RSS
In between robot battles at Seattle Bot Battle IV, I got a chance to interview Scott Ferguson about his computer controlled CNC etchasketch. He can make his computer control the etchasketch. Scott usually makes robots that kill other robots, but took up the kinetic art challenge for the event.
One of the things that impressed me is that Scott positioned the servos stepper motors so that he can use a big or a pocket etchasketch by just switching the pullies and changing the settings on his computer. He also wrote the program that controlls the Etcha Sketch. Click here to get the video (MP4) delivered automatically with iTunes. This video will play on PC/Mac/Linux/PSPs and iPod video devices - Link.
MAKE VIDEO PODCAST: Computer Controlled CNC Etchasketch
Posted by Bre Pettis |
Apr 12, 2006 08:28 AM
DIY Projects, MAKE Podcast |
Permalink
| Comments (4)
| Email This |
| Digg this!
Recent Entries
- 8-bit touch-sensitive handheld
- Cigar box music player
- The 'bike tree', an automatic storage system for cycles, can hold up to 6,000 bikes
- Building a folding table
- Maker Shed weekly wrap-up
- The Chumby has landed!
- Brainwave sofa by Unfold & Lucas Maassen
- Full MIDI drumset with Guitar Hero and Rock Band drums
- Hole punched art
- Portable induction accelerator
Comments
Oldest comments listed first.
Leave a comment
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!
Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.
$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)
I know this is pendantic of me, but those are stepper motors, not servos :P Important when it comes to torque and accuracy of such a system.
Btw that video doesn't play on firefox, with itunes installed and running, win2k and all the latest versions of ff and itunes.
"i'm gonna go draw boobs on the etchasketch"
"go ahead, they always come out square!"
Reply to this comment
Pointing out steppers vs. servos isn't pedantic. I'll show you pedantic...
"his computer controlled CNC etchasketch. He can make his computer control the etchasketch."
His computer controlled computer numeric controlled etchascketch allows a computer to control the etchascsetch? You don't say! Does it control it numerically?
Reply to this comment
That's awesome, servo or no servo. Technically, a stepper motor can be a component of a servomechanism, but if what you mean by servo is a closed loop control, then no it's not really a servo. BUT, his mill software is cool. It generates g codes, which means you could use it to control cnc mills, lathes, & whatnot. That's pretty cool. Replace the etchascketch nobs with a worm-gear driven table and you'd have a rudimentaty cnc mill. That's way cool by any standard.
Reply to this comment
Further more... You could easily rig up a simple CNC lathe with this example. This is definitely a cool hack.
Reply to this comment