04: Rapid Prototying

Assignment

Make and document a quick prototype of a possible final project. Integrate an electronic circuit into an object that you have fabricated.

Controlling an Air Pump with a Transistor

I hooked up an air pump to a 12 volt power source, and controlled the current using the 5V pin of an Arduino and a transistor. I tied the gate of the transistor to a pushbutton so I can control when I want the air pump to activate.

The air pump is connected to a soft gripper, which is connected via a cut bottle nozzle attached to an air tube, which I cut from session 2:

I didn’t use any program for the Arduino Nano, I just used its constant 5v pin.

During my experimentation with the circuit, I learned that I must connect the ground to both the 12 volt power source and the 5v Arduino board. I made the mistake of not connecting the ground to the Arduino board, causing the gate of the Transistor to not register a negative voltage when the button wasn’t pressed.

I hope to be able to release the air pressure from the soft gripper using a solenoid valve and a similar transistor set-up, but I need a triple air-hose connector in order to do this. Luckily, I was able to 3D print my own in session 6.