SPOOLIE 3000

The action of putting on a hat - so simple and seemingly unimportant. But for the Spoolie 3000, putting on a hat is everything. When its hat gets knocked off, it reels it back on. This is its one and only purpose in life. The Spoolie 3000 is groundbreaking, changing the way we view robots, from being technological innovations with purpose and power, to being absolutely and utterly useless.

COMPONENTS

1 ELEGOO UNO R3 Controller Board

Mini Bread Board

1 Kilo Ohm Resistor

Photoresistor

DC Motor with Gearbox

L298N Motor Driver

11 Jumper Wires

MATERIALS

1 container of choice

(any type of container that can fit the ELEGOO UNO R3 Controller Board, motor and spool inside will work. For reference, this project used a 25cm tall carafe with a 7cm opening)

2.38mm thick Plywood Board

1/4" Wooden Dowel

Super Glue

DC Motor Bracket

1" Eyebolt

Duct Tape

"Hat" of choice

EQUIPMENT

Bandsaw

Hand saw

Screwdriver

SOFTWARE

Arduino IDE

CODE

The ELEGOO UNO R3 Controller Board is the brain of Spoolie 3000, and the uploaded code is the instructions that it sends out to the rest of the body. Attached below is the code needed for the Spoolie 3000 to run. In order to upload the code to the Controller Board, connect the board to the computer using a USB cable and open the file in Arduino IDE. Ensure that the board selected is Arduino Uno and that the correct port is selected. This can be done by going into Tools, located on the toolbar at the top of the program. Upload the code onto the controller board and remove it from the computer.

The ELEGOO UNO R3 Controller Board, motor driver, and wires will be hidden in a small compartment at the bottom of the Spoolie 3000. For easier access during assembly, make a section cut at least 5cm from the bottom, as seen above. Be safe! Make sure to secure your container with a clamp and use fluid strokes when using the handsaw.

BASE PLATE

The base plate will help to keep the different components organized inside the Spoolie 3000. Measure the diameter of the container at the section cut, and copy this outline onto the sheet of plywood. Cut it out using the bandsaw. It will also need a hole in the middle for the wooden dowel to pass through and a slot for wires to pass through. Cut a notch out of one side and a 1/4" hole in the center, as seen in the above image.

MOTOR PLATE

The motor plate will be slightly elevated from the base plate inside the Spoolie 3000, and will carry the motor and spool on top of it. Make a second plate, the same size as the base plate and with a slot for wires to pass through. Do not include the hole. Then, cut the plate in half, so a semi-circle with the wire slot is remaining. Discard the other half.

Note: All plates can also be laser cut if preferred.

The spool will be composed of the 1/4" dowel and a plywood circle. Start by cutting a 4cm diameter circle out of the plywood. Drill a 1/4" hole in the center, so that the dowl can slide in. Cut the dowl to 4cm long. At one end, drill a tiny hole the size of DC motor shaft. Insert the motor shaft into the dowel. Strengthen the connection with super glue. Place the pre-cut circle onto the end of the dowel until it reaches the motor shaft. Use super glue to secure it in place. The end result should look like the image above.

SCREW MOTOR TO PLATE

Place the motor and connected spool on the motor plate so that the spool is pressed up against the edge of the semi-circle. Cap the motor in place with the motor bracket and screw it into place.

SCREW EYEBOLT

The purpose of the eyebolt is to feed the chain in a more controlled manor. Screw the bolt onto the plate, so that the eye lines up with the spool dowel. Refer to the image above.

Cut a 10cm piece of dowel. Insert into the base plate hole until 1cm remains. Glue the dowel in place. Once dry, glue the long end of the dowel to the underside of the motor plate and wait until dry.

Since the ELEGOO UNO R3 Controller Board will be stored in the bottom compartment underneath the base plate, it is easiest to do the circuitry before sealing off the bottom. Prepare the circuit as diagramed above. Use long jumper wires when connecting the photoresistor to the controller board. This will allow the sensor to be placed close to the Spoolie 3000's opening later in assembly. Leave the photoresistor and the breadboard to the side for later use. Then place the controller board and the motor driver in the bottom compartment.

(The TinkerCAD circuit is also above for reference, however, it should be noted that the simulation will not work, since TinkerCAD does not have the L298N Motor Driver component)

Place the combined plates into the Spoolie 3000, using the slot in the base plate to allow all wires to pass through. The bread board can now be secured to the top of the base plate.

Secure one end of the chain to the spool with super glue. Wait for it to dry. Then wrap it around the spool a few times.

ATTACH PHOTORESISTOR

Almost there! Time to put the Spoolie 3000's body on. There are two important things to do beforehand. Attach the photoresistor inside the Spoolie 3000's body near the opening with tape.

ATTACH CHAIN TO HAT

Pass the chain through the opening of the Spoolie 3000. Once through, attach it to the underside of your hat of choice. Final step! Put the body back onto the bottom compartment and place its hat on the opening. The Spoolie 3000 is now ready for activation!

Knock off the Spoolie 3000's hat. Witness its uselessness.

Happy little accidents, or rather, happy little finds, helped the Spoolie 3000 be the robot it is today! The initial concept we had in mind was a robot that could put a hat back on. We were imagining the robot to be a sort of figure, like a stuffed animal. However, during a trip to Tap Phong Trading Company in Chinatown, a black carafe sitting on the shelves was calling our names, and we decided it was meant to be. It ended up being ideal, since the inside was quite large and was able to nicely hide all the components inside. It was also constructed with a horizontal seam, which made it easy to deconstruct.

That being said, the Spoolie 3000 didn't make it easy. The majority of the difficulties were in the physical construction. We cut numerous plates of varying shapes with the intention of having multiple plates stacked on the dowel for placing all components on individual tiers. However, we were able to simplify it down to just two plates. The spool was another challenge we faced and we went through several spool iterations before settling on the dowel. We even laser cut and fabricated one out of plywood. Unfortunately, it was too big and too fragile. And when we seemed to be nearing completion, we hit another snag. The carafe lid, which we had intended to use as the hat, was too heavy. The motor could not reel it in. We opted for a play on the "hat" idea. The motor could reel in paper with ease, we so we used a piece of paper that represented the idea of the hat.

FUTURE ITERATIONS

The Spoolie 3000 (black carafe version) is a one of a kind. But that's the beauty of this code. The body or vessel can be swapped for any container, or even a cute teddy bear. For the hat, be creative! Whether it is a literal top hat, or the lid of a container. Just remember that the motor can only reel in so much weight.

TEAM MEMBERS

Audrey Ammann

Suzana Tandarich

Elif Sert

Mikaela Magtanong

CREDITS

Code created with the help of MRMS - WORKSHOP, "How DC Gear Motor Works with Arduino and L298N." April 24, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPVC84D5ULw

Voice acting thanks to the lovely Lorna Montani

For ARC385: PHYSICAL COMPUTING, at UofT. Taught by Maria Yablonina, TA Brian Slocum