ON Development IVS uStepper User manual

uStepper - Robot Arm
Assembly instructions
By ON Development IVS
Microcontroller, stepper driver and encoder in an ultra-compact design!
© 2016 ON Development IVS All Rights Reserved

Assembly notes
The parts are 3D printed, meaning that they do not have the quality and toughness as mold injection
parts. Please bear this in mind while assembling and using the uStepper Robot Arm. Avoid using exces-
sive force while assembling the Arm. When tightening bolts and screws, please take care not to overtight-
en, since this could cause the plastic parts to brake.
ON Development IVS can not be held responsible for damage occurring during assembly.
The design is still a Work in Progress. Files, instructions, and other stuff might change!
Attribution
The nut cover design used with the uStepper Robotic Arm is made by Gyrobot, published under a CC BY-SA licen-
se on December 24 2012. www.thingiverse.com/thing:39113
When the glue symbol is shown, glue could improve the assembly quality in the appropri-
ate step. This is in general true for plastic/aluminum assembly, i.e. the rods. Care must
be taken before adding glue, since the parts are permanently fixed afterwards. We recom-
mend that the arm is first assembled and glue is added when the functionality of the arm
is validated.

Specifications
The uStepper Robot Arm has the following specifications in its standard configuration
(when using uStepper Premium kits as actuators):
Weight (including uSteppers) 1475 g
Material PLA plastic and Alumi-
num (tubes)
No. of axes 3
Maximum lift (close to base / fur-
thest from base)* 700 g / 350 g
Gear ratios
Main gear 4.09:1
Second gear 4.09:1
Stepper motor torque 0.42 Nm
Micro servo torque 0.15 Nm @ 5 V
*With 24V supply, maximum current limit setting and motor in brake mode. This rating is an absolute maximum, and continuous
operation in this area should not be carried out!

Specifications — Range of Motion

Bill Of Materials
Bearings:
 4 pcs. 608Z
 12 pcs. 624Z
Bolts:
 1 pc. M8 x 40 mm
 1 pc. M8 x 70 mm
 4 pcs. M4 x 20 mm
 4 pcs. M4 x 35 mm
 19 pcs. M3 x 10 mm
 3 pcs. M3 x 16 mm
 9 pcs. M3 x 20 mm
 9 pcs. M3 x 25 mm
Nuts:
 21 pcs. M3
 7 pcs. M3 SL
 8 pcs. M4 SL
 2 pcs. M8 SL
Washers:
 2 pcs. M8, OD: 15.8 mm
 2 pcs. M4, OD: 8.8 mm
Rods:
The length of the rods can be
varied to fit your needs.
 1 pc. 15 mm x 200 mm
 1 pc. 15 mm x 150 mm
 2 pcs. 6 mm x 169 mm
 1 pc. 6 mm x 164 mm
Actuators:
 3 pcs. uStepper premium
 1 pc. Micro Servo
Tools:
 Adjustable wrench
 Hex Keys
 Philips screwdriver
Optional:
 Super glue
 Hard stops:
 1 pc. M3 x 20mm
 1 pc. M3 x 10mm
 1 pc. M3 nut SL

Bill Of Materials
1 1 pc. Base
2 1 pc. Base gear
3 1 pc. Secondary gear
4 1 pc. Main gear
5 1 pc. Main gear bracket
6 1 pc. Secondary gear arm
7 1 pc. Main joint bracket left
8 1 pc. Main joint bracket right
9 1 pc. Triangle
10 3 pcs. Rod end left
11 3 pcs. Rod end right
12 6 pcs. Link end

Bill Of Materials
13 1 pc. Bottom plate
14 1 pc. Left side plate
15 1 pc. Right side plate
16 1 pc. End triangle right
17 1 pc. End triangle left
18 1 pc. Gripper main brack-
19 1 pc. End bracket
20 1 pc. Gripper gear
21 1 pc. Gripper servo gear
22 1 pc. Gripper left
23 1 pc. Gripper right
24 4 pcs. Gripper link

Bill Of Materials
25 1 pc. M8 nut cover
26 4 pcs. M4 nut cover short
27 1 pc. M4 nut cover long
28 6 pcs. M3 nut cover
29 1 pc. M4 spacer long
30 1 pc. M4 spacer short
31 2 pcs. M8 spacer long
32 1 pc. M8 spacer short

Assembly
Follow the steps below to assemble the uStepper Robot Arm.
Fig.1: Fit a 608Z bearing in the base
gear 2 .
Fig.3: The base should look like this
from above.
Fig.5: Press the left side plate 14 into
the bottom plate 13 without using
excessive force. Secure it using 2
M3x10 bolts.
Fig.2: Assemble base 1 and base
gear 2 using 5 M3x25 mm bolts and
5 M3 nuts.
Fig.4: Fit a 608Z bearing in the bot-
tom plate 13 , a 624Z bearing and
two M3 nuts in the side left plate 14 .
Fig.6: The bottom plate 13 and left
side plate 14 assembly should look
like this.

Assembly
Follow the steps below to assemble the uStepper Robot Arm.
Fig.7: Insert the M8x40 bolt in the
bottom plate 13 , and add a washer.
Place an M8 SL nut in the base 1
(not visible here, see fig. 11)
Fig.9: The assembly should now
look like this.
Fig.11: Mount the motor and motor
gear 2 . Secure the motor to the bot-
tom plate 13 using 4 M3x10 mm
bolts.
Fig.8: Tighten the bolt ensuring a
smooth rotation of the bottom/base
assembly.
Fig.10: Insert an M3 nut and an
M3x8 mm bolt into the base motor
gear 2 .
Fig.12: Tighten the M3x8 mm bolt in
the motor gear 2 . (Do not over-
tighten!)
Be careful not to
overtighten the
motor gear bolts!