Dexter Setup
Caution: When following the directions below to remove a Dexter from it's shipping / storage case, please be very careful to rotate each joint in the correct direction to unfold the arm and stand it up straight. This direction should be obvious for the base (joint1) and joints 2 and 3, but joints 4 and 5 can be rotated in the wrong direction and end up 360 degrees from the correct place. Pictures placed in the case when a new Dexter is sent out should indicate the correct directions, but you can also figure them out by looking at what the tool interface will run into as it's rotated. Just make sure the wires don't get wrapped up.
Normally, all that is required is rotating Joint 3, "the elbow" up to a straight vertical position.
The top layer of the case will contain the base, remove it and place it with the feet down, and the center mounting pole up. The standard Dexter base is NOT intended to be perfectly stable. It must be mounted to a stable surface by gluing, screwing, or clamping the legs down.
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If the surface has a lip, you can clamp 2 or 3 of the feet down.
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For wooden, metal, or other surfaces which can have holes, screw or bolt the feet down.
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For a flat, inviolate surface like steel, marble, cement, etc... use large amounts of hot glue injected up into the bottom of each "foot"
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Other options are available for customization, please contact us.
Now remove the Dexter robot from the lower level of the case.
Typically, you should grip it by the handle on Joint 3 aka "the elbow" (avoid gripping the side of joint 3 which has the belts) and by the base mounting column. Align the strakes with holes in the base mount and slide it in. Tighten the base clamp. It requires a Phillips head screwdriver.
Before powering on Dexter, position each joint at a known position. The default position is with all the joints vertical, and the tool interface (the last segment) pointed to the right when facing the joints, as shown here:
Normally, when unpacking Dexter, all you should need to do is rotate Joint 3 in the direction shown by the arrow (clockwise, when facing the front) and make minor adjustments to the other joints. Each motor drive shaft has a small dial / handle which can be used to rotate it to a consistent position on startup. Wherever the robot is located when powered on is accepted as the zero or home position. For more on this, see Encoder Calibration.
DDE will walk you through initial calibration.
Plug in the power cord to fire up your Dexter robot. Wait for the "boot dance" to complete (if it's enabled). Continue to connect to Dexter.