July 2012

I’d like to call my first Delta robot finished. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a prototype… so what evs. What I learned: The skinny arms attached to the head need to be EXACTLY the same length… or else they will twist all wonky. This doesn’t impair movement really… but it just makes the thing look like it’s drunk. Also, if you’re using plastic, make sure it wont give at all. Tupperware was an ok start, but any give in your connections will make movement a lot less sharp… and the robot again moves like its drunk. So next time I’ll take it slower and make sure all my measurements are precise, and my connections are STRONG. The hobby ball joints worked alright, I’m likely to try out swivel ball links instead for my next trick… and I’m going to knock my pushrod size down from 4-40 to 2-56. My next delta…

So this is the lens cap I concocted for the head of my delta. It’s made from a plastic paint jar that I bought in a pack which I sanded the hell out of it so it would catch the light nicely. Also, I found this excellent example of a delta controlled by the iphone’s accelerometer. This is what I would like to nail down next as I move from controlling mine with the wiiChuck. I wish I understood enough about programming and the math that goes into making a delta robot do its thing, but for now I’m relying on what’s out there in the ether. Awesome example: I am ultimately trying to control my delta’s movement with an XY slider, and the LED on top with the iphone’s accelerometer  through touchOSC… but It’s in progress.