OWI535-RoboticArm

A C# library for controlling the OWI 535 Robotic Arm via USB interface. This project provides a simple API to control all movements of the robotic arm including rotation, arm movement, elbow control, claw operations, and light control.

Features

• Complete control of OWI 535 Robotic Arm using C# API
• Individual joint movement (claw, elbow, arm)
• Rotation control
• Gripper control (open/close)
• LED light control
• Customizable movement durations
• Demo applications (Console and WPF)

Requirements

• Windows OS with .NET Framework 4.5 or later
• OWI 535 Robotic Arm
• USB port

Installation

1. Install the USB driver from the 1. Driver/OWI_535_Robotic_Arm/ directory
2. Connect the OWI 535 Robotic Arm to your computer via USB
3. Reference the OWI535.Library.dll in your project

Project Structure

.
├── 1. Driver/                  # USB drivers for the robotic arm
├── 2. Library/                 # C# Library source code
├── 3. DLLs/                    # Compiled DLLs
└── 4. Demo Applications/       # Example applications
    ├── OWI535.Test.Console/    # Console application demo
    └── OWI535.Test.WPF/        # WPF application with GUI controls

Usage Example

using OWI535.Library;

// Create a new arm controller (VendorID=4711, ProductID=0, ArmID=0)
ArmController arm = new ArmController(4711, 0, 0);

// Control the arm
arm.LightOn();               // Turn on the LED
arm.ClawOpen(1000);          // Open the claw (duration: 1 second)
arm.ArmUp(2000);             // Move arm up (duration: 2 seconds)
arm.RotateLeft(1500);        // Rotate arm left (duration: 1.5 seconds)
arm.ClawClose(1000);         // Close the claw (duration: 1 second)
arm.LightOff();              // Turn off the LED

// Predefined action
arm.Handshake();             // Perform handshake action

// Always reset and disconnect when done
arm.Disconnect();

API Reference

ArmController Class

The main class for controlling the OWI 535 Robotic Arm.

Constructor

public ArmController(Int32 VendorID, Int32 ProductID, Int32 ArmID)

• VendorID: The vendor ID of the OWI 535 Robotic Arm (usually 4711)
• ProductID: The product ID of the OWI 535 Robotic Arm (usually 0)
• ArmID: The arm ID (0 for first arm, 1 for second, etc.)

Methods

Connections

• Reset() - Stop all arm movements
• Disconnect() - Reset and disconnect the arm

Claw Control

• ClawOpen(int sleepTime) - Open the claw
• ClawClose(int sleepTime) - Close the claw
• ClawUp(int sleepTime) - Move the claw up
• ClawDown(int sleepTime) - Move the claw down

Elbow Control

• ElbowUp(int sleepTime) - Move the elbow up
• ElbowDown(int sleepTime) - Move the elbow down

Arm Control

• ArmUp(int sleepTime) - Move the arm up
• ArmDown(int sleepTime) - Move the arm down
• RotateLeft(int sleepTime) - Rotate the arm left
• RotateRight(int sleepTime) - Rotate the arm right

Light Control

• LightOn() - Turn the light on
• LightOff() - Turn the light off

Predefined Actions

• Handshake() - Perform a handshake action
• FlashEye(int times) - Flash the light a specific number of times

Building from Source

1. Open 2. Library/OWI535.Library/OWI535.Library.sln in Visual Studio
2. Build the solution to generate the library DLL
3. Reference the generated DLL in your projects

Demo Applications

The repository includes two demo applications:

1. Console Application: Simple console-based demo of arm movements

   • Open 4. Demo Applications/OWI535.Test.sln and run the Console project

2. WPF Application: GUI-based control of the robotic arm

   • Open 4. Demo Applications/OWI535.Test.sln and run the WPF project

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

Copyright (c) Alexandros Sigaras. All rights reserved.

Licensed under the MIT License.