Connecting to two Arduinos at once to drive four stepper motors

I’m really starting to love Java. It’s so easy! Here I’ve taken the code for the Drawbot and modified it a little so that it will run my new project. From here I’ve got control over 4 motors and it’s no big stretch to reach for 6 or more.

The biggest challenge will be keeping the NEMA17 stepper motors from getting criss-crossed in my new application. I think I’m going to take a page out of the Burning Man city plan and name each motor 10:00, 2:00, 4:30, and 7:30. Then +X will be 3:00 and +Y will be 12:00.

Almost as important as doing the job as advertised, I’ve got to get my robots looking really slick and professional. Appearance and PR are starting to be a big concern – if I don’t market well, I don’t sell, and I need to sell if I intend to keep doing what I love.