Programmable translation stage

The project

A laboratory project using a two-axis translation stage to turn a digital path into physical motion. MATLAB and an Arduino Uno command servo motors, while calibrated LVDT sensors measure displacement.

The team lab

This was a collaborative ME 240 lab. The work presented here includes the team’s apparatus, calibration, coordinate-conversion workflow, and reported results.

From question to method

• Calibrated LVDT signals against stage displacement to relate voltage readings to physical position.
• Connected servo motor actuation to MATLAB through an Arduino Uno.
• Converted image coordinates into stage motion to trace a Rochester R.
• Compared the traced result with the intended path and considered the positioning limitations of the apparatus.

Inside the project

Results & perspective

The report documents a traced Rochester R and the calibration and mapping used to produce it. The result demonstrates the workflow; it does not establish a quantified positioning accuracy or a closed-loop controller.

What I took from it

The lab connected programming with physical measurement. Calibration, coordinate scaling, and mechanical limitations all affected how a digital image became a physical path.