Motor Setup and Control

This module covers Dynamixel Wizard setup, motor IDs, manual position control, and recording board positions.

Dynamixel Wizard Scan Settings

1. Open Dynamixel Wizard 2.0.
2. In the scan options, use motor IDs 0 to 15.
3. Enable Protocol 2.0.
4. Scan the USB port connected to the robot.
5. Use baud rates 57600 and 1000000.
6. Scan one arm at a time.

The follower arm uses IDs 1 through 6. The leader arm uses IDs 7 through 12.

Configure the Device Name

Before running robot scripts, set the USB device name in robotics/config.json.

Example:

{
  "device_name": "/dev/ttyACM2"
}

The exact device name depends on the laptop and USB port.

Run Position Control

From the repository root:

source env/bin/activate
python robotics/position_control.py -l

Use small deltas when first moving the arm. Large moves can crash the arm into the table or over-rotate a joint.

Record Positions

The recording script stores positions for named actions:

python robotics/record_positions.py -l

Press Enter to record each position.

Joint Direction Notes

Motor	Joint	Positive direction	Negative direction
1	Base	Left	Right
2	Base	Forward	Back
3	Elbow	Up	Down
4	Wrist	Up	Down
5	Wrist	Right	Left
6	Claw	Open	Close

Follower arm home position:

2048, 1800, 1850, 1100, 2048, 2048

If a Motor Stops Working

• Open Dynamixel Wizard.
• Check whether the motor has an overload warning.
• If it does, reboot the motor.
• Check for tangled wires or overheating.
• Give an overheated motor time to cool before continuing.

Motor 5 is especially prone to overheating and wire tangling.