Here is some of the documentation I’m using to self-educate myself about the Arduino programming environment as well as introducing myself to the field of robotics:
As a writer, I have to be careful. I’m the type of writer who types out his stories as if I’m a omnipresent journalist observing actions in realtime. If I think out the characters’ actions ahead of time, or describe to someone else, then I won’t/don’t write them down.
Same for my projects. If I design too much detail into an idea, then I’m finished with the idea and ready to move on to something else.
Thus, I’m wary about sketching out too many steps ahead of time while working on my yard art sculpture.
Instead, I’m fleshing out the general direction, hoping I remember to photograph the evidence of my progress as I go along.
I’ve dug out a few more supplies I bought, including a seeed studio motor shield (product number 2760242) and RadioShack standard servo (product number 2730766).
Yes, I know I could have bought some of these items online and at a lower cost but I shopped at RadioShack when I was a kid and still enjoy the physical shopping experience not to [forget to] mention the altruistic motion of giving extra money to the local economy, employing great kids like Aaron who works at the local store.
Anyway, it’s time to experiment with making robotic arms that move up and down, using the lightest-weight material I can find.
Wish me luck!
Oh, before I go, I’ll mention that I started a Google Docs spreadsheet to help me keep in one place the list of supplies and an ongoing to-do list of steps I need to take or have taken.
Metal dryer hose
Flexible joints/hinges
30 feet of metal chain; Y suspenders
Metal poles
Motion detecting alarm
More as it develops…
In the slow progress of building a yard art sculpture, I have accumulated a few new items, including:
Pictures to follow in next blog entry…after lunch!
Ideas I’m working on include motion detection trigger of sculpture, and aforementioned facial “features.”
Schedules — ugggh! However, we are defined by our habits.
A masked ball at Pier One…
…for my peeps peers eating pears, of course!
Well, it has been an interesting time here at Project Xceed Xpectations.
As you may remember, or not, when last we updated you about our ongoing effort to kickstart a Kickstarter campaign, we had high hopes of showing you the latest robot-in-a-notebook prototype sketches.
Unfortunately, an argument broke out between the Creative Arts Department and the Impractical Science Department over ideas detailed by the unprofitable Engineering Design Centre.
When you manage a bunch of independent sorts who generate their own income and have no golden handcuffs, cooperation is a funny business.
But why bore you with personnel problems?
The facts are these — we were going to show you how our paper robots were going to be powered by one of three methods: a) tether, b) coin batter(y/ies), and/or c) solar cell.
Then, our buyers down in the Manufacturing Department ran into a small problem of paying our suppliers for the power parts we needed.
Never fear! Our military veterans on staff came to the rescue. Turns out they had friends who had connections with unnamed sources in an unmentionable country who could get us an unlimited supply of nuclear-powered energy cells if we’d just give them 51% ownership of the project.
Therefore, we’re in negotiations at this point and cannot with confidence show you our engineering drawings without knowing for sure whether we need to add a radiation shield to protect your loved ones from “batteries” with a half-life longer than your estimated full lives which would be quickly shortened based on the hazmat/MSDS sheets written in Russian Chinese Izbekistanese a nonstandard international language.
treetrunkdings 