Tag: arduino

DrawBots for the slow learner

Today I bugged several people far more knowledgeable than I about Arduinos, drawbots, steppers, servos, and power supplies.  Here’s what I’ve learned:

Having just salvaged a bunch of parts from some old electronics this weekend, I think I’m ready to pull the trigger and start building this bad boy.  :)

Yay for learning!

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Wanna make a DrawBot?

So, I wanna make a drawbot.  While there are any number of draw-bots and art-bots out there, the kind I would really like to make is the kind that suspends a pen or a pen in a carriage on a wall by two wires or cords that are reeled in and out in order to allow the pen to draw across a large sheet of paper hung on a wall.  The Der Kritzler, in the video below, is an example of the most recently updated of such projects:

Another great reason to point out the Der Kritzler is that it links to so many other similar resources.  The other links below are for similar well documented projects.

The last one is just a graffiti/painter robot that paints on far off walls by shooting a paintball gun at the surface.  It’s really quite awesome.  Since several of these people have already actually built drawbots, I’m thinking there must be a reason for not using simpler/cheaper methods for construction.

When I conceive of such a device, I think that the kind I would want would not even need a pen lift, since it would draw in a TSP / traveling salesman problem single-line-art format.  The basic common setup is to have two stepper motor, one controlling each string or, as in the case of the Der Kritzler, two toothed belts.  However, why wouldn’t someone just use a reel of fishing line, nylon cord, or whatever that is reeled in and out on a spool that is directly connected to the stepper?

Anyhow, it would seem that the project would require an Arduino, two stepper controllers, two stepper motors, a servo motor if pen lifts are required, string, and a bunch of parts that could be printed such as pulleys, gears, carriages, mounts, etc.  Now the only thing I have to overcome is my total and complete ignorance when it comes to connecting an Arduino to anything and then, you know, programming it.  :)

Sooo…  Is this a project that interests you?  Or is this a project that holds no interest for you, but the idea of helping with a project interests you?  Where should I begin?  (I’m guessing buying an Arduino…)

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Open questions for anyone familiar with Arduinos

And, I’ve got several.  I’m not entirely sure what I’d end up using an Arduino for – perhaps making tiny silly robots.  However, there are so many choices and not a really good way to differentiate among them.

  1. Chips
    1. There appear to be several.  From my friend Google, I understand that the “ATmega328” is significantly better than a “ATmega168” in terms of double the flash memory, RAM, and baud rate.  But, I also see “ATmega328P.”  What’s the “P”?  Is it important?  Does it mean pre-programmed?
  2. Power
    1. I’d like to be able to run whatever Arduino variant I end up with from a variety of power sources.  It’s my understanding that a preassembled Ardunio has that capability – accepting between 5V that could be supplied from USB to 9V from a typical 9V battery to a 9-11V AC power adapter.  If I build a MintDuino, will it only run from a 9V?  Would it run from USB if I use an FTDI cable or an FTDI Friend?
    2. Wait, I may have answered my own question – I’m guessing that a Breadboard Voltage Regulator Kit would be needed to run a MintDuino from a variety of power sources.  Is this the case?
  3. USB
    1. I have an FTDI cable from my Cupcake CNC, so I think I could use that with any kind of board that doesn’t have a USB port.  Having fiddled with an FTDI cable a bit now, I don’t have any preference whether my board has a USB or FTDI interface.  Is there any reason I should?
  4. Programming
    1. Are all of the *Dunio variants identical to program?  I seem to recall reading that the NetDuino is “.NET”  I’m not sure what that means, but I’d prefer to use something that utilizes the Processing environment – if for no reason other than I could use what very very very little processing I was exposed to when fiddling with my Cupcake’s temperature tables a million years ago.
  5. What should I start with?  Please assume I know nothing about electronics, Arduinos, electricity, computers, programming, or things that rhyme with “minternet.”
    1. It’s hard for me not to like the MintDuino package.  A small breadboard, a little tin, some parts, no soldering.  The Mintronics Survival Pack seems interesting too – again a little tin. 12  Is the “Survival Pack” useful?  Useless?  Kinda useful?  It looks like it has a small breadboard, some LED’s, wires, 9V battery clip and wires, etc.  As I understand Arduinos3 , they can accept a variety of voltages.  Will a MintDuino do the same?  It looks like I’ll need an FTDI cable, which I have from my Cupcake, so I’m not overly concerned about this limitation.
    2. Should I go with a fully assembled Ardunio like the Uno, a breadbord kit, or a kit that I solder together?  I’m leaning towards a breadboard to start for simplicity’s sake.
    3. Should I go with a Sanguino, Ardweeny, Arduino Mini, Arduino Pro Mini, Ardunio Mega 2560, TinyDuino SB, Sippino 328, FreeDuino, DC Boarduino, NetDuino, NetDuino Plus, NetDuino Mini, Ardunio Nano, or RBBB?  If so, why?!  Can you understand my choice paralysis here?
  1. I like tins. [↩]
  2. Then again, I’ve got a robot that can make me plastic tins, so they’ve become less fascinating to me. [↩]
  3. Which isn’t much [↩]

Microcontrollers?

Recently more than one person has suggested I try my hand at an Arduino.  I’ve got a spare Extruder Controller which happens to include an Arduino.

I rarely bother learning something new if I can help it. 1  And, I’ll actively avoid trying to learn something new if there’s not a need to learn it.

I have no doubt that once I figure out how to use an Arduino I’d enjoy it.  However, I just don’t have any ideas of what I’d want to use a microcontroller for at this time.  And, really, none of the projects I’ve seen is particularly compelling.  And, without an end goal I’m shooting for, this would just be learning something for learning’s sake.

So, here’s the question I pose to you, gentle reader:

What would you design/build if you had access to an Arduino, a Thing-O-Matic, a Cupcake, an Egg-Bot, and lots of plastic?

  1. I remember in high school that it was so much easier for me to derive Tan, Sin, Cos, rather than to actually remember the values around the unit circle.  And really, if you can derive that information quickly, why bother committing it to memory? [↩]