Robot Arm on Springer Tug Boat for Candy Delivery W/ 2 Cameras and Baby Monitor for Voice

I will describe how make a Radio-Controlled Springer Tugboat with a flat deck that has 2 cameras on a platform with a 360-degree servo for rotation, a Robot Arm that has 4 servos and delivers candy, and a baby monitor for listening to conversations and talking on the Tugboat. All of this is coordinated with an Arduino microprocessor with a Dynamixel Shield and a Spektrum AR410 (4-channel) receiver that is operated with a Spektrum NX8 transmitter. Approach a person on a paddle-board or kayak and ask “Want a piece of candy?”

1. Springer Tug Boat (plans on Internet – Google.com)
2. Spektrum NX8 transmitter ($450 HorizonHobby.com) Good for all RC planes.
3. Spektrum AR410 4-Channel receiver ($45 Amazon)
4. Dynamite DYNS1216 35T Brushed Propeller Motor ($7.99 on sale from HorizonHobby.com)
5. HobbyWing QuicRun WP 1080 Brushed G2 ESC ($44 TowerHobbies.com)
6. Spektrum A6190 Metal Gear Servo for boat rudder ($37 HorizonHobby.com)
7. GoPro 7 ($255 Amazon) (Good for a variety of underwater movies)
8. EleGoo UNO R3 Arduino microprocessor Project Kit ($60 Amazon)
9. Motorola Portable Audio Baby Monitor (Model: PIP12 TRAVEL - $52 Amazon)
10. RunCam Racer Nano 4 FPV Camera – Waterproof ($40 Amazon)
11. AKK X2-Ultimate 5.8GHz Switchable FPV Transmitter ($28 Amazon)
12. Foxeer Pagoda PRO 5.8G FPV Antenna ($16 Amazon)
13. Fat Shark Scout FSV1132 for beamed video from RunCam FPV camera ($179 Amazon)
14. ViaGasaFamido 4DOF DIY Robot Arm Kit with 4 servos Kit ($19 Amazon)
15. ROBOTIS 360 deg. Servo for cameras. Dynamixel XL330-M288-T ($32 robotis.us.com)
16. ROBOTIS Dynamixel Shield for Arduino UNO ($32 robotis.us.com)
17. Crazepony 400mAh 2S 7.4V 30C LiPo Battery for RunCam (2 ea. For $24 Amazon)
18. Liperior 2200mAh 3S 35C 11.1V Battery propeller motor & rudder servo ($14 rcbattery.com)
19. C++ code for Arduino UNO to automate the RC boat. (Email: labsoft@comcast.net)

There are lots of YouTube videos about how to build a Springer Tugboat but none of them are very helpful. I used “Building a Springer – By Allan Wing” (https://www.gtmbc.org.uk/pdf/BuildingSpringer.pdf) as my main source for information for building the hull and top of my Springer Tugboat. Also, there are laser-cut files for purchase on sites like Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/4368111840/beginner-rc-boat-plan-springer-tug-boat). I coated the wood of my two Springer Tug Boats with fiber glass resin for waterproofing. All of the seams were glued together with waterproof carpenter’s glue. The measurements for the curve of the Springer Tugboat hull are reproduced here and they come from (https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?522762-Springer-Class-R-c-Boats ). The propeller motor was a Dynamite DYNS1216 35T motor Here are some images of my boat and those that I found on the Internet that influenced my building the Tugboats with a flat top.

