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The 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit, is a robotic arm system that has six degrees of freedom (6DOF) and a clew to pick up and manipulate objects within it’s environment. The mechanic links of the robotic arm are built using hard aluminum brackets, in different shapes with a multitude of predrilled holes for fixings and attachments etc.
Their is a detailed tutorial in a PDF file format describing the assembly process, which is provide by Robotpark, who are a specialist online retail Robot Technology Center, their documentation can be found at www.robotpark.com, their complete KIT is as per below :
Robotpark 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit – General Specifications
- Robotic arm platform with 6 degrees of freedom
- Mechanic structure built by hard aluminum brackets
- Servo motors included
- Easy assembly
Robotpark 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit – Technical Specifications
The pack includes:
- 1x Aluminum gripper
- 6x MG996R servo motor
- 5x Hard aluminum multi-function bracket
- 2 x Hard aluminum U-shaped bracket
- 3x Hard aluminum U-shaped long bracket
- 1x Hard aluminum L-shaped bracket
- 3x Ball bearing
- 6x Servo hub
- 4x Servo extension cable
- 1x pack of nuts and bolts for assembly
The Below Images Are From The Self Assembly KIT Which I Purchased From The GEEK App :
The 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit, which I purchased from the GEEK app (Part of the Wish.com group.), in this paired down version of the package, their are no servo motors to control the arm, no base for this this kit has been provided either, however it is considerably chipper than the full package. Therefor you will need to purchase your own servos and wires etc and buy or make a base for it site on, (Not that difficult) you will also need a microcontroller such as an Arduino in order to start using the robotic arm, by writing or downloading a program that controls the servo motors. Alternatively you could link every servo to a switch and control each servo individually. Although this type of circuit is simpler, in as much as you have a switch linked between the battery and the servo only, this would be more complicated in the long run and involve at lot of wires and a messier appearance in generally. Where as the Arduino will allow you to pretty much control all the servos at once and it will regulate some of the power and be generally easier to manage.
You can purchase a complete kit, servos, base, wires and all, from Robotpark for : £134.00 = €156.00 $175.00 – Plus P&P / S&H, to your country.
You can purchase a partial kit, parts and fixings only, from Wish.com for : £18.00 = €20.00 = $23.00 – Plus P&P / S&H, to your country.
Partial Kit – VS – Complete Kit :
So which is the better value kit ? Lets break it down stage by stage. The partial kit comes with only the aluminum parts and the bags of fixings, please see the above pictures, all of which are from the GEEK app, all the images are original screen grabs from my Samsung Note III, the first two pictures show you the GEEK app, as you can see their are NO servos, NO base unit, NO wires and NO microcontroller e.g. an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi. All of which you will have to purchaser separately, so lets take a look at the parts, their price and availability.
Servo Motors
The The 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit is designed to work with the MG996R Servos. A quick internet search on Google.com will revile a multitude of places from which you can purchase these servos. However the GEEK app / Wish.com does off some good deals, especial for multiple purchases, they work out to be around £5.00 per servo and you will need six, so that will be around £30.00.
Metal Servo Hubs – For The MG996R Servo
These lightweight metal servo hubs are ideal for attaching wheels, gears, or any other heavy duty servo horns directly to your MG996R servo. They range in price from around £0.99 to about £2.00 for a single hub, a quick search on google.com usually offers the best deals on these as well as eBay or Wish.com / GEEK app.
Product Description:
- Name: Servo Hub, Horn (Some times known as a metal steering wheel)
- Material: aluminum alloy, the surface has received the silver oxidation treatment.
- Mounting hole spacing: 14mm
- Diameter: 20mm
- Spend toothed aperture 5.5mm
- Flower tooth number of 25mm
- 4*M3 tapped mounting holes
- Suitable for the Common standard servo (size about 40mm*20mm*36mm), such as MG996R, MG995,DS3218 Servo etc.
Jumper Wires
A jump wire (also known as jumper, jumper wire, jumper cable, DuPont wire, or DuPont cable, named after DuPont the manufacturer) is an electrical wire or group of them in a cable with a connector or pin at each end (or sometimes without them – simply “tinned”), which is normally used to interconnect the components of a breadboard or other prototype or test circuit, internally or with other equipment or components, without soldering. Individual jump wires are fitted by inserting their “end connectors” into the slots provided in a breadboard, the header connector of a circuit board, or a piece of test equipment. They range in price from around £1.50 to about £4.00 for a pack of them, quick search on google.com usually offers the best deals on these as well as eBay or Wish.com / GEEK app.
Microcontroller – Arduino
The 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Kit is designed to work with a microcontroller of your choosing. The Arduino specifically the Uno model would be the primary and logical choice, due to its ubiquitous nature, the large community of support, and its unprecedented value, in terms of reliability, durability, cost effectiveness and its compact nature. Again, a quick internet search on Google.com will revile a multitude of places from which you can purchase an Arduino Uno for approx £2.50 To £4.oo for the unofficial versions, (as Arduino is open source hardware) or you can purchase a starer kit including wires, jumper wires, components and power supplies, etc for around £15.00 To £30.00 depending on what goodies it comes with, a very basic kit with some jumper wires will be more than sufficient for this project, eBay or Wish.com / GEEK app usually offer the best deals on these.
Arduino Starter Kit
The Arduino Starter Kit, shown above is a fair representation of a typical starter kit for Arduino comprising some fairly stranded componentry for a kit of this price range. The second image from the left gives a complete package list of the contents, as not all of the components are shown especial the smaller and more numerous components such as resistors, LEDs, (Light emitting diode) buttons and sensors etc. you can purchase a starer kit including wires, jumper wires, components and power supplies, etc for around £15.00 To £30.00 depending on what goodies it comes with, a very basic kit with some jumper wires will be more than sufficient for this project, eBay or Wish.com / GEEK app usually offer the best deals on these.
The Partial KIT With Out An Arduino Starter KIT :
Grand Total = £62.00 = €71.00 = $79.00
The Brake Down :
1x Robot KIT = £18.00
1x Arduino Uno = $4.00
1x Pack Of Jump Wires = £4.00
6x Servos = £30.00
6x Servo Hubs = £6.00
The Partial KIT With An Arduino Starter KIT :
Grand Total = £73.00 = €83.00 = $93.00
The Brake Down :
1x Robot KIT = £18.00
1x Arduino Starter KIT = £19.00
6x Servos = £30.00
6x Servo Hubs = £6.00
— Conclusion —
The Robotpark Complete KIT Version :
The Robotpark 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Complete Kit is excellent value for money and is perfect for the beginner and those less familiar with DIY KITs and home fabrication style projects, as it contains all the parts necessary to complete the build and save you the hassle of ordering numerous parts from various suppliers, which makes this a very convenient way to get your robot arm project up and running in a very short amount of time. Overall I would give this KIT an 8 out off 10. – 8/10
The GEEK app Partial KIT Version :
The 6 DOF Aluminum Robot Arm Partial Kit, from the GEEK app (Part of the Wish.com group.) is a grate way to acquire a robot arm KIT at an affordable price, especial if you already have an array of spare parts at home or previous KITs you can disassemble and reuse. Overall I would give this KIT an 8 out off 10. – 8/10
Thank you for visiting my site, Anthony Matabaro.
