Day 4: (Mon Sep 14, Week 3) Hobby Servos and Functions

Notes for 2020-09-14.

New Assignments

  1. New assignment, due before next class: Exercise: Servo Motion in Tinkercad

  2. Preparation for next class: watch Day 5 videos.

Daily Agenda

  1. Administrative

    1. The course kits are ready for pickup. Anyone picking up a kit needs to fill out the IDeATe Kit Form.

    2. If you will need it shipped, please fill this out right away.

    3. I’m going to wait for positive confirmation of receipt from every class member before proceeding to physical exercises.

  2. Q&A on melody programming.

  3. Breakouts: please skim the videos below and discuss the following prompts.

    1. How does your perception of automation change when the implementation is mechanical?

    2. Where is mechanical or analog computation still the preferred solution?

  4. After class: office hour time continues for a while.

Discussion Videos

Mechanical Turing Machine in Wood

Duration: 4:23, but the first 90 seconds are enough for today. Machine and video by Richard Ridel. A Turing machine is a theoretical model of a universal computer.

Mills DeLuxe Model Violano-Virtuoso

Duration: 1:28. Video from the Bayernhof Museum (near Pittsburgh). A Mills may also still be at DeBence Antique Music World.

The Mills DeLuxe Violano Virtuoso

Duration: 2:28. Video from M.S. Rau Antiques. Please ignore the advertising pitch; this one has more detailed views of the mechanism starting at 00:25.