[Pycon] [new paper] "Daniele Procida" - The world's simplest, cheapest plotter

[info a pycon.it]

Title: The world's simplest, cheapest plotter
Duration: 45 (includes Q&A)
Q&A Session: 0
Language: it
Type: Talk

Abstract: I have designed and built what I think must be the world's cheapest and most simple plotter.



The plotter is driven by a Raspberry Pi (or a MicroPython PyBoard) and inexpensive hobby servo motors connected directly to it. No other electronics are required.

# The hardware
The mechanical hardware can be built with nothing but stiff card, a ball-point pen, a cable tie and a paperclip. The only tools required are a ruler, sharp knife, a screwdriver and something to make holes in the card. Almost everything required can be found in a desk or kitchen drawer. The entire device can be built with no special skills in about 30 minutes.

# The software
The custom Python software ([code and documentation][2] are still in progress and being refined) to drive the plotter can take commands from the shell to generate patterns, or sketch a given series of lines, and calculates the movements required of the servos (my 30-year-old high school mathematics was up to the task). I also use some Python code to take and render photographs as sketches.

[][3]

# Why it matters
This isn't just a fun thing to do. There are barriers of skill, expense and materials around robotics. This project comes with me to African PyCons, and makes it possible for programmers to explore Python-based robotics, however limited their resources.

The tools and complete kit of materials to build several plotters can be carried in a small box.

I'll bring materials for the plotter to the event so others are able to experiment with and help improve the design and code.

  [1]: https://github.com/evildmp/PantoGraph


Tags: [u'education', u'raspberrypi', u'plot']