Drawing Automaton

The "Drawing Automaton" is a drawing machine that is powered by magnets. Inside there is a plastic cylinder that spins as you turn the handle. Around the cylinder are small magnets placed in random spots. The wires holding the pen are held together by springs which are pulled by fishing line. The line also has magnets attached. As you turn the handle, the magnets from the line attach themselves to the cylinder, and the tension causes the springs to expand, making the pen move. I challenged myself to create a hand turning machine that can draw in every direction. Though the drawings are random, I still consider this project a great success.

Recycled Etcha-Sketcha

The "Recycled Etcha-Sketcha" is mostly made from found or broken electronics. The motors, potentiometers, knobs, and switches came from a broken vintage radio. The wire is from wire hangers, and the light bulb also comes from the radio. The circuits were built using a 555 timer. My favorite part of this project is the last switch on the board. I call it the "crazy switch". When it's turned on, all the electricity flows into the light and the motor, which controls the paper, causing the paper to retract really fast and the light to flash. There is a solenoid motor that also pushes the pen which came from a thrown out printer. 

The Audio Portrait Artist

This is "The Audio Portrait Artist"(TAPA). It is made from recycled DC motors, cigar boxes, pieces from a broken multimeter, roof shingles, wine corks, and old radio knobs. TAPA works similar to a CNC machine, but instead of cutting things, it draws . There are four microphones which are each individually filtered to sense a certain range of sound. Starting from very low deep sounds to high pitches, TAPA draws in a specific direction based on the pitch it hears. There are four control knobs on top to control the sensitivity of each mic. Each microphone is individually amplified using LM386N IC chips, and a ULN2003A IC chip bring both DC motors together. There are two relays that control the direction for both motors. The analog gauge is wired together with the circuit to show the intensity of sound it receives.

Introducing Oscar with an A

This is a drawing machine made from recycled objects. The heart of "Oscar with an A" is an Arduino microcontroller. The machine senses sound and translates it into drawing.