Using an Arduino with Dobot Magician assistance


#1

Hi,

At my college I was recently assigned a task in one of my class to use a Dobot Magician to grab candy and then move it somewhere else. I have basic knowledge in Arudino coding. The steps system will go through are:

  1. Push a button, that will activate a piston or something to push the candy out of a container.
  2. The dobot will grab the candy (via suction cup), and then move it to a bowl on the opposite side
  3. A LED strip around the bowl will turn green and then a sensor is placed there also so the system knows candy is there so you can’t spam the button to get more candy. (There will be a small LCD screen also that will state what process the system is doing and will tell the user they need to grab the candy first before trying to press the button for more).

My professors want to be able to bring this to conferences and college fairs so hopefully that is possible.

Basically all the Dobot is doing is picking up and moving candy (This is a video of me using it connected to my laptop using the Dobot’s program). It’ll travel probably a foot or two (unlike in the video which is a few inches).

I know you can save a program/function to the Dobot so it doesn’t need to be plugged into the computer. Is there a way to make it so the program/function works off a signal from the Arduino so I technically don’t need to code home positions and turning on/off the suction cup (I know you can press the key button)? All I’d have to “program” is the teach&play mode on the Dobot’s Program.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to connect the Dobot to an Arduino. I saw a video on youtube with someone using what they said are “male to female jumpers” to connect to the communication interface on the back of the Dobot. I’m not sure what ports the cables were connected to. My dobot has a bluetooth and wifi adapter that I can use. I was thinking that maybe I get an external module that will allow an Arduino to connect to the Dobot’s bluetooth/wifi network and then send it commands like that. But if hooking it up with wires to the communication interface is the best option I can do that. I know that Dobot also sells an Arduino kit but I was wondering if there are other options I could do. I watched this video that uses the Dobot Demo. I skimmed the code and then also briefly looked at the Dobot API pdf as well as the Dobot Demo Description pdf. I’m sure looking more into the API should help with coding it. Is there any base code I can look at to start (besides the demo).

I also read that people use an Arduino Mega 2560. Is that what I should get? I have a Arduino/ Genuino Uno.

Just wondering if anyone has done something like this before and what advice they could give.

Thanks!


#2

Dobot official website has a product explanation about arduino, you can check it out.
https://www.dobot.cc/products/arduino-artificial-intelligence-suite-overview.html


#3

Link is broken :confused:


#4

hello, you can get the Arduino related files for Magician from their new website below https://en.dobot.cn/products/conveyor-belt/basic-ai-kit-for-magician.html