LCD Controlled Two-Axis Robot Arm (Team 39) ECE342-W26

3D Printing
HCI / UX / UI
Junior Design
Winter 2026

The Two-Axis SCARA Robotic Drawing Arm is designed to convert user drawing commands into controlled mechanical motion of a robotic arm. The system receives commands from a user interface, processes them using an embedded controller, and drives stepper motors that move the robotic arm along two rotational axes. This allows the system to draw lines and shapes with controlled speed and positional accuracy. The system demonstrates how embedded electronics and mechanical systems can be integrated to perform automated drawing tasks. Key technologies used in the design include an ESP32 microcontroller for motion control, TMC2209 stepper motor drivers for precise actuation, and NEMA-17 stepper motors to generate arm movement. A regulated power distribution system supplies stable power to the control electronics and motor drivers, while an LCD-based interface allows users to input commands. One of the main accomplishments of this project was successfully designing the system's power distribution so that the controller, drivers, and motors could operate reliably together. A challenge during the project was keeping the documentation aligned with the evolving design, since changes to the top-level architecture required updates across multiple documents.

1 Lifts 

Artifacts

Name Description
Executive Project Summary Provides a brief overview of our Two-Axis SCARA Robotic Drawing Arm project. It highlights the design problem, our development approach and timeline, and the key lessons learned during the project.   Download
Project Summary Video An amazing video highlighting our anguish and success   Link
Feedback