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Stewart Platform Sneak Peek

I didn’t have any plans to bring this robot to the store but if customers ask, customers get. Varun wrote to me all the way from India after finding this robot of mine on a completely different website. Wow! That’s serious interest.

I’ve cut a few Tamiya 70171 links in half and laser cut some pieces to make this very tiny Stewart platform. Sometime next week when the chaos of shipping these Makelangelo 2s dies down I’ll pull out the two year old code and get it working again. (Two years already? Time flies like a banana…)

Speaking of adding things to the store, I’m thinking of adding Shapelock and maybe Sugru to the menu. What would you like to see in the store? Make requests! We looooove feedback.

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2013-03-06 New Stuff

More new stuff! I love new stuff. Don’t you?

5V 0.3a Brushless DC motor, perfect for your HOG drive or a really fast vehicle.

1.5m USB male/male A to B cable, just what you need to connect your Arduino to your computer.

Spool of 500ft white thread. Why go to two stores for string and robot parts when you should be able to get it all in one place? Use this to string up your Skycam or Makelangelo.

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When will my Makelangelo 2 ship?

I ordered 4 different sets of parts from china three weeks ago. China Air mail package tracking (if you can find one that works) only says “shipment has left the country.” Not as thorough as I’m sure you’re used to, right?

Two boxes arrived yesterday. The first is half of a shipment of USB cables. The second had 1000 bobbins with white thread. I’m putting one in each kit so you can get set up painlessly.

The other two packages were ordered at the same time have the servos for the pen lifter and the female headers for the power to the motor shield. Fingers crossed they arrive today. That would mean every part is now in store and packages can start flowing out in the order customers purchased – longest waiting people first. If you see an email from us soon, it’s probably got your Canada Post tracking number.

I’m ecstatic and delighted that sales are rising, viewers are increasing, and the business part of this job is getting easier. It’s given me more time to focus on customer service and refining my technique.

Speaking of which, I’m going to start running predictive analysis on my inventory so I can order ahead and not run out of key components. Making people wait is the part of my job that sucks. Do you have any experience with that sort of thing? I’d love some advice.

Most importantly, thank you for your patience and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You let me live my dream and I only hope I can return the favor.

2013-03-06 18:00 UPDATE! UPS says the Servos are arriving on March 8. Perfect timing.

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Beakerhead Calgary or NYC Maker Fair? Por que no le dos?

Kajsa just invited us to the Calgary Beakerhead Festival. Sounds a lot like a week-long Maker Fair, to me. Six days of makery fun, music, and art. If it doesn’t conflict with the New York Maker Fair, count me in!

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What is Wrong with this PCB I Designed for a Line Following HOGbot?

Situation

I’m building a line following robot using the HOG drive. This is the first time I make my own PCB and I’m probably doing it all wrong. Years of making robots and I’ve managed to avoid this gruesome task until now. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong?

The PCB

This PCB is supposed to receive 5v0.3a and send a modulated 5v signal through the orange lines to an Arduino. The modulation is based on the amount of reflected IR light emitted by the IR LEDs in each of the QRD1114 sensors. The resistors are supposed to keep everything playing nicely together.

Here are pictures of the front and back.

Symptoms

When I plug it in the outer two LEDs light up (I can see it on my iPhone 5) dimly. The sensors return nothing but HIGH (5v) all the time.