I figured out the relay problem. It is a solid state relay designed for low voltage DC only. I was switching 240 AC. I "remembered" the relay as being for both, but I was wrong when I went back and checked the specs! One problem down! LOL
LOL you were pushing the MosFETS into avalanche breakd-down while hooked to the plasma torch and it didn't explode?! What brand relay did you buy, 'cause that's one TOUGH solid-state relay.
I stumbled upon your page searching for a video on relays about 2 months ago and have been hooked ever since! I'm a biomedical engineer and you make me want to go back to get a mechanical engineering degree! I applaud you, your skills, your kindness, and your desire to educate. Plus, we are starting a family soon, so seeing you with your kids is immensely inspiring to me. Keep it up, Jeremy!
Far from disappointing, this is maybe my favorite video you've ever posted. If I didn't think you'd find the problem and tell us, *that* would be frustrating. But we know you're learning along with us, and we know you're in this project for the long haul. Watching the struggle, and learning from it, is a big part of what we're here for.
Yeah, I second that. I learn a lot more by seeing the process of failure and re-attempt. It’s extremely valuable to see you brainstorm and then try something, and do it all again. For me I could use even more than what you showed here
ENGINEERING IS COMPLICATED. This is so true, and "normal" humans don't see it. But OMG, you're making a robot to cut a line in a tube. What about making a frikken car?! The level of complicated is so huge it's amazing. I love that you're able to show when it just becomes too much to grasp at once. Thank you.
I'm in engineering too, and also work pretty much alone. It's awesome to see a channel that shows the typical problems and the amount of hours of debugging. Great job!
I work well on my own but I also REALLY value at least one other person to work with. Someone else to look at what I've done and point out the things that I think are one way but are actually another OR someone for me to explain things to and in explaining, realize what the issue is!
your merciless self deprecation is hillarious! "lets take a moment to appreciate how confused i look". brilliance with, what i hope is, a genuine built in comic relief...mode...uh...humility. your always an inspiration, success or fai....setback, its always worth knowing
I'm a fellow engineer from Spain (electrical and robotics). Just commenting to tell you that you are the best engineer in UA-cam. You actually show what is like to do engineering (including the ugly and 'this is not working ' part), and look like a genuine guy with great personality and a big desire to learn new things. And the nice family is a great touch. Please keep doing this.
This was the best video of all time!!! Real engineering with real problems that don't have easy, immediate solutions. There was joy and satisfaction. There was frustration. Most importantly, there was adventure. And the adventure continues! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Crack on!
Great Job finding the set screw problem. We had a frequency changing system on a special type of radio in a communication center where I worked. We had 12 of these radios. 11 of the radios worked great 24 hrs a day, 360 days a year. 1 radio worked when turned and then drifted off repeatedly. The techs worked on it for months trying to get it to work right. Finally, we as a group compared that radio with the one next to it as team of techs carefully disassembled the chain drive underneath. Part by part was compared. One of the sprockets looked different. We discovered it was missing a little sleeve on the shaft. We replaced the paper thin sleeve and the radio was on the hit parade. It worked perfectly.
I been following your page for 4 years now. I was a graphic designer for over 10 yrs. Then switch career to electrical technology. Now I work a Electrical Control technician. Assembling, wiring, learning about hydraulic, setup network, PLC, Arduino, VFD and troubleshooting electrical control panel for bridges. Doing electrical and mechanical cad drawings. In a span of 20 months. Love this stuff. I'm so glad I found this page.
This is one of the best UA-cam channels. I love this series on the shop built robot. I learn so much from these videos about how to think about things.
Your expression at 4:15 is so incredibly relatable. I'm a mechanical engineer working in industrial automation and robotics, and I feel like that's me at some point, several times a day, on most days. I came here to see a robot do some plasma cutting, but stayed because of your authenticity when it comes to problem solving. Thank you for showing the whole process, especially when things go wrong, because that's an opportunity for the rest of us to learn from you every step of the way. While the technical details are always interesting, I think what really makes your videos stand out is the way you approach each technical problem, and the way you keep your cool and work through it no matter how frustrating things get. Keep up the good work!
Don't be so hard on yourself. You are one of the most intelligent guys that I watch on UA-cam. I love watching your troubleshooting. You will figure it out. Love your channel
Your wife is a saint for providing you the opportunity to tinker in your shop until the wee hours. Thank you Mrs. Fielding for lending us your husband and taking care of the kids. Also, little Fieldings, thank you for lending us your dad and I hope you have as much fun hanging out in the shop with him as I did with my dad when I was your age.
Watching these videos and many others over the years, I’m a plumber by trade but considering going to Uni part time to study mechanical engineering after watching all these, so thank you! 6-8yrs here I come!
You should probably consider going for an MET degree instead, I am currently an engineering student and all I’ve learned so far is heavy math and physics. The things Jeremy does in this video is more closely related to what you would learn from a Mechanical Engineering Tech degree
@@goshenable I’ll check it out thanks! I’ve heard it’s pretty heavy on physics and maths, always loved physics and maths in school. Currently enrolled for a math refresher to get myself back up to speed. How you finding the study at the moment?
@@SurfyKirky If you like physics and math then you will do good, the course load isn’t horrible as long as you put in the effort. I did the same thing and started with a math refresher. Good Luck!
Reminds of the countless hours we spent debugging industrial robotics when running my own industrial automation shop a decade back. Thankyou Jeremy for showing the true nature of engineering problem solving.
I used to design and install home automation systems (lighting, a/v, security) back in the 90s, before everything went to standardized wireless interfaces around 2010. It was a tail-chasing nightmare to get multiple mechanical, electrical, and audio/video systems working together, some controlled by or, some with janky proprietary communication protocols and software, usually in beta or early production stages, with every component individually hard-wired to a central controller, which was hard wired to all the home’s keypads, TVs and speakers…SO MANY failure modes, and no way to test it in discrete modules. I got the hellouta that business. It’s one thing to be an early adopter. It’s a whole other thing to install and support equipment for customers who are early adopters.
I'm not even half way through this video but am inspired to say thank you for being real about your experience. A lot of channels just show a happy polished tiktok style video, but for me, I deeply appreciate seeing the frustrations and problems. At least to some degree. Its relatable and endearing seeing you scratch your head and raise your eyebrows, honestly confounded by the issues that arise. Your patience and kind committed attitude are an inspiration. Thank you.
