Using an X-Y Recorder to Draw Stuff

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One of my friends found an X-Y Recorder Model F-35C manufactured by Riken Denshi Co., Ltd. in the e-waste at UCLA. I decided it would be cool to turn it into a drawing machine since I suck at drawing.

The device is pretty simple; it takes two voltages, X and Y, and plots the voltages against each other. For example, if X is increased, the pen moves to the right, and if Y is decreased, the pen moves downwards.

To control the X and Y voltages, I used two digital potentiometers connected to an Arduino. The high and low end are connected to 5V and ground respectively, with the wiper being controlled over I2C. The Arduino would then read G-code instructions and convert them into voltages read by the X-Y recorder.

The code I wrote that is used in the Arduino is available here: https://github.com/yadayadajaychan/plotter
The program I used to turn images into G-code is here: https://github.com/SonarSonic/DrawingBotV3

Demonstration

Original Image:

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Drawing in progress:

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Side-view:

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Completed drawing:

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Video of the plotter drawing a witch on a broomstick: