August 18, 2011

it's alive!

very exciting day today, as i managed to complete my proto-pot and have a fully functioning, active plant with 2 motion actions: SHUDDER and WAVE.


there was a whole bit of building, something i could get my teeth into without always asking for help (like i need to for electronics and coding, which frankly, i know pretty much nothing about). so, using the trusty milk crate and a hacksaw and screws and bolts and bits of metal and a drill and fishing wire and pulleys and springs - kapow - plant holder complete!






so now, the next step is really just fine-tuning the motions, which are actually pretty close to where i'd like them anyway. jesse's gonna help me attach potentiometers (dials) so i can adjust the speeds up or down and pick the best outcome. this could be really beneficial for adjusting each particular plant, as each one will obviously respond differently to the motors because each plant is a different size and shape.

once the fine-tuning is done, then it's build build build, to replicate the pots for all plants, which will mean finding 3 nice traditional pots from bunnings, which i saw on a recent materials-run for a low $16.67. the only problem is going to be how to drill and attach all the brackets and screws without it all poking out of the side of the pot. perhaps it will require a pot (plant) within a pot (mechanisms) within a pot (outer cover) !

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