Jerry:
The Arduinos aren't really that complicated. Some people write REALLY elegant code that can do anything, and it gets complicated. Others, like me, tend to write down and dirty, brute force, does one job, Neanderthal type code and that's actually pretty simple.
I had NEVER done any Arduino programming before, the biggest problem that I had was my Chinese clone Nanos use a different communication chip than the real Nanos use. It took me about a week of evenings to get things up an talking, but Google is your friend, and there is a boat-load of helpful information out there on the Interwebb.
One other thing you might want to think about in the future is using a 3D printer lead-screw and lead-nut instead of your masonary bit. Check out RC Modders,
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_...8HEBJ79GSjpC7g CAT telehandler conversion, he shows how he did it. The 3D printer parts are fairly cheap and are very smooth in operation. I've got a couple of conversions in process that will use a variation of this for the rams. Crueby has a 340 CAT excavator conversion on this forum that also uses these leadscrews, check it out.
If you are a fan of steam, you might want to check out some of the rest of his work over on the Model Engine Maker website. Be ready to spend a while though there's a LOT of pages to go through. His Lombard model took a year or more to build and I think his Marion Shovel took a couple of years.
Don