Introduction
Hey Guys!! Welcome Back!! In this post, I thought if sharing my ideas on building a better control glove for my gesture controlled robot without using flex sensor. A short update on the development of control Glove that I have been talking about in the previous posts.
Please do let me know your thoughts on the comments so that I can Improve and if possible, build a better one. I have been making gesture controlled robot and control it using flex sensor and accelerometer. Then I thought of replacing flex sensor with hall effect sensor.
Components Needed
- Arduino Pro Mini
- Hall Effect Sensors
- Accelerometer
- Gloves
- PCB
Hall Effect Sensor
Here I will be using this linear hall effect sensor. This one is A1302 linear hall effect sensor which will give analog output when brought near a magnetic field. The first pin is VCC which is 5V, second pin is ground and the third pin is Vout which is directly proportional to the magnetic field.
Online PCB Manufacturer – JLCPCB
JLCPCB is one of the best Online PCB manufacturing company from where you can order PCBs online without any hassle. The company works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week nonstop. With their high tech machinery and automated work stream, they can manufacture huge quantities of high-class PCBs within hours.
JLCPCB can develop PCBs of various complexity. They develop Simple and cheap PCBs with Single layer board for hobbyists and enthusiasts as well as complex multi layer board for high standard industrial applications. JLC works with large product manufacturers and may be the PCB of devices you are using such as laptop or mobile phones were made at this factory.
To make everything more compact I have designed my own PCB. Just yesterday I got it in my hand. And this is it. This one is small and I think it will fit nicely on top of the glove.
And here is the assembled board. On top we have Arduino pro mini, a switch, a 7805 regulator, and some header pins where we can connect the hall effect sensors.
Below we have the ADXL335 accelerometer which will sense the tilt. The output of the sensor is wired directly to the Arduino.
And on top, we will connect the wireless module. For this project I will be using a HC 12 wireless module which have a maximum range of 1Km Line of Sight.
If this goes well and works exactly as planned, in the next video I will share the PCB layout and codes with you so that You can download it and develop one for yourself. Make sure you subscribe my channel by clicking the subscribe button here.
This is the glove I will be using for this project. I will be fixing this board on top of this glove like this.
Making the PCB
Drawing Schematics using EasyEDA
To draw circuits and design PCBs, we have online PCB designing tools from EasyEDA, provides all the necessary capability for online PCB Design and PCB Printing of Circuit Boards with hundreds of components and multiple layers with thousands of tracks.
I drew a circuit in EasyEDA which included all the components on the breadboard – the accelerometer, Arduino Nano and HC12 module and 1 button which are connected to the digital pin of the Arduino. These buttons will be useful in the future.
I also added a 7805, regulator which will helped me to provide an input voltage between 7 volt and 35 volt in the input, so that I can use a 5 volt USB power supply, 9-volt battery or even a 12 volt lithium polymer battery without any issues.
I also added some indicator LEDs that will let me know if something stopped working. You will find the circuit to my EasyEDA below.
Connections
Arduino – HC12
- 5 Vout – VCC Arduino
- Gnd – Gnd
- 10 – TX
- 11 – Rx
Arduino – Accelerometer
- 5 Vout – VCC Arduino
- Gnd – Gnd
- X – A0
- Y – A1
Arduino – Switch
- S1- D2
Next, designing the PCB. PCB Layout is actually a significant part of PCB Design, we use PCB Layouts to make PCBs from schematics. I designed a PCB where I could solder all the components together.
For that, first save the schematics and from the top tool list, Click on the convert button and Select “Convert to PCB”. This will open up a window like this. Here, you can place the components inside the boundary and arrange them the way you want. The easy way route all the component is “auto-route” process. For that, Click on the “Route” Tool and Select “Auto Router”.
This will open up an Auto Router Config Page where you can provide details such as clearance, track width, layer information etc. Once you have done that, click on “Run”.
Thats it guys, your layout is now complete. This a dual layer PCB which means the routing is there in both side of the PCB. You can now download the Gerber file and use it to manufacture your PCB from JLCPCB.
Step 3 – Getting the PCB Manufactured from JLCPCB
JLCPCB is a PCB manufacturing company with a full production cycle. Which means they start from “A” and finishes with “Z” of PCB manufacturing process. From raw materials to finished products, everything is done right under the roof.
Go to JLC PCBs website and create a free account. Once you have successfully created an account, Click on “Quote Now” and upload your Gerber File.
Gerber File contains information about your PCB such as PCB layout information, Layer information, spacing information, tracks to name a few.
Below the PCB preview, you will see so many options such as PCB Quantity, Texture, Thickness, Color etc. Choose all that are necessary for you.
Once everything is done, click on “Save To Cart”. In the next page, you can choose a shipping and payment option and Check Out Securely. You can either use Paypal or Credit/Debit Card to pay.
Thats it guys. Its Done. The PCB will be manufactured and shipped with in days and will be delivered to your doorstep within the mentioned time period.
The Project
I have already soldered two of them with these jumper wires that I can easily connect them with the header pin on the circuit board. These hall effect sensors will be fixed somewhere near the fingertip of the glove.
And finally I will be gluing a strong tiny magnet somewhere in the center of the palm.
This is my plan, when I fold or open my fingers, the distance between the magnet and the hall effect sensor changes, the magnetic field surrounding the hall effect sensor changes which will alter the output voltage of the Hall effect sensor.
When My hands are open, the distance between the hall effect sensor and the magnet will be maximum and so the output of the hall effect sensor will be minimum. When I fold the finger, the hall effect sensor will be close to the magnet and so the output voltage increases.
With these hall effect sensor along with this circuit board that contains the accelerometer, I hope I will be able to create a control glove that will be able to control things like these robots and robotic arms much better than my previous glove with the flex sensor.
I will try it this week and let you know how it went on the next video. I will share the circuit diagrams, PCB files and the codes if you want to make one yourself. Subscribe to our channel if you don’t want to miss that. Give us a thumbs up if you like this video. Let me know you thoughts on the comment.. See you this week..