Thank you for documenting what you're going through and the problems you run into. I myself am in the process of building a CNC machine and eventually a robotic arm, and this channel has absolutely showed me that I'm not on a wild goose chase and it can be done with a lot of time, research and work. You're videos are amazing
First of all, 24 minutes, although long by your standard, isn't too long. I could watch your videos all day! You are an amazing engineer and I admire not just your knowledge, but also your tenacity and attitude! Those two attributes alone will take a person far in life. On the topic of "make notes"-- as a software engineer, I can tell you that when you are working on software problems, the best way to "take notes" is to use source control to create a history of all of your software changes. That will give you the ability to look back over what you've changed and potentially find what got broken. It isn't tough and it'll save you frustrations in the long run.
Commenting to say that watching the trouble shooting in progress is my favorite part of this video. A working machine is great, but watching all the trouble shooting involved with getting that machine to its final state really makes you appreciate and admire the hard work that went into it. Thanks for sharing.
Love. Watching. You. Solve. Problems. Honestly, Mr. Fielding, most of your projects are out of scope for anything I could attempt, but watching you butt heads with the unexpected and your resilience in grinding your way towards solutions is something I can and should take into my world. Thank you.
Something to check for your relay problem... What is the _contact_ voltage and _contact_ current rating for your relay? Note that these are DIFFERENT from the _coil_ voltage and _coil_ current ratings! If the relay contacts are rated for 25VDC and 5A, and you are trying to switch 120VAC up to 1A, you will burn out the contacts! Given that the distances are so small for the armature travel in the relay, high voltages on the contacts may even be able to jump that distance on a low-voltage relay. This would make it appear like the relay is ON all the time, no matter whether the coil is energized or not. You've done a lot of great work! I'm sure you'll figure things out!
I was thinking this, too. But I thought that should damage the relay to the point where it could be detected with a multimeter (or a nose), but perhaps it just hasn't cooked itself long enough.
@@Cynthia_Cantrell Based on the comment sounds like it just failed open with the voltage applied, less immediately catastrophic but, well, probably more dangerous overall!
Thank you for showing the failures! I'm a service engineer and I too had frustrating robot issues today. I'm pretty green, so it's encouraging to see a more experienced engineer stumble from time to time, too.
I just saw the image of your servo controllers and was overwhelmed. You're doing great with this stuff! Love that you're showing the head scratching and frustration with this. It lets everyone know it's not as easy as it sometimes looks.
This video wasn't disappointing at all. It showed you trying your best to find a solution in a subject I'm now trying to learn. Very enlightening. You rock man keep it up.
Took me 3 years to finish my CNC, spent so many late nights scratching my head. But I know that feeling when you persevere and the darn thing WORKS! Greatest feeling in the world.
It may not be the greatest cut ever, no first steps are smooth. I am impressed with willingness to take on the project and your ability to overcome difficulties. I have taken my first step into power control by mounting moters to my little unimat 3 just to stop hand cranking for hours. Your projects are a inspiration to keep making things better and intelligently.
This *is* what engineering is like. Lots and lots of frustration, countered by those joyous moments where it comes together. I think it's a lot like games ... it's not fun if you succeed every time. The challenge to overcome is what makes it worthwhile. Thanks for showing the journey and not just the destination.
Quick thought for the relay issue, is the robot arm relay rated at a high enough voltage for the plasma cutter? I would guess the normal robot gripper is a relatively low voltage DC solenoid, while the plasma cutter may be switching mains voltage or higher. If the relay is rated too low, the power / signal will just arc over the contacts whether open or closed.
I thought the same but that wasnt the case. He uses a solid state relay, which are based on semiconductors, not mechanical switches. They are either designed for DC or AC, and he had the wrong sort.
My favorite part of your channel is how you share your failures! You are a beast! You put it all out there and seeing you deal with failure so gracefully is just as inspiring as seeing the amazing things you build, and twice as theraputic.
This is the kind of UA-cam I like: run into problems, go down the troubleshooting rabbit hole trying to figure out why things aren't working. It's kind of a relief because, although I'm not an engineer, I've come into problem solving issues in college math, 3D modeling, basic coding, and other areas; it's almost a comfort to see someone dealing with issues specific to their creativity. People need to see that sometimes there are a lot of hiccups on the way to the finished work. Just found your channel and looking forward to watching your backlog of content.
Man your glass is always half full and that is so good to see. I have a small home shop CNC and I know how things get out of phase as I say so with what you are doing is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Nonono... Half full is the outlook of an optimist. Half empty is the outlook of a pessimist. An _Engineer_ views the glass as twice as big as it needs to be!
I was just explaining to a friend how I love the way you frame setbacks in your videos. Watching you troubleshoot a situation that isn't working correctly is very inspiring. This video ending without a conclusive answer will only make the next one that much more satisfying to watch. Thank you so much for the videos you make. They mean a lot to me and so many people.
I so appreciate your honesty and grace in the face of the discomfort of learning and occasionally failing. You capture the pain (and also the satisfaction) of a complex engineering task really well!
There are so many reasons I love your channel (and am glad to have finally been pointed to it by another UA-cam). One of those is that you show the full engineering process, not just the happy path. As one engineer to another, that's huge and shows where the challenges, and thrill, of engineering lie.
Basically every failure is part of success if you can learn something from it. I forget who it was, but I was told about an interview when I wss in high-school with some inventor and the interviewer was somewhat star struck. He commented about how amazing it must be to be able to figure things out so easily. The inventor replied with something like " you only think that because you only know about my successes. If you knew how many failures it took to produce that success, you would be even more amazed".
never change your content. The majority of youtubers would go from min 0:00 to the end without showing the true journey, and that is why I'm here because you show what it's really like for those of us who have been there.
After 50+ years in engineering, you demonstrate a very important principle. We called this principle "the Law of the Grovel". Persistence, in tackling multiple and varying problems, ultimately results in success. (when you keep your head and a sense of humor)
Incredibly important point on annotating your changes/fixes. As a professional technician troubleshooting a difficult problem, I have to constantly remind myself to test 1 change at a time in order to identify what ultimately fixed my problem. Many of us often find ourselves fixing a problem and not knowing which solution to point our finger at when determining what the cause of failure was.
