Machines  Week11

how to make (almost) anything

Mechanical Machine Making

Week 11

This week’s assignment was to design a machine that includes mechanism+actuation+automation, build the mechanical parts and operate it manually, and document the group project and your individual contribution.

For machine making week, our team’s goal is to create a panorama/time-lapse camera rig, capable of sweeping 360-degree and cinematic linear motion. To accomplish this, we have divided into the following groups:

  1. Design
  2. Firmware/Coding
  3. Electrical
  4. Camera Control
  5. Assembly
  6. Project Management & Documentation

Communication was at the core of this role. To facilitate a lot of it, we used the Slack app, Gitlab Issue tracker, Google Docs, email, and occasional personal texts. On Slack, we set up independent team channels and a general one for all. Throughout the day, I followed all channel activity, communicating key issues or milestones between the teams as needed. When I noticed teams not communicating next steps or arranging meetups, I would push and prod a bit, normally repeating my messages over Slack, Issues, and email, until new activity got stirred up.

The Google Doc served as a temporary repository from which I created the final group page on Gitlab. Many added detailed updates and pics to Slack which I easily moved over to our shared “Documentation of Progress” Google Doc. And others, went the extra distance and updated the document directly. For those more sluggish with documentation I found writing personal messages or small group messages requesting updates to be most effective.

After downloading and resizing pics from Slack, the Google Doc, and email, and making sure each team was at least 50% up to date on the Google Doc, I assembled everything on Visual Studio Code using the html template I’ve been using on my personal fab lab site. In Gitlab, under the Harvard site repository, Rob set up a machine week folder for me to populate. There, I added all the appropriate style sheets, images, and html index. Then, on the morning of class, I did a final sweep of Slack and the Goggle Doc for last minute updates to be added to the group page. Et voila!

Here’s a link to the group page where a lot more details on the actual machine making process can be found:

Group Page