The MQ Plotter is a machine that plots points on a grid. It is made from a 3D Printer Frame and mechanism with different electronics and additional items. It uses a 12V DC power supply to power the system and motors and is complete with a 16 x 2 LCD and Encoder for the user interface. The electronics are based on a different but similar project. The ATMEGA328P Microcontroller has the Arduino UNO Bootloader installed on it. The USB at the back uses a CH340 chip which can be used to program the ATMEGA328P through the Arduino IDE.

Every point the machine plots on the grid, it moves upwards, pauses while the plot is active and then moves downwards. This process is repeated for every point. When the plot is active, a relay is activated. The relay output switch ports can be accessed from the back of the machine. Each point on the grid is spaced out evenly by a pre-determined Pitch.

The LCD and Encoder are to navigate the menu system. In this menu, settings can be changed to change the operation of the Plotter. By pressing the Encoder, the menu will select the current item or perform the current command (select “Run” to start and run the machine). The back button enables navigation back through the menu.

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Tag: plotter

MQ Plotter