Bevel Gear Closed Loop Control Test
Here, the Closed loop control of the finger joint is tested using a PID loop running on the control Teensy 3.2. The same technique for feedback is used as before, by using a potentiometer mounted on the axis the angle is measured.
The setpoint value is set using a second potentiometer read by the teensy, with the value scaled to be more suitable for the range of movement.
The movement is still somewhat janky, however this is largly due to the flex from the thin nylon support arm, which is already planned ot be replaced with waterjet cut aluminium. Also, the bearings designed to fit intot he hinge have not yet arrived and instead there are still the placeholder nylon bushings which do offer quite a large amount of friction, again jamming the joint. Despite these problems the control potential is clear and this serves as a good proof of concept moving forward.