As a mechanical engineering student your videos definitely help me through my classes in critical thinking. My lack of coding would keep me away from projects this dense, but one thing that you really need to address to really move things forward is closing the loop so the controller knows where the robot is. Thank you for posting failures and issues, because that's how collectively we learn the most from something. It's easy to get something right without understanding, but hard to get something wrong and actually understand the issues.
Great video! A few years ago I stumbled upon one of your videos about DC Motors when I was building my CNC Laser. I was going through many videos from many creators so, sadly I just saw the video and rushed on to the shop trying to make the laser work. It did help, so thank you for that! Fast forward to today. UA-cam recommends a video about a robot, and I see a familiar face. I realized I made a mistake about 3 years ago. I have missed out on a literal goldmine of expertly crafted content. I should have subscribed then and there. But there's an upside to this. I have 100 videos yet to see and I now have you on my notification list. I counted. Exactly 100 videos and I intend to watch them all!
I rarely comment, but I'm a manufacturing engineer in electronics who dabbles in home improvement and I really enjoy your channel. Your IRL job and mine may well overlap, there are companies in your neck of the woods that we provide for. That said, you really are brilliant in the explanation of subjects you understand well, great presentation and understanding of what aspects need attention. Add to that your mischievous curiosity and openness when delving into the subjects you don't, and you've got a very fun journey to follow. Keep up the good work, especially the "best practices" bits, the guys on the production floor will make you saint someday when this catches on.
New viewer, am so glad you were recommended to me. I feel like I need to go back a couple of vids to see how we got here. The notes thing is really important to me, and the other thing I've learned is to slow down and only change one thing at a time. Get yourself a lab notebook and follow a protocol. Document what you intend to do, the steps you think you need, and what the end result should be. Then document the steps you took, whatever deviations to the plan, and the results of the actions. refine and repeat. Slow, steady progress, beats a "Tada!" moment because most of those are a failure. and for sure celebrate the successes. That's more to remind myself than telling you what to do.
Thank you for sharing your projects with us. Jarvis is quite an amazing project. You tell us you are an amateur but your avocation is inspirational. I have been a subscriber for about 4 years. Always eager for your next video to come out. Every one is interesting and teaches me something. Keep up the good work. Blessings, Don
I love the fact that you are pushing to a deadline then still publish 'failure' as not yet! So many disciplines at once. Keep pushing that young brain!
On the bright side, at least the video's title didn't become, "I attached a plasma torch to my shop-made robot, and now my wife's car has a sun roof." I enjoy your explanations and coverage of troubleshooting in this video. Very informative and entertaining. And congrats on solving the relay malfunction.
Jeremy, thank you for sharing a _real_ _world_ Engineering type problem instead of a highly edited/polished video which hides all of the "oopses" that happened along the way. We learn more that way. You are an excellent Teacher too given the way you explain things in ways that "regular" folks can understand. I look forward to the next videos in this series to see what the problems & solutions were!
My 25 years ago ME403 class calls you at least a 4/5 in some categories, but has no comment others. Again, I can't tell you how much this is awesome. Thank you!
No matter what problem is that you are trying to solve, or how frustrating the problems are, you always manage to keep a smile on your face. Very well done with that ... 😃
It's the fact that you take the time to show that we are not alone when we get frustrated. Engineering in general results in head scratching and hair pulling but in the end it's worth it. Thanks for the great content!
I'm currently studying electrical engineering so it was fantastic to see you troubleshooting much in the same we've been for UGV's. Gave me a chuckle too when you said you were using a teensy to power something this large and powerful.
Philosophy for finding the problem with remotely turning the plasma cutter on and off: Maybe look for points of failure. 1. Relay inside plasma cutter turning torch on/off 2. Signal to enable plasma cutter: Time dependent 3. Setting on cutter of whether plasma cutter is triggered using computer or not 4. Type of signal sent from computer to plasma cutter to turn on/off My friend had a cnc plasma cutter that I got to use once. The always on plasma cutter was an issue for him, too. There was both a switch he flipped on his cutter and a software setting he had to worry about in order to drive the plasma cutter correctly, and turn on/turn off the cutter for making holes. Anyway, failure mode effect analysis could be your solution. If you start with the plasma cutter and work back from there, you should find the problem. Your videos are an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing.
in addition to the advice you provided regarding taking notes. something that has saved me more than once is to not change more than 1 thing at a time when ironing out details. its easier to know 1 item caused an issue than to figure out which of many changes caused the issue
The Patreon is lit! You are a awesome role model and I love how you explain your learning experiences instead of trying to look like a "perfect" UA-camr. Thank you!
I love you're humble approach to sharing your challenges. It is so refreshingly honest! As we all know... failure is one of the best teachers. So when a teacher includes their failures, I'm definitely going to learn something!
I recently completed my first PLC controlled machine, designed from the ground up. I hear you on solving problem after problem, but I also understand the sense of accomplishment at having successfully solved all of the problems.
@@siarsMM it was a joke based on a Short Circuit, which is a film from the 1980's featuring a robot going haywire and always saying that it needs input.
This is my favorite series on UA-cam right now. These types of problems really humanize the process of what it takes to get these types of machines to work. Great stuff, and don't give up!!!
Greetings from Germany, im Working on Cloos Welding Robot and Kuka Laser Welding Robot. In Comparising to your Robot its Just Plug an play. Its amazing how you Build your Own Robot. Even with trial and error. Fantastic Work! I will follow your Progress and wish you luck to get finish this project.
this is one of the coolest DIY projects I think I've ever seen Jeremy, amazing work! At first I thought the robot arm was off the shelf but appears to be totally custom, incredible!
Thanks for the video - I love the fact that you're showing all of the issues, instead of editing the video to look like everything works the first time. Better to keep it real (rather than doing the UA-cam equivalent of fashion magazines touching up their models in Photoshop).
