Dan – Page 56 – Marginally Clever Robots

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How to calculate the length of Stewart Platform actuators

2015-02-23 Dan

Patrice wrote in to ask “If I know the pitch, roll, yaw, heave, sway, and surge of a stewart platform… how do I then calculate the length of each actuator?” Great question, Patrice!

I’ve never tried explaining this before in detail, so bear with me. We’re going to use math you probably learned late in high school, so get out your graph paper and erasers and come along for the ride.
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New level: Distributors & Resellers

2015-02-19 Dan

We’re now ready to start supporting distributors and resellers. It’s a thrilling adventure for us to reach this new level. Marginally Clever is always scaling up and growing, so this seems like the natural next step.

Basically, a distributor is any brick & mortar chain. A reseller can be almost anyone, provided they meet the requirements. Contact us to sign up, and then start receiving discounts on larger orders.

As always, if you have questions or feedback, send it in. We live for your insights.

Little Big Planet Sackboy faces with the Arduino Starter Kit

2015-02-18 Dan

Today, we’re going to build faces using LEDs and a joystick. Previously, we’ve wired up LEDs and learned how to control individual lights, how to draw pictures, and how to use a joystick. Today, we’re gonna put them all together to make a set of emotions based on the direction we push the joystick. Again, we’ve got the debounce, so the emotion will stay on our screen until we push the stick in a new direction.

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Post later today

2015-02-18 Dan

I’m teaching my last class at West Point Grey Academy this morning, then testing a gearbox I had designed. I’ll have a post some time later today. Watch the twitter feed for an update. Thanks!

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Arm3 instructions update

2015-02-17 Dan

If you follow us on instagram you’ll see last night I shot ~15 photos in a row as I assembled an Arm3. Those pictures have now been added to the Arm3 assembly instructions to make things easier.

A more subtle new feature is that the laser cut files have been updated. Every wood part has a unique number in the design, and those numbers were written next to each part on the wood, a bit like the plastic scale models I assembled as a child.

These kind of parts were my inspiration for numbers on the side.

I felt that it would look better if the part numbers weren’t visible on the final assembly. I’ve been taught the error of my ways, in no small part thanks to your awesome feedback. The designs have been reworked and now the part numbers are directly written onto each part. This way they are easy to identify, even after they’re popped out of the frame. It’s as minimal as it can be without sacrificing utility. I like it, it’s good.