. Or is this a faulty whay of thinking?
But i will definatly remember this one for when i'm going to do the recognition since the few things i have red about it sound very promising.
very high speeds could blow the edge of the card left or right past a vertical divider.
slower speeds could have a triangle of with a very thin tip. this being moved only a few degrees, but enough of fully engage the leading edge of the card as it is being moved. simple servo function.
a solenoid could work as it would be either right or left and be very fast. noisy and startling.
I assume that the path of the card would need to be smooth so that it can flow and not jamb.
if you are looking for image processing and recognition, you may need to use a different platform. I have not seen a whole lot of that on the arduino platform.
although the higher end units might have the power to make it happen.
EtchedChampion:
I found that it is possible to control arduino from my pc, and that it can control servo's but i'm just very puzzled by all the many choices of main boards, and different motors and connections to the pc there are.
An Uno is the best starter board because most Arduino software and add-ons work with it. An Uno can control up to 12 servos. It could also control a combination of servos and motors - though I can't say precisely how many of each. If you need more I/O a Mega is probably the answer.
Servos and motors need their own power supply. You need a motor driver (h-bridge) between the Arduino and a motor.
If you can post a diagram illustrating the mechanics of your proposed sorting machine it may help people to give advice.
Here is a article that compares many Arduino boards. board comparison You will need one pin for each servo and two or three pins for each motor driver (for direction and speed, one pin for speed only). Probably the easiest board to get started with is the Uno R3. I would suggest the Uno R3 with the DIP Mega328 processor as the processor is easily replaced in case the chip gets toasted because of a mistake (even with my years of experience, I have killed two). Most of the Arduinos communicate with the PC via an USB serial port. The Uno can support up to 12 servos using the Servo library and has 6 PWM outputs for motor speed control.
Thank you all for this very good help. I'll make a diagram and post it here aswell later, but it's good to know that the uni is probably a good one to start with. 12 is more than enough for the moment.
Hereby a draft of what i'm trying to make, i hope it's a bit clear.
A little description.
I already have the image recognition trough a webcam to my computer, now i want from my computer to control the motors/servo's via arduino.
To start with it are going to be one or two motors but as i progress i might add more sorting options and need more.
One of the concerns i have is how to make sure the card comes completely out of the machine and doesn't get stuck trough friction or the wheel not reaching far enough to push it out entirely. One of the solutions i thought of was to put the cards in a angle, so that not all the weight of the previous cards is on the bottom card.
Ow yea sorry i made it with my phone.
Yea i was also thinking of this problem, but i want to be able to load > 300 cards at a time, so you would need a lever or anything to push the cards up and i thought this would be harder than making the top loader work. The bottom loader however might work if i use some sort of counterweight to make the force applied even. So if its possible to make a bottom loader that would definatly be easier.
EtchedChampion:
so you would need a lever or anything to push the cards up
What about letting the "move mechanism" slide down as the stack gets lower. Perhaps it could rest on the stack to provide the friction it needs. Maybe (as an alternative to the servo finger I suggested) it could have a rubber wheel that pushes a card out when it rotates.
