Welcome to the challenge
This is the 7-day at-home robotics challenge. Day 1 is the build; Days 2 to 7 are mini-games you play against the CraftingTable team with the finished arm.
What you need
- The 4-DOF robotic arm kit (four servos, the acrylic pieces, screws and nuts)
- A HERO board and its USB cable
- A small Phillips screwdriver
- Optional: a small bowl for the spare screws and nuts so nothing ends up in the carpet
Be gentle when tightening anything. The acrylic is fragile and can crack, and screws that are too tight are the number one reason an arm will not move (see the Troubleshooting lesson).
About this video
The build video is a follow-along assembly with music rather than narration. Pause and match each step. If you get lost on a step, the next two lessons cover troubleshooting and the servo wiring in detail, and there is a long third-party walkthrough of the same kit by Best CNC by Paul on YouTube: Robotic arm assembly video.
First motion test
Once the arm is built and the four servos are plugged in, use the sweep sketch in the lesson Wiring and Coding the Servos to prove every servo moves. Base on pin 3, then pins 5, 6 and 9 for the other three.
Note: the video mentions code "on the product page". That page no longer exists. The joystick-control sketch from the 2023 version of the kit is not in this course yet; the sweep sketch moves all four servos without joysticks.