mDrawbot Kit

Introduction

Based on Makeblock open platform, mDrawBot is a transformable drawing robot kit that integrates mechanics, electronics, software, and art. It can be assembled into four forms: mScara(Cylindrical Coordinates Robotic Arm), mSpider(Wall-Drawing Machine), mEggBot(Egg-Painting Robot), mCar(Drawing Car). Working with the easy-to-use software mDraw, it presents virtual digital graphics in the real world, exercises your hands-on ability, and achieves the goal of painting on places that seem to be impossible to draw on, like on the desk, ground, the surface of a sphere, etc..

This kit consists of over 60 components from Makeblock, including beams, brackets, motors, etc.. It also comes with a specially-designed software named mDraw to control these robots. Here’s the picture of all the components.

Specifications

1. Frame: Anodized Aluminum

	mScara	mSpider	mEggBot	mCar
Working Area (mm²)	120° of an annulus (exradius 208mm, inradius 168mm)	\	Cylinder with L×D=60×（10-60）	\

2. Power Supply:

	Voltage	Current	Frequency
Input	AC 100-240 V	0.6A	50-60 Hz
Output	DC 12V	2.0A	\

3. Main Controller: Makeblock Orion (Arduino UNO compatible)
4. Software: mDraw
5. Connection: USB or Bluetooth
6. Supported File Types: .Plain SVG, .BMP etc.
7. Supported OS: Windows7 or later, Mac OS X
8. Package Contains:

• Aluminum Extrusion Parts
• Plastic Timing Pulley 90T
• Timing Pulley 18T
• Pen Lift Mechanism
• Makeblock Orion(Controller)
• Stepper Motors
• Stepper Motor Drivers
• 9g Micro Servo Pack
• Cables
• Other Hardware and Accessories

---

Building Instructions

Each mDrawBot kit can be assembled into any of the 4 different configurations. We provide the detailed assembling instructions that enables you to build any configuration in an hour. The assembly instructions and the user guide can be downloaded here:

 

 

 

mDrawBot Download Package(Mac+Windows)

mDraw(Mac)(New)

mDraw(Windows)

 

Control

mDraw is the software specially designed for mDrawBot. After installing the mDraw software, you can import images that you want to draw. It is completely compatible with the four forms of mDrawBot and also both the servo mode and laser mode of Makeblock XY Plotter V2.0.

Features of mDraw

• Support mScara, mSpider, mEggBot, mCar, XY
• Support both pen drawing and laser engraving
• Support custom settings of motor direction, drawing range, etc
• Support saving parameters
• Support .SVG file
• Support conversion from BMP to SVG
• Support zooming, rotating, mirroring, and moving the SVG graphics
• Support Windows 7 or later, Mac OS X

mDraw is an open source project hosted on Github. Fork it here: https://github.com/Makeblock-official/mDrawBot

---

Further Exploration

Adding Laser Engraver Upgrade Pack (500mW)

Laser Engraver Upgrade Pack can be used with XY Plotter Robot Kit and mDrawBot adding laser engraving function to these 2 robot kits.

 

**WARNING: As laser energy has higher density, make sure corresponding protection are taken while using. **
– No direct eye-contact with the laser light path;
– DO NOT irradiate others by the laser;
– Keep it away from children and people who are not familiar with laser usage;

Specifications

laser engraver pack (500mW)	Value
Wavelength	405nm
Power	500mW
W/ Voltage Conversion Box	Input DC 12V 1.5A
W/O Voltage Conversion Box	Input DC 5V±0.2V 200mA
Operating Temperature	0℃-50℃
Storage & Transport Temperature	-40℃-85℃

Processable material

Material	Cut	Engrave
Paper	YES	Yes
Cardboard	up to 1.5mm	Yes
Wood Board	up to 1.5mm	Yes
Rubber Sheet	up to 0.5mm	Yes
Foam Paper	up to 2.5mm	Yes
Dark color cloth (jean cloth, cotton cloth and linen)	up to 0.5mm	Yes
Non-transparent ACRYL	Up to 0.5mm (*1)	Yes
Plastic Sheet	Up to 0.25mm (*2)	Yes
Urethane Sheet	up to 2mm up	Yes
Mirror	No	No
Glass	No	No
Ceramic	No	No
Aluminum	No	YES (*3)
Steel	No	No
Stainless	No	No

*1. Opaque black acrylic only, * 2.Gray plastic plate only, * 3.Peeling of anodized only

Your Design and More

You can also design your own upgrade pack for your mDrawBot. By adding an accelerometer and gyro sensor, it will become a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle. Add some additional Makeblock mechanical parts and it may be transformed into a XY plotter. The only limit is your imagination.

FAQ

Please refer to FAQ sheet in the mDrawBot Download Package for frequently asked question.
For mDraw software usage, please refer to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um0TXejmmmQ
Technical support: Makeblock2013(Wechat Public Account) and Makeblock Forum