Making a stepper motor move is easy with an A4988 driver. They’re super straightforward and very versatile, making them very popular for 3D printers and other DIY CNC machines.
The nozzle works, the pump works, and it all moves via IRC. The new nozzles from @Aidan Leitch solve an earlier problem with hard plastic nozzles that had no grip or compliance. Yay! Great video, Aidan!
Of course the source of most problems is other solutions. With this new nozzle I’m forced to design a new method to raise and lower the nozzle onto the pieces. This first draft
was a strong start. Sadly it let air leak in from several places and over time it started to slouch on one side. Later it occured to me that if the nozzle tries to pick up a piece attached to other pieces, it would probably pick them ALL up. So there needs to be some kind of ring around the nozzle that keeps other pieces on the table. Maybe also a software rule that says sideways movements are forbidden when the nozzle is down.
@Dan Royer enlisted my help in making a soft suction nozzle for the JigSolve. I utilized many of the same techniques and experiences from my soft robotics projects. The result was four nozzles with varying cup sizes. These were the outer diameters of the cups:
Each one was 20mm tall. They were casted in 3-part 3D printed molds with Ecoflex 00-50 silicone, but almost any RTV silicone would have worked. All nozzles came out quite nicely and the gripping strength scales roughly with the cup size. I made an Instructables guide and video detailing how I made the nozzles:
Instructables Guide: http://www.instructables.com/id/Silicone-Suction-Grippers/
Video:
Søren Vedel is using GcodeCNCDemo in his hot wire foam cutter to make his RC airplane wings. (more…)
Marginally Clever Robots is hosting a robot contest at the Vancouver Mini Maker Fair. Solve the maze and maybe win a prize! Read on for more details.
The Maker fair this year is June 11-12, 2016. It’s a great weekend of robots, fire, lights, crafting, and much, much more. Marginally Clever Robots will have a booth and a maze (described below).
The contest based on the the APEC micromouse contest and follows all the APEC micromouse contest rules. We have modified the maze dimensions. We’ve also and added prizes, eligibility requirements, and other fine print.
The maze is a grid of 16×16 rooms. Each room is 15x15cm, not including the walls. The floor of the maze is made of pegboard. The 1/4″ OD peg holes are 2.5cm from center to center. That means in any given room there are 4×4 holes in the floor. Walls are made of 1/8″ laser cut wood pieces standing in the holes. All walls are either north/south or east/west (no diagonals). The “halls” of the maze will all be 6 pegs wide (~15cm), forming an 8×8 grid. The end of the maze is a square two times the width of the halls. There may be small gaps between wall sections and at corners. There may be open 1/4″ peg holes in the floor beneath the robot. The walls are 5cm tall. To keep wall segments from moving there may be connectors on the top of the wall segments. The starting position of the maze is in one corner of the maze, with the outside-most walls being on the south and west of the starting position.
Your robot cannot alter the maze, leave the maze, climb above of the maze, study the maze ahead of time, endanger others, or leave things behind (eg breadcrumbs, parts). Your robot cannot fly. Your robot can look at, touch, or sense the maze in some other way (DIY LIDAR is very OK). Your robot can move through the maze by any system of locomotion you like except flight. Your robot cannot use combustion as a power source.
Each robot will be run one at a time. A camera and a clock will be used to record each robot’s time in the maze. Scores will be tallied. Robots are allowed to try as often as time permits and provided everyone gets a try. At the judge’s discretion an attempt may be stopped – for example, if the robot has stopped working, or is deemed to be unable to finish the maze in a reasonable time. Contestants are welcome to modify their robot on-site and try again. Only your best score will be considered for the final judgement.
There will be one $100 prize for the robot that solves the maze fastest, a $50 prize for the second fastest, and a $25 for third fastest. Everyone who brings a entry will get a coupon to http://marginallyclever.com and stickers. Winners will be announced at close of VMMF 2016 (17:45 June 12 2016)
There is no entry fee for the contest, but you will have to gain access to the Maker Fair. You must register your name, email, and phone number with Marginally Clever no later than June 7th, 2016. All entrants agree to recordings of their robots and selves for media purposes and to ensure fairness of scoring. All entrants must be (a) legal age or (b) have a parent or guardian sign for them. Your personal contact info will not be shared without your permission.
Marginally Clever Robots reserve the right to amend the rules. This is to protect the fairness of the contest, add clarity, and protect the safety of the everyone involved. This post will be updated to include the amendments.
I am committing to keeping the Vancouver Hack Space open every Tuesday from 13:00-18:00 from now until the fair.
Come on down to work on your robot, rent a locker to store your machine, meet like minded people to form a team, and stay for the evening’s open house.