You make great videos, Jeremy, and this one is right up there. Too often UA-cam videos are too happy and trouble free. Showing problems and, above all, how to solve them is incredibly important and underrated. Thank you! 😎👍🏻👍🏻
This is such a nice reminder to be patient in my own projects! I'm trying to make a variometer for myself, since I just got into paragliding. Yesterday I fully realized the scope of this challenge, since I need to do some real time statistics and calculus on barometric pressure data in order to havr the electronics give me useful info. At first I was just like, yeah, hook up a pressure sensor and a buzzer to a microcontroller, and I'm done! But nope, statistical analysis is what's needed, and that's just for my first iteration! I'm planning on adding an IMU and GNSS, which means I need some linear algebra as well. It's great to see you working through a similar process and setbacks. What an awesome project, man! So cool to watch it coming together.
Your perseverance is incredibly inspiring. I've been trying and failing to get into electronics and robotics for a long time and I have to say that the feeling of being out of solutions is very difficult to overcome. I'm hoping I can harvest some of your energy to push forward!
I fell in love of your channel since I've watched your video about most important part to salvage from a printer, now I'm watching you building a very accurate Plasma cutter robot (very challenging). Good to see you developing your : machining, robotics and programming skills 💪🏻💪🏻
So set me straight with this relay - the plasma cutter comes on immediately power is provided to the circuit then the relay has failed - welded closed, or does it comes on after being told to switch on, but won't go off, then its latching, possibly due to over-current and partially welded contacts. But is there a third option??? Anxiously waiting for the next video! I commend you Jeremy for having the cahoonas to take on these extraordinary project and punching through the disappointments, moments of self doubt, panic and the perseverance and brain bleeding it takes to learn new stuff in order to use the knowledge in your projects.
Hey Jeremy your videos are very informative! I fix everything that needs to be fixed or remodeled around the house. The way you troubleshoot things makes me look at things differently I've learned a lot from your videos. Thanks
What a great video. Welcome to real world engineering. My experience with ABB robots tells me even big budget companies also have work to do on already fantastic and very capable systems. Ive experience with relays feed back which can keep the relays stuck on, an inductance issue, your relay should have a diode accross it to cancel out the inductive load. That can also be caused by the wrong voltage, polarity or ampage accross it. Again, great video. Cheers
Have you considered moving to a more industrial control system? Your servo drives likely take analog control instead of step/dir. You can then use a Y splitting cable on the encoders so that they go to the drives but also to the controller. This closes the loop and allows for the servo motors to work as "they" want. An example controller is something like Galil DMC. Even if you don't go this route then you should still be able to split the encoder output to go to the servo drive and your teensy which can keep track of a quadrature encoder. I have a teensy 4.1 keeping track of 300 mm/s moves on a 0.1 micron linear encoder. I should say it is the only thing it can keep track of...
This is excellent. I took a 3 month class with Fanuc robotics (just because). I was glad I did. I was so fascinating and learned so much. Thanks for sharing this series. Great stuff.
GREAT video. I love to see things FAIL and then get diagnosed. Tells me all kinds of things. Your determination is key - 'hours later' = you kept at it! Cheers!
You are way too hard on yourself. You are amazing, great work. Hard problems are a slug fest. Never quit. The youth of today needs to learn this and this video is significant in that way. Thank you for your efforts.
Hey, I do know I'm late to the party but I checked your Servo Drivers manual and you can set an encoder output divider providing you the possibility to run the robot in a fully closed loop system, as you can set it to 20 if I remember the numbers correctly and get 512 pulses per revolution as you mentioned you need. It might be harder on the software side but definitely worth it!!
Love all your videos! Such great work you inspired me to make a 3D printer out of an old treadmill... It's been a lot of fun and a great challenge. Thanks for all your hard work!
I feel your pain, Jeremy. Glad to see I’m not the only one having such difficult times with electromechanical diy devices. I for one am very glad you posted this video. Thank you for everything you do and keep up the awesome work!
Way to push through Jeremy, and yes sometimes you need to step away to clear your head and regain focus. Good on you for knowing when to do so. God Bless.
My son is working on his mechanical engineering degree at WSU Pullman. We discuss every one of your videos. Most of it is way over my head but I'm happy he is enthusiastically engaged ... it's costing me a fortune, so I hope this will pay off.
I'm not a robotics expert, but I do work with the tracking of a plasma robot in an automotive setting. It's really amazing how many of the problems you've knocked down. Keep trying.
I figured out the relay problem. It is a solid state relay designed for low voltage DC only. I was switching 240 AC. I "remembered" the relay as being for both, but I was wrong when I went back and checked the specs! One problem down! LOL
That was my guess! Sounds like you got it. Amazing the things we miss when we're in a crunch.
LOL you were pushing the MosFETS into avalanche breakd-down while hooked to the plasma torch and it didn't explode?! What brand relay did you buy, 'cause that's one TOUGH solid-state relay.
Great now your mind is free to tackle the main issue of programming and tracking, good luck...
I believe that Stuff Made Here calls this "Integration Hell"
Jeremy, did you recalibrate after you adjusted the settings on the servo drivers?
Why has UA-cam only just recommended this to me. Jeremy, you've built so much cool stuff. Binge watching now.
That's what I'm wondering
Wondering how it took this long to be introduced to the Mr Rogers of engineering myself!!
I stumbled upon your page searching for a video on relays about 2 months ago and have been hooked ever since! I'm a biomedical engineer and you make me want to go back to get a mechanical engineering degree! I applaud you, your skills, your kindness, and your desire to educate. Plus, we are starting a family soon, so seeing you with your kids is immensely inspiring to me. Keep it up, Jeremy!
this is truly an inspiring page.
also a BME with a specialization in mechanical, this stuff makes me so excited
Far from disappointing, this is maybe my favorite video you've ever posted. If I didn't think you'd find the problem and tell us, *that* would be frustrating. But we know you're learning along with us, and we know you're in this project for the long haul. Watching the struggle, and learning from it, is a big part of what we're here for.
I agree. I appreciate your perspective and I admire your awareness of the process itself!
This is one of the best learning video i've ever seen, who wants to watch a video that doesn't show problem solving..?
Yeah, I second that. I learn a lot more by seeing the process of failure and re-attempt. It’s extremely valuable to see you brainstorm and then try something, and do it all again. For me I could use even more than what you showed here
Definitely the best video!
