to answer the questions i do not know what you mean by messages being sent to the arduino but yes i have tried examples from the serial input basics but no avail
i should add the the motors are unlabeled 9V DC motors and what they're supposed to do is move the whole thing with the arm on top around. So left motor activates to to go right, right one activates to go left both to go forward and they can also move backwards. the first image attached shows the arm i'm using (but with MG995 servos) and the second should give you an idea of i'm aiming for here.
