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computers and motors
Tuesday, April 24 2012
When I was a kid, I fascinated by electric motors. Just attaching a battery to one and watching it spin was pleasure in itself. Later computers in various affordable manifestations appeared, and since then I've mostly just been interested in the movement of information as opposed to real world objects. But there was always a part of me that wanted a way for computers to take their knowledge and physically interact with the world. Part of the impetus for my Arduino-based solar controller project was rooted in that desire. But that system gives orders to the real world through two digital wires that ultimately feed into a 19th-century network of relays. There are no DC motors, robotic arms, or any of the many other gizmos that a microcontroller can use to leave physical marks on the environment. But since getting the Makerbot Thingomatic, I have, perhaps for the first time, been able to visualize usable computer-motor interfaces. Now I have a better sense of what stepper motors can do, and (though the Thingomatic doesn't use them) I also know about servo motors and how a computer might interact with the simple variety of motor found in, say, a toy car. Today I took delivery of a collection of computer motor equipment from Adafruit, a Sparkfun-type company specializing in hobby roboticist gear. One of these was a motor controller shield for Arduino that required assembly. I love soldering projects, because it's a perfect opportunity to listen to my podcast backlog.
Later, after a particularly delicious rice-vegetable-and-peanut-sauce meal prepared by Gretchen, I managed to get the motor shield to control a servo motor, sweeping it slowly back and forth according to the dictates of two for loops written in C. There are just so many applications for such a device, and up until I saw that movement, I hadn't really had any idea how to create it. It's all very simple, but (as I've noted before) actually visualizing something is crucial for bringing it into one's creative toolkit.
For linking purposes this article's URL is:
http://asecular.com/blog.php?120424 feedback
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