Stepper motor control
How motors step, reverse and hold position — the same idea behind CNC machines
Plotter Lab — build a robot that draws
Advanced Arduino holiday camp in Richmond for ages 11–17. Five days to assemble, code and calibrate a real drawing machine — then take it home.
Limited August places · take-home plotter
Limited August places · take-home plotter
From screen design to ink on paper
Teens build a compact Arduino drawing machine — Nano, steppers, pen-lift — then code the motion. Not a toy kit: a working plotter they take home.
- Assemble real hardware
- Code motion in Arduino C
- Plot designs from Inkscape
Real engineering skills — not busywork
Arduino C in practice
Write and tweak code that drives X, Y and the pen through real motor boards
Coordinates that move
Turn X/Y numbers into lines and shapes the plotter can actually draw
Calibrate for accuracy
Match commanded distance to real paper movement — steps per millimetre, done right
G-code-style commands
Send moves like G0, G1, G2, G3 and pen-up / pen-down — industry-flavoured control
Design → finished plot
Inkscape vectors in, plotter commands out, a finished drawing they can show at home
August camp in Richmond
- Dates Mon–Fri · 3–7 August 2026
- Time 12:30–15:30 daily (3 hours)
- Age 11–17 · advanced track
- Venue Richmond & Hillcroft Adult Community College
Parkshot, Richmond TW9 2RE
Parking nearby at Old Deer Park (Extension)
Parents in London already trust us
3–7 August · Richmond
Get details for Plotter Lab
Tell us your child’s age — we’ll reply with availability, what’s included, and next steps for the August camp.