Agreed
ENGINEERING IS COMPLICATED.
This is so true, and "normal" humans don't see it. But OMG, you're making a robot to cut a line in a tube. What about making a frikken car?!
The level of complicated is so huge it's amazing.
I love that you're able to show when it just becomes too much to grasp at once. Thank you.
I'm in engineering too, and also work pretty much alone. It's awesome to see a channel that shows the typical problems and the amount of hours of debugging.
Great job!
I work well on my own but I also REALLY value at least one other person to work with. Someone else to look at what I've done and point out the things that I think are one way but are actually another OR someone for me to explain things to and in explaining, realize what the issue is!
your merciless self deprecation is hillarious! "lets take a moment to appreciate how confused i look". brilliance with, what i hope is, a genuine built in comic relief...mode...uh...humility. your always an inspiration, success or fai....setback, its always worth knowing
I'm a fellow engineer from Spain (electrical and robotics). Just commenting to tell you that you are the best engineer in UA-cam. You actually show what is like to do engineering (including the ugly and 'this is not working ' part), and look like a genuine guy with great personality and a big desire to learn new things. And the nice family is a great touch. Please keep doing this.
This was the best video of all time!!! Real engineering with real problems that don't have easy, immediate solutions. There was joy and satisfaction. There was frustration. Most importantly, there was adventure. And the adventure continues! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Crack on!
Great Job finding the set screw problem. We had a frequency changing system on a special type of radio in a communication center where I worked. We had 12 of these radios. 11 of the radios worked great 24 hrs a day, 360 days a year. 1 radio worked when turned and then drifted off repeatedly. The techs worked on it for months trying to get it to work right. Finally, we as a group compared that radio with the one next to it as team of techs carefully disassembled the chain drive underneath. Part by part was compared. One of the sprockets looked different. We discovered it was missing a little sleeve on the shaft. We replaced the paper thin sleeve and the radio was on the hit parade. It worked perfectly.
I been following your page for 4 years now. I was a graphic designer for over 10 yrs. Then switch career to electrical technology. Now I work a Electrical Control technician. Assembling, wiring, learning about hydraulic, setup network, PLC, Arduino, VFD and troubleshooting electrical control panel for bridges. Doing electrical and mechanical cad drawings. In a span of 20 months. Love this stuff. I'm so glad I found this page.
This is one of the best UA-cam channels. I love this series on the shop built robot. I learn so much from these videos about how to think about things.
"This is what engineering is like..."
100% yup
Your expression at 4:15 is so incredibly relatable. I'm a mechanical engineer working in industrial automation and robotics, and I feel like that's me at some point, several times a day, on most days. I came here to see a robot do some plasma cutting, but stayed because of your authenticity when it comes to problem solving. Thank you for showing the whole process, especially when things go wrong, because that's an opportunity for the rest of us to learn from you every step of the way. While the technical details are always interesting, I think what really makes your videos stand out is the way you approach each technical problem, and the way you keep your cool and work through it no matter how frustrating things get. Keep up the good work!
Don't be so hard on yourself. You are one of the most intelligent guys that I watch on UA-cam. I love watching your troubleshooting. You will figure it out. Love your channel
Your wife is a saint for providing you the opportunity to tinker in your shop until the wee hours. Thank you Mrs. Fielding for lending us your husband and taking care of the kids. Also, little Fieldings, thank you for lending us your dad and I hope you have as much fun hanging out in the shop with him as I did with my dad when I was your age.
Watching these videos and many others over the years, I’m a plumber by trade but considering going to Uni part time to study mechanical engineering after watching all these, so thank you! 6-8yrs here I come!
You should probably consider going for an MET degree instead, I am currently an engineering student and all I’ve learned so far is heavy math and physics. The things Jeremy does in this video is more closely related to what you would learn from a Mechanical Engineering Tech degree
@@goshenable I’ll check it out thanks! I’ve heard it’s pretty heavy on physics and maths, always loved physics and maths in school. Currently enrolled for a math refresher to get myself back up to speed.
How you finding the study at the moment?
@@SurfyKirky If you like physics and math then you will do good, the course load isn’t horrible as long as you put in the effort. I did the same thing and started with a math refresher. Good Luck!
Reminds of the countless hours we spent debugging industrial robotics when running my own industrial automation shop a decade back. Thankyou Jeremy for showing the true nature of engineering problem solving.
I used to design and install home automation systems (lighting, a/v, security) back in the 90s, before everything went to standardized wireless interfaces around 2010. It was a tail-chasing nightmare to get multiple mechanical, electrical, and audio/video systems working together, some controlled by or, some with janky proprietary communication protocols and software, usually in beta or early production stages, with every component individually hard-wired to a central controller, which was hard wired to all the home’s keypads, TVs and speakers…SO MANY failure modes, and no way to test it in discrete modules.
I got the hellouta that business. It’s one thing to be an early adopter. It’s a whole other thing to install and support equipment for customers who are early adopters.
I'm not even half way through this video but am inspired to say thank you for being real about your experience. A lot of channels just show a happy polished tiktok style video, but for me, I deeply appreciate seeing the frustrations and problems. At least to some degree. Its relatable and endearing seeing you scratch your head and raise your eyebrows, honestly confounded by the issues that arise. Your patience and kind committed attitude are an inspiration. Thank you.
Thank you for documenting what you're going through and the problems you run into. I myself am in the process of building a CNC machine and eventually a robotic arm, and this channel has absolutely showed me that I'm not on a wild goose chase and it can be done with a lot of time, research and work. You're videos are amazing
Love that you share/ show your failures. Don't change your style. We love it. So motivating.
First of all, 24 minutes, although long by your standard, isn't too long. I could watch your videos all day! You are an amazing engineer and I admire not just your knowledge, but also your tenacity and attitude! Those two attributes alone will take a person far in life.
On the topic of "make notes"-- as a software engineer, I can tell you that when you are working on software problems, the best way to "take notes" is to use source control to create a history of all of your software changes. That will give you the ability to look back over what you've changed and potentially find what got broken. It isn't tough and it'll save you frustrations in the long run.
Commenting to say that watching the trouble shooting in progress is my favorite part of this video. A working machine is great, but watching all the trouble shooting involved with getting that machine to its final state really makes you appreciate and admire the hard work that went into it. Thanks for sharing.
