I am having an issue with the workcell making a shaking/twitching movement while running a program to draw something with a marker. This program worked perfectly previously but now it does not work. I use it in my class and students built the workcell. One set of students built the workcell and ran the drawing program without any problems. Once the labs were completed, they dismantled the workcell and a new set of students rebuilt it. The second pair of students are having the shaking/twitching issue. They built the workcell the same way. We replaced a couple of potentiometers that weren’t working with new ones but can find no issue that might be causing the problem. If anyone can provide some insight, I would appreciate it.
Hi!
Some reasons the Workcell might jitter include:
Most probable reason:
- Your turntable might need lubricated, an unlubricated turn table means the motors have to deal with unaccounted-for stress
- Here is a link explaining how to lubricate it: Classroom Competition - Lubricating the Turntable | VEX Education
Other reasons:
- Ensure you are not using the 5.5W motors on the arm, sometimes this causes the robot to shake
- Ensure screws on the Robot Arm Assembly are not too night, overtightened screws results in the motors having to overcome these unaccounted-for stresses as well
- Your “z” coordinate might be too low, causing the robot to exert too much force upon the marker. Try raising the value and see if that helps.
- Try increasing your “x” coordinate as well, if the marker is too close to the Workcell it has to almost bend upon itself, and extending the marker from the base might help.
- Ensure your rubber bands are in the correct locations
If any of these measures did not do the trick, please share a video so we can see what is really going on! Thank you so much and I hope to hear back soon
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Here is a link to the video of what the robot is doing:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QlY5KIuZB6VTyEfmfI-_TkECDWR5cP9f/view?usp=sharing
I do not have access to the video. Have any troubleshooting methods worked?
It does look like the turntable is very tight.
Additionally, if the four screws securing the turn table to the standoffs are too tight, it may cause similar problems you mentioned to be experiencing.
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For additional aid, here is a new article on how to install the rubber bands on your Workcell.
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