Tower
The tower is the central element of the playing field. It is used to move the comets around the playing field so every player has a chance to hit them.
Functionality
The tower consists of a base and an arm with a comet at each end. The arm can be rotated horizontally and tilted vertically. Both motions are created with a stepper motor. The stepper motors are controlled with the Raspberry Pi using a Adafruit Motor Shield. In order to avoid tilting too far to the right or left, 2 end stoppers and physical limitation are built in.
Technical characteristics
| Mechanical Device | Action | State |
|---|---|---|
| Side stepper motor | Tilting the tower | +-16° right/left max |
| Top stepper motor | Arm rotation | Circular movement |
3D-Model
Circuit (connection to Raspberry Pi)
For the connection between motors, motor shield and Raspberry Pi see the Adafruit documentation
Components
For a list of all used components see the components section.
Further information
All 3D-Models were done with Fusion360 and can be found on GitHub. For information about controlling the tower via controller and software solutions please look here