16. Applications and Implications¶
What will it do?¶
My project is designed to wirelessly control a magnet on a gantry which will pull another magnet through the sand, allowing for a user to wirelessly draw in the sand.
Who has done what beforehand?¶
The idea comes from a Sisyphus Sand Art Table video made by DIY Machines, however, this concept has been explored by other people as well. However, mine plans to add a manual function to it so it acts almost like an Etch-A-Sketch.
What will you design?¶
I will be designing almost all of it, apart from many of the gantry holding pieces, which will come from files linked in the tutorial video mentioned above.
Materials and Costs (if applicable/not in lab)¶
| Part/Component | Where from | Raspberry Pi Pico W | In Lab |
| .5" Plywood | In Lab |
| Acrylic | In Lab |
| Raspberry Pi | In Lab |
| Gantry Materials | From machine week |
| Various screws, nuts, and bolts | In Lab |
| PLA | In Lab |
| Magnets | In Lab |
What parts and systems will be made?¶
- Gantry with Arduino Uno and CNC shield connected and integrate with Raspberry Pi
- CNC wooden container for gantry
- Self-contained wireless controller electronics
- Container for controller
- Magnets and acrylic basin for sand
What processes will be used?¶
- CNC ShopBot
- 3D printing
- Laser cutting
- Board development
- CAD
- Networking
- Inputs
- Outputs
What questions need to be answered?¶
- How will I convert the input to output?
- What will the CNC’d container look like?
- How will I make the electronics fit into a mobile pad?
How will it be evaluated?¶
For a sucessful final project, I wish to fulfill these criteria:
- Have a self-contained, fully wireless, portable controller
- Control the movement of a magnet in the sand so that a user can draw with it
- The magnet in the sand should only move if the controller instructs it to do so.