ASSIGNMENT: For the last assignment you will be mounting a motor/servo/stepper (one or more) to something as well as mounting something to that motor/servo/stepper. Â It can be completely DIY, or off-the-shelf components, or a combination of the two.
RESTRICTIONS: As always time is a big restriction but this time in particular as well because I wasn't present Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, so I missed those days of getting materials and work. On top of that all our finals are due this week as well so time was a big barrier.
The second restriction with this project was my bank account. After a Thanksgiving trip and gift shopping for my large family, I found myself in a bit of a bind when it meant to buying new materials. I added a "challenge" to my assignment where I wasn't allowed to buy any new materials for this assignment. I could use materials I already had or find some or borrow from classmates.
SOLUTION: I already had a stepper motor, driver and arduino. I also had wood planks, wood sticks, spray paint, magnetic buttons, some flower wire and A LOT of sheet metal. So I got an idea of making a mobile of sorts that's inspired in nature to continue with last week's theme. I was going to spray paint it gold again and use the buttons as red berries to go with the season and make it christmas-y.
MATERIALS:
PROCESS:
I started by attaching the stepper motor to the wood plank. I drilled holes in the wood where the motor has flaps and ran some flower wire through it then tied it in the back using a lot of strength. I was confident it would hold since my mobile wasn't going to be very heavy.
I then made a base in the form of a cross using wood sticks, wire and sheet metal and fitted it to the motor. I used more wire to make "branches".
After, I cut the sheet metal into leaves and made the same crinkles as last week to make it seem more organic.
I dripped some hot glue on the "branches" for the same organic feel as last time and added the leaves to the branches.
After that I was kind of worried the motor wouldn't work and for some reason it took me longer to figure that out than it did to build the structure. I finally made it work but it was late so I left it at that. I also couldn't decide if this would be a "hanging" tree or a "standing" tree. Meaning I wasn't sure if I wanted the branches to point up or down. It worked either way so I left that decision for after.
Next day I spray painted my "tree" in gold and my buttons red. I attached the "berries" on my branches and tested the movement again.
I finished by taking some pictures and video against the green screen so I can edit in a background later on.
CONCLUSION:
I learned that when you have moving parts you should plan to spend as much time on the fabrication as you do on making the parts move correctly. I also learned that you can find creative solutions with what's around you without spending a great amount of money.