ARS - Arduino Rubik Solver

Materials, drawings and software are here:

• ARS drawings
• ARS Studio software
• Arduino sketch

ARS robot is made of some parts and components, assembled together in order make it possible to slide forwardand backward two carriages with four stepper motors.

First part is the simplest: an Arduino box where you will position Arduino UNO, the breadboard and A4988 Pololu drivers

Upper motor box contain the carriage slider motor. Carriage is moved with a GT2 timing belt.

Each carriage and his connected motor is independent from other motors.

Lower motor box contain the lower carriage slider motor. Also this carriage is moved with a GT2 timing belt.
Two level sliding carriages permit a simpler structure than others seen in Maker Faires.

Upper and lower carriages supports bring the motors connected to claws moving forward and backward the cube.

These support are similar, differencing only on overall height in order to have two slider levels.

A roof tower has been added to be able to mount a simple webcam for future improvements.

ARS Studio is an Open Souce Software able generate the correct sequence to solve your Rubik Cube with Kociemba's algorithm in less than 25 moves (better, in God's number max moves!).

https://github.com/Mihai-Canea/Ars-Project

An english version is on the go!

Clone the repository, the go to: ARS Studio\ARS Studio\bin\Debug and launch Ars Studio.exe

Cube need to be filled by colors, as they appear in reality: an automated version is under construction, it will be totally autonomous. By now you have to describe the cube to the software.

So follow these 3 steps:

1. choose one color from the palett
2. fill the cube
3. click on "Risolvi" (italian for "Solve")

Your sequence is ready!

Now click on "Stringi pinze" (italian for "Close claws"), then "INVIA" ( = "GO").

The sequence will be sent to Arduino which will move steppers according to sequence.

Arduino sketch is as long as simple.

Arduino receive the sequence from USB computer port and read it from the serial monitor.
The steppers require 12v to works, it need a power supply. It requires two magnetic sensor to works well. They are under the motor supports, one for each disections. When connecting the stepper motors to A4988 drivers and Arduino UNO pins pay attention to direction.

Sequence commands are:

a = stepper 1 rotate for 90°

b = stepper 1 rotate for -90°

c = stepper 2 rotate for 90°

d = stepper 2 rotate for -90°

e = stepper 3 rotate for 90°

f = stepper 3 rotate for -90°

g = stepper 4 rotate for 90°

h = stepper 4 rotate for -90°

i = stepper 5 open steppers 1 and 3

j = stepper 5 close steppers 1 and 3

k = stepper 6 open steppers 2 and 4

l = stepper 6 close steppers 2 and 4

m = steppers 1 and 3 rotate to 90° together in the same way

n = steppers 1 and 3 rotate to -90° together in the same way

o = steppers 2 and 4 rotate to 90° together in the same way

p = steppers 2 and 4 rotate to -90° together in the same way

ARS Arduino Rubik Solver won 1st prize in italian Olympics Problem Solving Games in 2018.

ARS Arduino Rubik Solver won a Maker of Merit at Maker Faire Rome in 2017.

Many thanks to my students Paolo Grosso and Alberto Vignolo who tenaciously this project, to Mihai Canea and Giorgio Spinoni who improved software, to Josef Costamagna who started an incoming web version, to Alberto Bertola and Edgard Kazimirowicz who perfected mechanics.

Next step: controlling ARS from wherever in the world, so that everyone can play with it.

We need to improve colors recognition while web server is on the go, as you can see in the video.

Stay tuned!