I just started learning Arduino and I seem to get a hang of it in terms of programming.
My problem right now is to how to apply it in practical sense.
Say I have a servo motor and I am able to control it's direction from my program but I am having trouble designing the mechanical or movement aspects like if I a want to sort a plastic bottle and a can using a metal detector then how would I go about in designing the hardware stuffs?
Or if I want to close my door lock using the servo or stepper or plain dc motor?
These are the types of things that I am a bit struggling right now. Maybe I like programming so the software aspect is ok with me but I am having problems with the application in practical sense.
I would like to get better and improve on the hardware stuff as well.
Is there a course or tutorial or a book to get better on these type of things? I really am interested to know how to improve.
You start by having a clear problem requiring solved then you state it in a flow of exactly what needs to occur. Vague problems and vague ideas lead to vague solutions
Hi thanks for your reply, that is actually what I am trying to figure out.
Say I am working on a sorting project that would segregate the plastic and metal. There is a single tube (insert valve) where anyone can insert their waste (either plastic or metal can soda). I can detect the can by using metal detector sensor but designing the hardware is where I am getting stuck out.
Say should I have two tubes that goes to different bins connected to the insert valve, one for plastic and one for metal can then should I have to control which of the two tubes to open?
Sorry I am not that good in the mechanical or practical or movement aspect so I actually wanted to learn it.
What topics or subject should I learn to be somewhat decent in this stuff.
I am not mechanical engineers or have taken any subject related to this but I like programming stuffs and I think I have decent knowledge of it. I am just struggling with this part of my project creation so that is why I am seeking advice.
This all depends on the many potential requirements of your project. There are such machines in existence at almost every recycling centre. You could study them. Most use a conveyor belt to lead the rubbish past sensors and then an air jet to ‘nudge’ the rubbish just at the end of the conveyor so that it can either drop straight down (no nudge) or be diverted into another shoot.
You need to work out the exact environment in which you intend to implement this. Draw a list of requirements. Otherwise it is just speculation the dark. Eg size of machine. Indoors or outdoors. To be used by public or specialist. Capacity. Types of items likely to be inserted (if public then anything) etc
Your concept is still too vague to move onto the design process and you have still not stated what problem it is supposed to solve. It might not be the right solution!
Yes, these are the kind of stuff that I wanted to learn. Is there a specific subject that would teach me these kind of things?
I actually am not building something big , just some prototype using cardboards, servo motors and stuffs.
Not everyone have strong engineering know how knowledge or have been good in DIY projects from the start. I fall into these category unfortunately but I could understand arduino programs and configure the microcontroller to act accordingly.
I have taken courses on basic electronics/electricity just to understand how to wire circuits and I think I made some progress as I am able to understand basic circuit now.
Now the next steps for my learning I think is the practical application.
For specific topics like converting the circular motions of motors into linear movements.
This is where my mind gets frozen, Is there a specific course/books/udemy to learn these stuff? I don't need it to be detailed or purely engineering, just from a pure practical standpoint so that whenever I want to do some project, I have basic idea on the mechanical aspects.
I’m sure there are courses in mechanical engineering and such but there is a lot that would be specific to a particular project. You can Google and YouTube quite a lot of things! You probably have a local adult learning centre and they will often to IT and technology courses.
In general I think it is best to break things into stages
decide on the problem you want to fix and define it well
research it and see if there is already a solution or similar
decide on all the requirements any solution you develop should have
research hardware and software that could fulfill these requirements
Google is very good - you can see what others have done in similar project areas and use them for inspiration .
You’ll learn a lot by experiments , seeing what works and what doesn’t .
You could look up some basic stuff - how levers work , how gears/ pulleys work , servo linkages, sensing materials.
It helps to have a specific problem to solve as it focuses the mind
, just some prototype using cardboards, servo motors and stuffs.
but I could understand arduino programs and configure the microcontroller to act accordingly.