Early this morning, on the second and final day of the hackathon, the organisers brought us the AC power adapter and USB-C hub, and it made a huge difference. The organisers have been helpful and resourceful the whole way through. Whenever we asked for something, they stepped in right away to help us find a solution.

We needed the AC adapter because the 18650 batteries couldn't hold their charge long enough for what our arm needs. Four servo motors moving together draw a lot of power, especially when the arm is lifting, reaching and gripping at the same time. Batteries work well for small tinkering tasks, but a project this demanding needs a steady, reliable supply. With the adapter plugged in, the arm now runs consistently, without the jitter and slowdowns we'd been seeing as the batteries drained.

Getting here took a lot of tinkering and troubleshooting, but that's what building something complex is like. Every small roadblock we cleared felt like a big win, and when the arm finally moved smoothly on steady power, the whole team felt the rush. It's the kind of moment that reminds you why you love building things!

AC Adapter (you need to select the round pin size depending on the ESP32 Port)

USB-C Hub for the Arduino Uno Q