This is the first test of my pick and place machine, placing size 1206 resistors.
The software is GRBL on an Arduino Nano being fed instructions via a small Perl script I wrote.
The hardware is a ShapeOko frame, 3 NEMA 17 motors from SparkFun, 3 Pololu A4988 drivers, a fan to cool the drivers, a 28V 8A power supply, an aquarium pump modified to be a vacuum, an air solenoid to control the vacuum, and vacuum head. The solenoid is connected to GRBL's "spindle" port via a power transistor.
I followed these instructions to convert the aquarium pump into a vacuum:
but I could never get that working (not sure if they revised the hardware or I'm just incompetent), so I siliconed the tubing to the pump's air intake.
Can the head rotate the part before placing it? Seems like that'd be important. Looks like the parts twist a little when placed. Does the solder paste normally catch them and hold them still? I'd like to see a video of it in action on a board with more random spacing between the parts.
I don't have a head rotation mechanism yet but it's definitely on the to do list. For now I'm just trying to get the thing working reliably -- components on the tape are exactly 4mm apart but after about 10 moves the head is no longer perfectly lined up even though I'm telling GRBL to move exactly 40 mm and I've checked and rechecked the stepper rotation to physical movement ratio.
The pieces do drift a little after placing -- during some earlier testing I placed them too low and ended up crushing some so now I'm dropping them about .5 mm, but as you see that's still high enough to let them wobble from vibration. You're right that solder paste will (hopefully) hold them in place.
I've ordered a tape reel feeder, some reels of cheap components, and am working on some test boards. I'll definitely post more videos as I get further along.
magagna:
I know how that goes. Hopefully one of my Arduino inventions will make me rich...
Yeah for me (and not to derail this discussion - I won't post anything more about it), I was employed up until Friday before Memorial Day weekend here in the States; I went in to work, only to find the door locked with a note on the window from the office management saying that they had locked the company out due to failure to pay rent. Somehow I managed to get my last paycheck, but that was kinda a deal breaker on the employment front for me.
I certainly hope that your Arduino inventions do make you rich, or at least financially independent. It certainly seems like you are on the right track with the CNC pick-n-place machine (I've been wondering when I would see such a homebrew machine - one more step in a complete at-home SMT PCB production fab line!). I've got some ideas of my own, but nothing that (so far) would pay my mortgage and other bills immediately, if at all. So, I have to look for employment (I've had plenty of interviews, but no offers yet - still have high hopes though).
