Programming a Robotic Arm

[harriton]

How would one go about programming a robotic arm to move up and down more or less autonomously with easy c? no need for a whole code, just the basic process one woudl use is fine. thank you!

[Bharat Nain]

Are you using any sensors? I would use a potentiometer and limit switches if needed.

[harriton]

I could use sensors, if I needed to.

[Alan Anderson]

If you want the arm to move autonomously, you most certainly need to use sensors.

The simplest way to do it is to use a potentiometer to give an indication of where the arm is pointing, and drive the arm's motor in the appropriate direction until the feedback from the pot matches what you want it to be. If the arm has significant inertia or presents a dynamic load due to weight, you'll want to get fancier and use a PID control system (look it up).