Recitation4: Documentation

instruction:https://wp.nyu.edu/shanghai-ima-interaction-lab/recitation-4-actuators-and-mechanisms/

The project required us to build a machine using a stepper motor and its accessories to achieve a mechanism movement. I worked in pair with Andy. We devided our tasks. Andy built the circuit and I did the cardboard cutting and assembling.

I first glued the blueprint to the cardboard, and cut the cardboard according to the lines. Putting the ruler at some angles to the right arm will cut a straight line closely aligned to the ruler. Sometimes the line is very close to the margin of the cardboard. It will be hard to cut if the ruler is half- suspend. 

I cut the cardboard half so it won’t separate in parts. And the final cut will be in well order.

I initially thought that I should tear the blueprint off the cardboard. After I tore one piece, there were many white segments remained on the cardboard and very ugly. So I glued back.

 

Andy was building circuits and writing codes:

Assembling:

Andy’s work:

Our machine cannot move at the first time. We spent a lot of time and found that one IC’s foot failed inserting to the breadboard. 

We found that the stepper can only rotate limit angle because the friction is large. So we use the ruler to burring the rail.

 

 

Andy did some modification to the code so the machine can rotate in the same direction all the time. He also set different speed and test.

 

Since we spent too much time finding the error, we didn’t have time to personalize our machine. 

 

Additional questions:

1 I would like to pick I-Wei Huang’s Steam Walker. He made a robot which can move with four legs using steam power. It reminds that we are using mechanism to change the directions, power and track of forces. The power generates simple and sustain force and we use our creativity to complicate the force.

2 I want to apply rail in our midterm project. In our piston, the horizontal forces provided by the rail restrict the movement of the stick and change the circle movement generated by the motor to linear movement.