Love. Watching. You. Solve. Problems. Honestly, Mr. Fielding, most of your projects are out of scope for anything I could attempt, but watching you butt heads with the unexpected and your resilience in grinding your way towards solutions is something I can and should take into my world. Thank you.
Something to check for your relay problem... What is the _contact_ voltage and _contact_ current rating for your relay? Note that these are DIFFERENT from the _coil_ voltage and _coil_ current ratings!
If the relay contacts are rated for 25VDC and 5A, and you are trying to switch 120VAC up to 1A, you will burn out the contacts! Given that the distances are so small for the armature travel in the relay, high voltages on the contacts may even be able to jump that distance on a low-voltage relay. This would make it appear like the relay is ON all the time, no matter whether the coil is energized or not.
You've done a lot of great work! I'm sure you'll figure things out!
I was thinking this, too. But I thought that should damage the relay to the point where it could be detected with a multimeter (or a nose), but perhaps it just hasn't cooked itself long enough.
The relay is only switching a signal (like a button), not power. Otherwise there would be no way the small manual switch would work.
The pinned comment says this was the issue yeah he was switching 240 AC on a 12V DC solid state relay.
@@AlsoDave Ouch! That's a good way to blow up a relay!
@@Cynthia_Cantrell Based on the comment sounds like it just failed open with the voltage applied, less immediately catastrophic but, well, probably more dangerous overall!
Thank you for showing the failures! I'm a service engineer and I too had frustrating robot issues today. I'm pretty green, so it's encouraging to see a more experienced engineer stumble from time to time, too.
I just saw the image of your servo controllers and was overwhelmed. You're doing great with this stuff! Love that you're showing the head scratching and frustration with this. It lets everyone know it's not as easy as it sometimes looks.
This video wasn't disappointing at all. It showed you trying your best to find a solution in a subject I'm now trying to learn. Very enlightening. You rock man keep it up.
Took me 3 years to finish my CNC, spent so many late nights scratching my head. But I know that feeling when you persevere and the darn thing WORKS! Greatest feeling in the world.
It may not be the greatest cut ever, no first steps are smooth. I am impressed with willingness to take on the project and your ability to overcome difficulties.
I have taken my first step into power control by mounting moters to my little unimat 3 just to stop hand cranking for hours. Your projects are a inspiration to keep making things better and intelligently.
This *is* what engineering is like. Lots and lots of frustration, countered by those joyous moments where it comes together. I think it's a lot like games ... it's not fun if you succeed every time. The challenge to overcome is what makes it worthwhile. Thanks for showing the journey and not just the destination.
Quick thought for the relay issue, is the robot arm relay rated at a high enough voltage for the plasma cutter? I would guess the normal robot gripper is a relatively low voltage DC solenoid, while the plasma cutter may be switching mains voltage or higher. If the relay is rated too low, the power / signal will just arc over the contacts whether open or closed.
There's also a chance that the high current and the position of the relay would force it open like a magnet being close to the relay.
Great point...
You're apparently right. Check the pinned comment.
I think we have a winner here...
I thought the same but that wasnt the case. He uses a solid state relay, which are based on semiconductors, not mechanical switches. They are either designed for DC or AC, and he had the wrong sort.
My favorite part of your channel is how you share your failures! You are a beast! You put it all out there and seeing you deal with failure so gracefully is just as inspiring as seeing the amazing things you build, and twice as theraputic.
This is the kind of UA-cam I like: run into problems, go down the troubleshooting rabbit hole trying to figure out why things aren't working.
It's kind of a relief because, although I'm not an engineer, I've come into problem solving issues in college math, 3D modeling, basic coding, and other areas; it's almost a comfort to see someone dealing with issues specific to their creativity. People need to see that sometimes there are a lot of hiccups on the way to the finished work. Just found your channel and looking forward to watching your backlog of content.
Man your glass is always half full and that is so good to see. I have a small home shop CNC and I know how things get out of phase as I say so with what you are doing is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Nonono... Half full is the outlook of an optimist. Half empty is the outlook of a pessimist. An _Engineer_ views the glass as twice as big as it needs to be!
It's all fun and games until the Doom music kicks in.
Loved being along for the journey Jeremy, hope you get it hashed out soon!
Lol
*"I Attached a Plasma Torch To My Shop-made Robot, And __________________________________"*
I was just explaining to a friend how I love the way you frame setbacks in your videos. Watching you troubleshoot a situation that isn't working correctly is very inspiring. This video ending without a conclusive answer will only make the next one that much more satisfying to watch. Thank you so much for the videos you make. They mean a lot to me and so many people.
I so appreciate your honesty and grace in the face of the discomfort of learning and occasionally failing. You capture the pain (and also the satisfaction) of a complex engineering task really well!
There are so many reasons I love your channel (and am glad to have finally been pointed to it by another UA-cam). One of those is that you show the full engineering process, not just the happy path. As one engineer to another, that's huge and shows where the challenges, and thrill, of engineering lie.
The failures are what keeps us learning and evolving, thank you for sharing this
Basically every failure is part of success if you can learn something from it.
I forget who it was, but I was told about an interview when I wss in high-school with some inventor and the interviewer was somewhat star struck. He commented about how amazing it must be to be able to figure things out so easily. The inventor replied with something like " you only think that because you only know about my successes. If you knew how many failures it took to produce that success, you would be even more amazed".
never change your content. The majority of youtubers would go from min 0:00 to the end without showing the true journey, and that is why I'm here because you show what it's really like for those of us who have been there.
After 50+ years in engineering, you demonstrate a very important principle. We called this principle "the Law of the Grovel". Persistence, in tackling multiple and varying problems, ultimately results in success. (when you keep your head and a sense of humor)
Love your work. I live in the R&D world as a mechanical engineer. Your face during failure needs to be the universal engineer's Face. Keep it up.
Incredibly important point on annotating your changes/fixes. As a professional technician troubleshooting a difficult problem, I have to constantly remind myself to test 1 change at a time in order to identify what ultimately fixed my problem. Many of us often find ourselves fixing a problem and not knowing which solution to point our finger at when determining what the cause of failure was.
