Improved Nunchuck Control

I tweaked the way the Wii nunchuck controls the Poppy Jr.  The motion is now smoother.  The motor selection now includes changing the right-left control between the bottom motor and the elbow motor.  The trick was rather than mapping the position of the Wii joystick to a position of the servo, the servo was moved in steps depending on which direction the joystick was angled.  Further improvement could be made by adjusting the speed depending on how size of the joystick deflection; but this seemed to work well.

Overall the design the nunchuck circuit is very straight-forward.  Using the adapter board, it is only two control signals plus power and ground.

 

Code is available upon request.

Based on Poppy Ergo Jr https://www.poppy-project.org
Wii nunchuck interface based on Martin Mason http://www.profmason.com

Cost and Parts
Approximate cost not counting 3D printing costs is about $200 based on parts list below:
3D printed frames for Poppy Ergo Jr figure
https://github.com/poppy-project/poppy-ergo-jr/releases/

OLLO rivets
http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/6980-OLLO-RIVET-SET-ORS-10.aspx ($5.50)

(6) Dynamixel XL-320 with cables, IDs numbered 11-16 starting from bottom
http://www.robotis.us/xl-series/ (6x$21.90)

OpenCM 9.04c controller board with USB cable
http://www.robotis.us/opencm9-04-c-with-onboard-xl-type-connectors/ ($19.90)

I2C Wii Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Gikfun-Adapter-shield-Module-Arduino/dp/B00RK1VKUQ?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage ($10.28)

For power choose one of the following (or both)

Two OpenCM-compatible batteries and charger;
http://www.robotis.us/li-ion-battery-3-7v-1300mah-lb-040/ (2x$9.90)
http://www.robotis.us/li-ion-battery-charger-set-lbb-040/ ($6.90)
2 chargers allows charging both batteries at once

or compatible AC adapater, using a power hub helpful
and you will need to create a cable with one end half XL connector and one end AX connector
XL-style cables included with servos, AX-style cable below
http://www.robotis.us/robot-cable-3p-60mm-10pcs/ ($10.90)
http://www.trossenrobotics.com/6-port-rx-power-hub ($7.95)
https://www.trossenrobotics.com/p/power-supply-12vdc-2a.aspx ($10.95)

About the Author

Jeff Casazza