The ViaGasaFamido 4 Degrees Of Freedom (DOF) Do IT Yourself (DIY) Robot Arm comes with laser cut parts (see image) and 4 servos and comes from Amazon for $19. It is a great deal; however, the Robot Arm is not shipped with instructions and the 18 Amazon global ratings are an average of only 3.2 out of 5 with 24% of 1.0 (poor) due primarily to the lack of instructions. One of the 4 reviews gave this tip. “The instructions at the makerbuying.com website will reference the acrylic model but the wood-cut model is built the same. Just a different material.” An Internet reference to (https://www.makerbuying.com/docs/4dofarm) was what I used for my assembly of the robot arm and I learned how to control the robot arm with C++ code from the examples found in the EleGoo Arduino UNO R3 project kit listed at the top of this instructible. The instructions for the Robot Arm (above) are based on control using 4 potentiometers. However, I wanted to mount the Robot Arm on my Tugboat and control it with my Spektrum NX8 Transmitter and the AR410 4-channel receiver. My Arduino code for the overall Tugboat can be downloaded as a .ino file in Step 4 of this instructable. Here is a photo of the laser-cut parts for the Robot Arm and a short video of my grandson with Fat Shark goggles and me testing the Robot Arm on a Lake.

The first camera was a waterproof RunCam Racer Nano 4 First Person View (FPV) Camera. It is attached to the AKK X2-Ultimate 5.8GHz Switchable FPV Transmitter with a Foxeer Pagoda PRO 5.8G FPV Antenna for beaming the analog low-resolution video signal to a Fat Shark Scout viewing goggle. I used a LiPo 7.4V 400 mAh battery with a single pole single throw (SPST) to turn the RunCam on and off. The second camera was a higher resolution GoPro 7 video camera that was not able to beam the video signal in real time. Both cameras were mounted on a platform that rotates 340 degrees so that the robot arm can be seen when it is action (see the platform below this text) and the video of me and my Grandson testing the Robot Arm. Normally, both cameras are pointing in the forward direction of the Tugboat but when an interesting sight comes into view the cameras can be rotated about 170 degrees to the counter-clockwise or clockwise so that the higher resolution camera can capture that sight.

Most of the typical RC-plane servos only rotate 180 degrees which is not ideal for the camera platform. ChatGPT suggested that I use a ROBOTIS Dynamixel XL330-M288-T which is a 360-degree servo. A normal 180-degree servo can be programmed with the Arduino UNO to respond to a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal from the AR410 receiver. The Dynamixel servo requires serial commands from the Arduino UNO software to rotate into position either clockwise or counter-clockwise facing. ChatGPT was very helpful in providing Arduino code for the Dynamixel servo. It was important to use the Dynamixel Shield (a board that goes above the Arduino and reproduces all of the digital and analog inputs as well as having a convenient receptacle for connecting the servo to the Shield). The platform for the cameras can then be moved clockwise or counter-clockwise with the rotating knob on the Spektrum NX8 transmitter (please see Step 4). The Dynamixel Shield has an input for 3.7 to 6 V DC (5 V recommended) but does not have several + or - voltage inputs like a normal Arduino shield. Therefore, I had to solder several positive and negative voltage wires together (see the photo of the messy rear deck of the Tugboat). I have included all the Arduino code Step 4 and the setup for the NX8 transmitter in Step 5 of this instructable.

The baby monitor is a Motorola Portable Audio Baby Monitor (Model: PIP12) rechargeable battery driven water-resistant portable monitor that consists of the Baby unit which picks up conversations near the Tugboat and a Parent unit that can listen to the conversation and has a button for talking to the Baby unit on the Tugboat. The Baby unit is attached to the Tugboat with Velcro so it can be removed easily for charging.

The Arduino code is available for download (below) that can be loaded into a an instance of the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) (https://docs.arduino.cc/software/ide/).

Use Spektrum NX8 (or equivalent) with the scroll button to select "System Setup" from the "Function List". Confirm the System access menu by clicking the scroll button on "Yes". Now select "Channel Assign". Confirm that the Channel 1 is set to "Throttle" and the AR410 Channel 1 is connected to the QuicRun ESC and Channel 2 is "Aileron" and Channel 2 of the AR410 is connected to the rudder servo on the Tugboat.. Now scroll down to the Channel 3 position click the scroll button and select "Aux 8 RKnb". Click the Scroll button to lock in the selection. Finally do the same for Channel 4 of the AR410 and select "Aux 5 D" switch. That's all you need to do to the Spektrum NX8 transmitter for control of the 4-channels of the AR410 receiver.