Mechanism Setup
Mechanism Setup - Verifying Hardware Configuration
Before implementing advanced control algorithms, we need to verify that motors and encoders are working correctly. This ensures proper direction, zeroing, and basic functionality.
🎯 Key Concept: Always verify hardware setup before adding control algorithms. Otherwise you will be debugging control issues when the problem is hardware configuration.
Setup Steps by Mechanism
1️⃣ Encoder Direction
You'll need to make sure your encoder is configured correctly. With the device facing you, as shown in the following picture, please make sure that the encoder position increases as you rotate the arm counterclockwise.
Expected Behavior:
- • Counterclockwise rotation → Position increases
- • Clockwise rotation → Position decreases
- • Position values should be smooth and consistent
2️⃣ 🎯 Zero Encoder Position
Set your mechanism to the zero position before running any control algorithms. For Arm mechanisms, zero should be straight parallel with the ground, facing the 3 o'clock position.
Zero Position Setup:
- • Position Arm parallel to ground
- • Arm should point to 3 o'clock position
- • Reset encoder to 0.0 at this position
- • Verify position reading stays consistent
Placeholder: Zero Position Image
Placeholder: Zero Encoder Setup Video
3️⃣ Verifying Motor Setup
You'll want to make sure your motor is spinning in the expected direction. If the motor is getting positive voltage, it should be spinning counterclockwise. You can check this through tuner, with the device facing you as in the following picture.
🔧 Motor Direction Verification
Positive Voltage Test
Apply +6V to your motor and observe movement direction.
Expected: Positive voltage should move the mechanism in the "positive" direction (counter-clockwise for arms).
Encoder Consistency
Verify encoder readings match motor movement.
Expected: Positive motor voltage → positive encoder change, negative motor voltage → negative encoder change.
✅ Ready for Control
Once your mechanism moves in the correct direction and provides accurate feedback (encoder for arms, motor consistency for flywheels), you're ready to implement advanced control algorithms.
💡 Next Step: With verified hardware setup, we can now implement PID control for precise mechanism control. The control algorithm will use sensor feedback to automatically reach target positions or velocities.