As a mechanical engineering student your videos definitely help me through my classes in critical thinking. My lack of coding would keep me away from projects this dense, but one thing that you really need to address to really move things forward is closing the loop so the controller knows where the robot is. Thank you for posting failures and issues, because that's how collectively we learn the most from something. It's easy to get something right without understanding, but hard to get something wrong and actually understand the issues.
Great video!
A few years ago I stumbled upon one of your videos about DC Motors when I was building my CNC Laser. I was going through many videos from many creators so, sadly I just saw the video and rushed on to the shop trying to make the laser work. It did help, so thank you for that!
Fast forward to today. UA-cam recommends a video about a robot, and I see a familiar face. I realized I made a mistake about 3 years ago. I have missed out on a literal goldmine of expertly crafted content. I should have subscribed then and there.
But there's an upside to this. I have 100 videos yet to see and I now have you on my notification list. I counted. Exactly 100 videos and I intend to watch them all!
I rarely comment, but I'm a manufacturing engineer in electronics who dabbles in home improvement and I really enjoy your channel.
Your IRL job and mine may well overlap, there are companies in your neck of the woods that we provide for.
That said, you really are brilliant in the explanation of subjects you understand well, great presentation and understanding of what aspects need attention. Add to that your mischievous curiosity and openness when delving into the subjects you don't, and you've got a very fun journey to follow.
Keep up the good work, especially the "best practices" bits, the guys on the production floor will make you saint someday when this catches on.
New viewer, am so glad you were recommended to me. I feel like I need to go back a couple of vids to see how we got here. The notes thing is really important to me, and the other thing I've learned is to slow down and only change one thing at a time. Get yourself a lab notebook and follow a protocol. Document what you intend to do, the steps you think you need, and what the end result should be. Then document the steps you took, whatever deviations to the plan, and the results of the actions. refine and repeat. Slow, steady progress, beats a "Tada!" moment because most of those are a failure. and for sure celebrate the successes. That's more to remind myself than telling you what to do.
Thank you for sharing your projects with us. Jarvis is quite an amazing project. You tell us you are an amateur but your avocation is inspirational.
I have been a subscriber for about 4 years. Always eager for your next video to come out. Every one is interesting and teaches me something.
Keep up the good work.
Blessings, Don
I love the fact that you are pushing to a deadline then still publish 'failure' as not yet! So many disciplines at once. Keep pushing that young brain!
As a robotics engineer I'm super exicted for these kinds of projects! This one and the autonomous car project are simply awesome!
I know it’s frustrating, all the settings, coding etc. But all this time, you’re learning and so the effort is valuable. Great video thanks Jeremy.
On the bright side, at least the video's title didn't become, "I attached a plasma torch to my shop-made robot, and now my wife's car has a sun roof."
I enjoy your explanations and coverage of troubleshooting in this video. Very informative and entertaining.
And congrats on solving the relay malfunction.
Jeremy, thank you for sharing a _real_ _world_ Engineering type problem instead of a highly edited/polished video which hides all of the "oopses" that happened along the way. We learn more that way. You are an excellent Teacher too given the way you explain things in ways that "regular" folks can understand. I look forward to the next videos in this series to see what the problems & solutions were!
Your "I'm disappointed" would be my "great success". I love your work and you're an inspiration. Bravo.
My 25 years ago ME403 class calls you at least a 4/5 in some categories, but has no comment others. Again, I can't tell you how much this is awesome. Thank you!
No matter what problem is that you are trying to solve, or how frustrating the problems are, you always manage to keep a smile on your face.
Very well done with that ... 😃
It's the fact that you take the time to show that we are not alone when we get frustrated. Engineering in general results in head scratching and hair pulling but in the end it's worth it. Thanks for the great content!
I'm currently studying electrical engineering so it was fantastic to see you troubleshooting much in the same we've been for UGV's. Gave me a chuckle too when you said you were using a teensy to power something this large and powerful.
Philosophy for finding the problem with remotely turning the plasma cutter on and off: Maybe look for points of failure.
1. Relay inside plasma cutter turning torch on/off
2. Signal to enable plasma cutter: Time dependent
3. Setting on cutter of whether plasma cutter is triggered using computer or not
4. Type of signal sent from computer to plasma cutter to turn on/off
My friend had a cnc plasma cutter that I got to use once. The always on plasma cutter was an issue for him, too. There was both a switch he flipped on his cutter and a software setting he had to worry about in order to drive the plasma cutter correctly, and turn on/turn off the cutter for making holes.
Anyway, failure mode effect analysis could be your solution. If you start with the plasma cutter and work back from there, you should find the problem.
Your videos are an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing.
in addition to the advice you provided regarding taking notes. something that has saved me more than once is to not change more than 1 thing at a time when ironing out details. its easier to know 1 item caused an issue than to figure out which of many changes caused the issue
I am always learning something new when i come across your videos...amazing work JEREMY..Am from Kenya
The Patreon is lit! You are a awesome role model and I love how you explain your learning experiences instead of trying to look like a "perfect" UA-camr. Thank you!
I love you're humble approach to sharing your challenges. It is so refreshingly honest!
As we all know... failure is one of the best teachers. So when a teacher includes their failures, I'm definitely going to learn something!
I recently completed my first PLC controlled machine, designed from the ground up. I hear you on solving problem after problem, but I also understand the sense of accomplishment at having successfully solved all of the problems.
Just when you though it was safe/under control you give a robot a fire based weapon. What could possibly go wrong!? ☺️😆😆
It doesn't have a brain and needs input.
@@joshuagibson2520 your mother is a snowblower!
@@Geeksmithing what does "snowblower" mean?
@@siarsMM it was a joke based on a Short Circuit, which is a film from the 1980's featuring a robot going haywire and always saying that it needs input.
@@Geeksmithing ah thx iam a lot too young to get the refrence.
This is my favorite series on UA-cam right now. These types of problems really humanize the process of what it takes to get these types of machines to work. Great stuff, and don't give up!!!
Love your vids, keep them coming...People like you make life easier for people like me...We need more pioneers and engineers like u...👍👍👍
Greetings from Germany, im Working on Cloos Welding Robot and Kuka Laser Welding Robot. In Comparising to your Robot its Just Plug an play. Its amazing how you Build your Own Robot. Even with trial and error. Fantastic Work! I will follow your Progress and wish you luck to get finish this project.
