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Nice $8200 Arm... — Parallax Forums

Nice $8200 Arm...

ercoerco Posts: 20,256
edited 2012-02-02 17:34 in Robotics
Who says you gotta spend over $10K to get a nice robot arm? :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/R12-Articulated-5-Axis-Industrial-Robot-Arm-System-MFSR-7840-00-NEW-SYSTEM-/110788448171?pt=BI_Robotics&hash=item19cb818fab

It moves very nicely in the video, and all those red LEDs certainly add a high-tech touch of eleganza:

I'll have to pass on this purchase, but I must admit the unusual form factor (high rise central post) has merit over the more conventional low central posts as used in the Armatron & OWI arm kits. I'm building an arm right now and may consider switching to this layout if it expands the work envelope.

Good designers borrow. Great designers steal!

Comments

  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-02-02 13:35
    I'm sure the LEDs along the side helps the accuracy. (I do think they look cool.)

    That might be the problem with my robot arm; not enough LEDs.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2012-02-02 13:47
    Have we seen your arm yet? Wait, I have a vague recollection of thousands of $$ Dynamixel digital servos, right? What have you done with it lately?
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2012-02-02 14:02
    erco wrote: »
    Wait, I have a vague recollection of thousands of $$ Dynamixel digital servos, right? What have you done with it lately?

    Your vague recollection is correct.

    I haven't done anything with it lately. My intention was to use to place vials on a balance but I also wanted it to place cuvettes (test tubes) in a spectometer so I was going to suspend it from an over-head rail. I've since abandoned the rail idea because it would block light from the nearby window. I think I'll probably use a flatbed omniwheel robot as a base so it can move from place to place on the lab table.

    This project has kind of moved to a back burner since I don't have to weigh as many vials now as I did a year ago. Of course since this was all work related those $$ Dynamixels were tax deductable. :smile:
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-02-02 15:54
    I imagine the high post increases the usable volume of the work envelope, but decreases the area on the table that is within reach of the arm. Basically less of the envelope is under the surface of the table.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2012-02-02 17:34
    I'm going to guess that with the speed those steppers are accelerating to the demonstration shows the arm with the optional closed-looped feedback package. If that's the case, it's a bit misleading to use that video on eBay rather than one that lacks all the extra features, including the optional gripper.

    It's a nice arm, though. These things are typically really made for high-ed robotics classes (the price is decent for that), though I imagine they could be used for an industrial application given the appropriate environment. People can train on these, without too much risk of having their heads and other body parts lopped off, as is the case with full-scale industrial arms of the type used in automobile manufacturing.

    -- Gordon
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