News

Guides have moved

2026-11-07 Dan

The pictoral guides for assembling and using Marginally Clever robots are at this new link: https://www.marginallyclever.com/guides/.

If you’re into robot arms, try reading the Sixi 2 and 3 guides. They were super fun to design and I learned a lot, but they are like the eggs that must be broken to make the omelette. Sixi 3 is many times simpler because it’s just one part that repeats 5-6 times.

Anyways… It’s all possible because of your support. Robotics is not a cheap hobby and your generosity has enabled me to keep making. Thank you! Stay awesome!

News

Extra Life D&D for Kids

2026-10-12 Dan

I am signed up to play in The 13th Annual Extra Life 24-hour Dungeons & Dragons Game For Charity, which benefits the BC Children’s Hospital. This year’s game will be held on October 17th, starting at midnight. If you can spare a dollar in this economy, it would be a kindness. Click here: https://dd.extra-life.org/participants/581203

Makelangelo

Tips to quiet your Makelangelo

2026-06-02 Dan

The song of the Makelangelo should be beautiful, not annoying. Normally stepper motors moving quickly will produce musical tones. Over time a person can learn to recognize good sounds and bad sounds from the machine. In a perfect world the machine would make no sound at all, but the best we can hope for in the real world is to minimize the bad sounds to enjoy the good ones. Here’s a few tips to make your Makelangelo sing.

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Makelangelo Opinion

Should I make a Makelangelo 6?

2026-04-24 Dan

Due to circumstances beyond my control Makelangelo 5 parts will soon no longer be available to me. I’m debating if I should invest in a Makelangelo 6 design or not. What are your thoughts?

The RUMBA control board used for many years is no longer available from any of my suppliers. I have found a few on Aliexpress at a grossly inflated price. Since they’re no longer reliable I’ve found a possible replacement, the SKR MINI E3. For the same price as the old RUMBA I can get a full color TFT screen, better drivers, and use less parts in the final design.

This is a great opportunity to update the pen holder. Imagine removing the hobby servo and using the same stepper motor as the top corners. Reducing my unique part count is a Good Thing. The added weight of the motor means I may be able to remove the two M16 bolts, further lowering my total part count. Fine grain control of the pen lifting speed would make for better line endings, less bouncing off the wall, and shorter drawing time overall.

But what about this economy? Is it even worth doing in a new Great Depression? It’s fun to make the robot as a hobby but also distracting enough that I can’t really start on anything new. There’s only so much time in every day. I would love to give the whole business to one of my nephews but I don’t trust that they care enough to do it right.

Share your positive adult thoughts in the Discord.

Miscellaneous Opinion Projects

Thoughts on beating Pyanadons

2026-03-15 Dan

In March of 2026 I completed the Factorio game mod Pyanadons after 1953 hours, 50 minutes, and 8 seconds. Pyanadons is, for most people, a journey of several kilohours. Completing a run takes time, energy, will, and – of course, logistics strategy. What follows are some thoughts that I hope will improve your odds of a successful run.

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