I have built 3 CNC type machines and thinking about building a robotic arm.
I have 3 steppers http://www.probotix.com/specs/HT23-280-8.pdf
That will be used for the 3 joints.
I will use a 4th to spin the arm http://www.probotix.com/specs/HT23-400-8.pdf
Now this is where I'm a bit lost, thinking of using Arduino Due
Ramps 1.4 shield
Pololu A4988 driver to drive it.
1st question: Can this board be programmed ( I'm not a coder) via a windows 7 GUI?
2nd question: I want the hand to stay horizontal respective to where the arm moves, IE kinda like a fork lift. Thinking gyro here.
3rd question: Am I barking up the wrong tree, is there an easier way to do this?
2nd part 1) Google "uArm" and "meArm" to see how they keep the hand level.
2nd part 2) an accelerometer would be the proper sensor to use (using gravity as a reference). A gyro reports the rate of rotation, but cumulative inaccuracies ("drift") means that after a short time that everything will be out of whack.
3rd part 1) The stepper motors won't have enough torque to do this. Commercial robots use a large amount of gear reduction to get the torque needed to move the arm; it's impractical to expect to DIY that sort of thing.
3rd part 2) A4988 drivers are underrated for your stepper motors. You need a larger driver to provide more current if you expect to be able to get full torque from the motors. A DRV8825 driver, which is a drop in replacement for "stepstick" style A4988 drivers, is closer to your requirements but still a little underpowered.