This is the most risky recitation ever: I might either explode my computer, or burn myself. But this is also the most interesting recitation ever: We(Me and my partner Ray) managed to build a “drawing machine”!
Goal: To learn to build mechanical arms that are controlled by stepper motors with an H-bridge.
Again, it is about circuiting, coding, and collaborating.
Materials:
For step 1 and (Build the circuit and control rotation with a potentiometer): 42STH33-0404AC stepper motor; L293D ic chip; power jack; 12 VDC power supply; Arduino kit and its contents(Inspired by Ray, I chose wire based whether the electric current flowing through is positive or negative: red for + and black for -; but I ran out of male-male wires, so I borrowed some green ones as a substitute.
For step 3(the assembling of the drawing machine): Laser-cut short arms; laser-cut long arms; laser-cut motor holder; 3D printed motor coupling; paper fasteners(as the “joints”, to fix the “arms” together but rotatable); and pen that fits the laser-cut mechanisms and paper.
All above are studio supplied, except for Arduino and its contents.
Step 1: Build the circuit
The schematic:
Step 3: Build a Drawing Machine!
This is a video showing a clip of the assembling process. It took us some time to get the nails stay where they should be.
And this is how it draws:
Here’s the final work:
Discussion
Question 1:
I would be interested in building machines that move, and especially are able of doing things that are beyond human capacity. The actuator enables the direct interactivity between the user and the machine. It plays as a communication bridge that connects the intention with the outcome. If the machine is a free dancer, the digital manipulation would be the choreographer, allow the art flow onto canvas smoothly and gracefully.
Question 2: Choose an art installation mentioned in the reading ART + Science NOW, Stephen Wilson (Kinetics chapter).