The concept of a claw machine recreation at an arcade is unbelievable. You get to function a robotic in an try to retrieve prizes! What may very well be extra enjoyable than that? Sadly, most of us have realized that the claw machines out within the wild are fully rigged. That isn’t a conspiracy concept, it’s undisputed reality. And it ruins the entire enjoyable, as a result of it makes your persistence and talent irrelevant. However you’ll be able to have all of the enjoyable with none of that frustration by constructing Geo’s DIY Pico Claw Machine.
The performance of a claw machine (and the entire “problem”) comes right down to the design of the claw gripper mechanism. These look fairly simple, however they’re really engineered deliberately to seize issues as poorly as doable. The primary a part of that poor efficiency is a results of the “finger” form, which has a clean, light curve that may’t catch on prizes. To carry one thing, you actually need to get all three fingers properly beneath the item.
However the claws have a extra insidious design “function” that makes the scenario a lot worse. An electromagnetic solenoid actuates the claw-closing mechanism and it doesn’t achieve this with a lot power. And right here’s the kicker: the machine can differ energy to the solenoid in an effort to modify the grip power. That’s how these machines are rigged: the operator can program the machine to grip with low power till they’ve made sufficient cash to permit a win. Additionally it is doable to program the machine to grip with low power in sure positional zones — like the place the excessive worth prizes sit.
Geo’s DIY machine makes use of a normal claw gantry mechanism (obtainable from locations like AliExpress), however he set it as much as grip with sufficient power each time. That mechanism contains most of what you want to replicate this undertaking, you simply want a body to accommodate it, Y axis information rails, an influence provide, and a strategy to management it.
Geo constructed his machine from recycled supplies he had available, however you might do that with aluminum extrusion or no matter is handy. Energy comes from a 12V 2.5A energy provide. To manage the motors, Geo used a Raspberry Pi Pico W growth board. It interfaces with the claw controller by means of a customized cable, with two L298N-based twin H-bridge drivers for the motors. The person controls are a joystick and arcade button.
In the meanwhile, Geo’s niece largely makes use of this machine for taking part in with LEGO, and admittedly, that looks as if a number of enjoyable and we’re jealous. When she will get older, Geo can begin rigging the machine to show her essential classes about the actual world.