You can find more great stuff like this @ www.marginallyclever.com.
I’m using QRD1114 Infrared sensors to control the movement of a Hemispherical Omnidirectional Gimballed (HOG) Drive for a line riding robot.
I’ll probably mount five of them in a row so I can expand the code and make a maze-solving robot. This thing is fast enough that I’m also going to need a PID controller in the software.
I made a Stewart platform like this several years ago and used aluminum parts that cost a small fortune. I had it stuck in my head that no one would ever want one because it was too expensive. Recently I was contacted through my website by someone who found my old machine at Let’s Make Robots and wanted to buy one. It’s like a light going off in my head when I realize “Hey, this is actually affordable now!”
Long story short: I’m going to work on the printed parts a bit more over the next two weeks and then get this into the store for anyone interested. The code will go up on GitHub. Can we get it to work with GCODE like most of the other machines? I think so.
Stewart platforms are used in flight simulators, driving simulators, robotic surgery, and even docking shuttles to the international space station.
Here’s an idea: Stewart platform + GPS + clock + telescope = DIY star tracking. Just putting that out there.
The most challenging part of assembling this kit is cutting the rods in half. Just FYI.
Here is the Rotary Stewart Platform Code on Github. I have a lot more code from the old project that needs to be updated to work with this model. If you’re patient, stay tuned. If you aren’t, join in and start writing code.
And since everybody loves pictures, here’s an unrelated image of my first PCB, an array of QRD1114s for the maze-solving HOG Drive robot. Yes, it’s missing two 220 ohm resistors. Fixing that tonight at the Vancouver Hackspace.
If you’re using the Redsail Laser Cutter at the Vancouver Hack Space safely then the worst that can happen is your cuts don’t cut. The laser goes around, you smell the burning, and when you touch the pieces to lift them from the bed the whole sheet moves because – whoops – the beam didn’t go all the way through. Now that you’ve moved the sheet, you’ll just have to scrap that cut and try again.
So the next time you lean into the machine you put one hand down to hold the sheet and with the other you nudge the piece. Yay, one of the cuts worked! …kinda. The interior holes didn’t cut completely and there’s a few funny spots that .. aw, heck, you moved the hand that shouldn’t move.
Clearly, there’s a need for a better way. Something that will make it easy to hold the sheet at the same place for each cut to waste less material. It can’t stick up above the material or the laser head might hit it. It has to be made of material that the laser can safely cut, just in case. Something easy to make again would be ideal. Something that doesn’t damage the machine when it’s installed (no bolting or gluing or welding).
I noticed a gap at the front of the machine, just inside the door. Using a few scrap pieces of material I cut a simple two piece system. slot them together in the gap, push it to the far left, and you now have a right angle fence to line up your cuts.
If you need to make another, look in Desktop > Laser User Files > Dan R > Fence.
It’s not perfect. Can you improve on the design? Let me know by commenting below or in our forums.
I’ve never understood why early adopters have to pay more. They get hit with all the bugs that were missed in testing. Time and again I read about someone who paid early, waited months, and got a shitty experience. Customers who come later get a smooth ride, they should pay more for the increase in quality. Am I just backwards on this? Crack open that juicy brain of yours and spill your thought-yolks in the comments below.
For that very reason I’ve raised the price on the 3- and 4-armed delta robots. I’m falling behind on production so to slow new orders I’ve made it a little less tempting. If you bought before today, consider it an award for being an early adopter.
Also, here is a picture of the mod I made to the Rotary Stewart Platform last night at the VHS. I’ve put the code in Github and now I’m going to call some suppliers and get an emergency delivery of 100 servos so I can get all these kits out the door. Less dollars for me, more happy for everybody. You can’t take it with you, right?
