Project Logs

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• How I made a €2 ACTUATOR

  Carl Bugeja • 09/22/2020 at 08:13 • 0 comments

• New FlexAR Actuator!

  Carl Bugeja • 09/18/2020 at 14:21 • 0 comments

  A few days ago, I released a new version of my flexible PCB actuator! You can now purchase it for just €2.00, the open source files are also available on my website - www.flexar.io

• How small can my Flexible PCB Actuator get?

  Carl Bugeja • 07/22/2020 at 12:34 • 1 comment

  How small can my Flexible PCB Actuator get? This is the question I tried answering in this video! I first discuss how we can get it smaller and the compromises involved. Then I measured the specifications of each prototype and tested the actuators in different applications.
  

• 0.13mm vs 0.3mm thick Flexible PCB Coils

  Carl Bugeja • 04/07/2019 at 20:14 • 0 comments

  A PCB can be considered as 'flexible' when its thickness is under 0.3mm. But how can this extra thickness effect the behavior of my flexible PCB Magnetic Actuators? 

  In the bellow test video I compared the electrical parameters of the coils and also the bending capabilities of both 0.13mm and 0.3mm thick PCBs!

• Tindie!

  Carl Bugeja • 12/03/2018 at 23:35 • 1 comment

  My Flexible PCB Actuator is finally available on tindie.com!
  

  https://www.tindie.com/products/Microbots/flexible-pcb-actuator/

• New PCB

  Carl Bugeja • 08/31/2018 at 22:06 • 0 comments

  Just received the new flexible PCB actuators! I'll be selling some of these on Tindie! I'll just have to find some time to set up my store! So far I have only selected the name Microbots

• New Single Coil PCB Actuator

  Carl Bugeja • 08/20/2018 at 22:00 • 0 comments

  Designed a new single coil Flex PCB Actuator! I'm planning to use this as a tiny flap/fin. It the same number of turns as my previous 12 coil pcb.

• SOFT ROBOTICS

  Carl Bugeja • 08/18/2018 at 14:00 • 0 comments

  This video shows the different type of soft actuator prototypes I have managed to build with my flexible PCB. These include flaps, fins and a very weak robotic muscle with a magnetic bone structure.

  It also shows a glimpse of a robotic fish prototype that I'm started working on.

• The Magnetic-Bone Structure Prototype

  Carl Bugeja • 08/13/2018 at 20:46 • 0 comments

• Testing

  Carl Bugeja • 08/09/2018 at 21:19 • 1 comment

  Before I can start building robots with this thing, I need to measure its characteristics and test its limitations.

  In this video, I have tested my Flexible PCB actuator and also compared it to my Linear PCB Motor which has the same dimensions but different layer count. The measured data is shown bellow:
  

  	4-Layer Linear PCB Motor	2-Layer Flex PCB Actuator
  Resistance	32Ω	23Ω
  Maximum Temperature @ 5V	51°C	76°C
  Power	0.75W	0.9W

  
  The flex PCB has half the turns, so its resistance is lower. This means that more current can pass through it, so obviously it gets a little hotter. This means that this flexible pcb actuator can be used with lower voltages. The thin dielectric of this pcb also improves the coupling of the magnetic field.
  

  I was also able to reach a maximum operating frequency of 65Hz.

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