I've got to say... you are my idol. I really appreciate your videos and I love your shop. Keep up the great educational content. Thank you.
Am a software engineer... I wanna get into mechanical and even electrical because of you. I have been hooked on your contents...
this is one of the coolest DIY projects I think I've ever seen Jeremy, amazing work! At first I thought the robot arm was off the shelf but appears to be totally custom, incredible!
It is entirely custom. I designed and built every part of it in my shop except the motors and gears.
Great job @@Jeremy_Fielding! I know the engineering process is weighing on you in this video, but you've come very far!
Jeremy thank you for showing the struggles of iterative design! This was really inspiring to pick up some older projects!
amazed at the depth and breadth of skills required for all this.
Thanks for the video - I love the fact that you're showing all of the issues, instead of editing the video to look like everything works the first time. Better to keep it real (rather than doing the UA-cam equivalent of fashion magazines touching up their models in Photoshop).
These videos are great, you document your work and show people what can be done, keep in mind flow charts and check lists
You make great videos, Jeremy, and this one is right up there. Too often UA-cam videos are too happy and trouble free. Showing problems and, above all, how to solve them is incredibly important and underrated. Thank you! 😎👍🏻👍🏻
This is such a nice reminder to be patient in my own projects! I'm trying to make a variometer for myself, since I just got into paragliding. Yesterday I fully realized the scope of this challenge, since I need to do some real time statistics and calculus on barometric pressure data in order to havr the electronics give me useful info. At first I was just like, yeah, hook up a pressure sensor and a buzzer to a microcontroller, and I'm done! But nope, statistical analysis is what's needed, and that's just for my first iteration! I'm planning on adding an IMU and GNSS, which means I need some linear algebra as well. It's great to see you working through a similar process and setbacks. What an awesome project, man! So cool to watch it coming together.
I appreciate that Kiwico is a sponsor but it was great to see you and your family interacting with a Kiwico kit. Thanks
Just a dude who's keeping it real. What a rare breed, much appreciated. Love it.
Your perseverance is incredibly inspiring. I've been trying and failing to get into electronics and robotics for a long time and I have to say that the feeling of being out of solutions is very difficult to overcome. I'm hoping I can harvest some of your energy to push forward!
I fell in love of your channel since I've watched your video about most important part to salvage from a printer, now I'm watching you building a very accurate Plasma cutter robot (very challenging). Good to see you developing your : machining, robotics and programming skills 💪🏻💪🏻
So set me straight with this relay - the plasma cutter comes on immediately power is provided to the circuit then the relay has failed - welded closed, or does it comes on after being told to switch on, but won't go off, then its latching, possibly due to over-current and partially welded contacts. But is there a third option??? Anxiously waiting for the next video!
I commend you Jeremy for having the cahoonas to take on these extraordinary project and punching through the disappointments, moments of self doubt, panic and the perseverance and brain bleeding it takes to learn new stuff in order to use the knowledge in your projects.
I got it figured out now. Check the pinned comment at the top.
@@Jeremy_Fielding That's great news!
Hey Jeremy your videos are very informative! I fix everything that needs to be fixed or remodeled around the house. The way you troubleshoot things makes me look at things differently I've learned a lot from your videos. Thanks
What a great video. Welcome to real world engineering. My experience with ABB robots tells me even big budget companies also have work to do on already fantastic and very capable systems. Ive experience with relays feed back which can keep the relays stuck on, an inductance issue, your relay should have a diode accross it to cancel out the inductive load. That can also be caused by the wrong voltage, polarity or ampage accross it. Again, great video. Cheers
Have you considered moving to a more industrial control system? Your servo drives likely take analog control instead of step/dir. You can then use a Y splitting cable on the encoders so that they go to the drives but also to the controller. This closes the loop and allows for the servo motors to work as "they" want. An example controller is something like Galil DMC.
Even if you don't go this route then you should still be able to split the encoder output to go to the servo drive and your teensy which can keep track of a quadrature encoder. I have a teensy 4.1 keeping track of 300 mm/s moves on a 0.1 micron linear encoder. I should say it is the only thing it can keep track of...
One of the best lessons in real world engineering I've ever seen.
This is excellent. I took a 3 month class with Fanuc robotics (just because). I was glad I did. I was so fascinating and learned so much. Thanks for sharing this series. Great stuff.
GREAT video. I love to see things FAIL and then get diagnosed. Tells me all kinds of things. Your determination is key - 'hours later' = you kept at it! Cheers!
You are way too hard on yourself. You are amazing, great work. Hard problems are a slug fest. Never quit. The youth of today needs to learn this and this video is significant in that way. Thank you for your efforts.
Hey, I do know I'm late to the party but I checked your Servo Drivers manual and you can set an encoder output divider providing you the possibility to run the robot in a fully closed loop system, as you can set it to 20 if I remember the numbers correctly and get 512 pulses per revolution as you mentioned you need. It might be harder on the software side but definitely worth it!!
Good find! Hopefully he sees this!
Love all your videos! Such great work you inspired me to make a 3D printer out of an old treadmill... It's been a lot of fun and a great challenge. Thanks for all your hard work!
I feel your pain, Jeremy. Glad to see I’m not the only one having such difficult times with electromechanical diy devices. I for one am very glad you posted this video. Thank you for everything you do and keep up the awesome work!
Way to push through Jeremy, and yes sometimes you need to step away to clear your head and regain focus. Good on you for knowing when to do so. God Bless.
Jeremy You have such a gentle personality You a calm soul God bless
Making mistakes and learning is way more important than immediate succes. You did great!
Great video, thanks for making the time to share it with us. It's fun to watch and to also see your human :)
I can't tell you how much I love the e-stop in the hand.
My son is working on his mechanical engineering degree at WSU Pullman. We discuss every one of your videos. Most of it is way over my head but I'm happy he is enthusiastically engaged ... it's costing me a fortune, so I hope this will pay off.
I'm not a robotics expert, but I do work with the tracking of a plasma robot in an automotive setting. It's really amazing how many of the problems you've knocked down. Keep trying.