Electronics and Software (Group 15, 2023)

Components used:

• Greartisan DC 12V 100 RPM Gear Motor High Torque Motor
• ELEGOO UNO R3 Board
• L298 Motor Driver
• 9V Battery
• Joystick

Fitting with a number of our design elements being reused from previous projects in the class as mentioned in the Design Process module of this wiki, the electronics used were heavily based off of the joystick-controlled vehicle created for Build Exercise #1, as seen below. Note the Arduino, breadboard, and joystick orientations. Additionally, the 12V 100RPM Greartisan DC motor provided for Build Exercise #1 was also reused for our motor in designing the reusable plastic bag opener.

Figure 5.1: Joystick-controlled vehicle designed for Build Exercise #1

Repurposing the set up from Build Exercise #1 and adapting it to the motor positioned in the wooden frame, a new program was written for our reusable plastic bag opener as seen below:

Figure 5.2: Complete screenshot of all Arduino code used for this project. (A complete download of the .ino file containing the Arduino code can be found within the Appendix.)

Using the Arduino code, Arduino, breadboard, and joystick, the reusable plastic bag opener is controlled manually by moving the joystick. The motor speed is based on the magnitude of the joystick position, and the direction is toggled by clicking the joystick in.