• Arduino Duemilanove, Bipolar Stepper Motor and
H-Bridge Assembly
OPERATING PROCEDURE
1.
Connect the solenoid cannon circuit to the AC
power supply (120V in most areas) and position the desired
projectile within the cannon barrel.
2.
Connect the Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller
and the bipolar stepper motor to their respective 9V battery
power supplies.
3.
Close switch 1 (the power or on/off switch) to
supply power to the circuit, lighting the Power LED.
4.
Press charging button (switch 2) and keep pushed
for approximately 15 seconds, charging the capacitors to their
fullest. The Charging LED’s brightness indicates amount of
charge.
5.
Rotate the dial on the potentiometer to rotate
the solenoid barrel to the desired position.
6.
Once the capacitors are fully charged, press the
trigger (switch 3) to discharge the energy stored in the
capacitors through the coil. The electromagnetic field produced
by the current through the wire will propel the projectile.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
-
Finding adequate projectiles for solenoid cannon
o
Lightweight
o
Magnetic
o
Correct geometry and size
o
Inexpensive and accessible
-
Winding the solenoid cannon coils
o
Thickness of wire
o
Involuntary stripping of the insulation on the
wire
o
Number of wound layers
o
Length of the solenoid
-
Operation of bipolar stepper motor and Arduino
Duemilanove
o
Encounters noise from Arduino Duemilanove causing
vibrations
o
Weight of cannon barrel on stepper motor hinders
motion
§
Horizontal orientation favourable
o
Difficulty in finding / creating functioning
Arduino code
o
Difficulty uploading code to the Arduino
o
Adequate power supply for Arduino and stepper
motor
o
Making connections between Arduino, H-bridge and
stepper motor
§
Many loose connections with wires disconnecting
from the breadboard
REFERENCES
Braga, Newton C. Mechatronics for the Evil
Genius. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
Arduino. Circuit for Bipolar Stepper Motor –
Four Pins. Retrieved from
