Paintbot is a machine that paints upright surfaces. It's a prototype that can paint indoor walls. The goal of this prototype is to extend it to paint or draw on walls of any size, indoors and outdoors alike. This document is a wiki for the robot's mechanics, electronics and code.
| Overview | Demonstration |
|---|---|
 |
 Autonomously paints a 3'x 3' square on the wall Youtube link |
| Part | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| A. | Motor Rack with Tensioner  |
Device that controls the movement of the centerpiece and spray gun by feeding or withdrawing chain from opposite ends Design goals, parts, CAD drawings/documents How to assemble |
| B. | Frame  |
Structure, created with 2" x 4" wood studs, to provide an exoskeleton for the Paintbot Design goals How to assemble |
| C. | Safety Brace  |
Passive device that acts as a physical barrier to prevent the pulley weights from colliding with the bracket under "Motor Rack with Tensioner part" - Other functions include: -- Preventing the pulley weights from descending too low -- Catching the pulley weights in case of chain system failure -- Strapping the pulley weights in place during transportation of the PaintBot - Note: Ratchet straps are used in coordination with this passive device There are a total of 4 Safety Braces on the Frame (2 on the front and back of each pillar) Design goals, Force Diagrams, and CAD drawing/documents How to Assemble |
| D. | Control Box  |
Plywood box designed to protect all microelectronics used to receive input or output signal to motors against physical and liquid hazards Wiring Schematics, Connections, and Parts |
| E. | Paint Compressor  |
Magnum Project Painter Plus Electric TrueAirless Sprayer - Device used to pressurize and spray paint Recommendations: For an even coat, each spray layer should have 50% overlay and the spray gun should be 1 foot away from the wall Design considerations How to Connect/Use (Youtube Video by GracoPaintSprayers) |
| F. | Wooden Bracket  |
Device that is designed to handle forces from the tension in the chain system by holding the chain in place during operations Design Goals, Force Diagrams, CAD Drawings/Documents How to Assemble |
| G. | Centerpiece  |
Placeholder for spray-gun to ensure proper upright position during spraying Design goals, Force diagrams, CAD drawing/documents, and Iterations |
| H. | Pulley Weight  |
Weights used to create tension in our chains to allow Cartesian control Design Goals How to Assemble |
| I. | Spray Gun Holder  |
Encasing used to hold the spray gun upright and controls whether to engage or disengage spraying during operation Design goals, Parts, CAD drawing/documents How to assemble |
| J. | Chain system  |
Pulley System developed with #25 ANSI Standard Roller Chains to utilize the torque in the motor to control the movement of the Centerpiece in Cartesian plane Design considerations, Force diagrams, Parts, and More Photos Chain Layout |
- Code that was developed in Arduino IDE and uses the readings from the encoders, inside the Motor Rack, to control the displacement of the centerpiece so the PaintBot could spray a 3ft. x 3ft. area on the wall.
- Demonstration conducted on 2019.11.12
- Alternative code developed in Arduino IDE using displacement of chain distance to control the movement of the centerpiece during operation. This method uses the relative starting point of the centerpiece as the origin and traverses by vector notation inputs.