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Space frames are super efficient structures made entirely from straight pieces of material, joined together at their ends to form complex 3D shapes.
They can look like this, this, or this. They can be gigantic, but are also cool on a small scale, like this space frame bench I built.
Their advantages include low material usage, ease of construction, free-form design possibilities, and awesome space-age appearance.
One major disadvantage is that they can be difficult to engineer. It's not straightforward to determine how forces will distribute throughout a structure that has a lot of redundant pieces.
All of the "struts" (the straight parts) of a space frame are subject to either tension or compression forces along their length (they're "axial forces," in engineer talk). Tension forces are pulling or stretching forces; compression forces are pushing or squeezing forces. The direction of the force (tension or compression) can change depending on how a structure is loaded and can sometimes be surprising in a complicated structure.
This Instructable will show you how to use the sticky tape pressure sensors from Plusea's Instructable to determine the forces acting on the struts in a space frame model you can build and test. To make a space frame model, check out my Instructable on the topic.
They can look like this, this, or this. They can be gigantic, but are also cool on a small scale, like this space frame bench I built.
Their advantages include low material usage, ease of construction, free-form design possibilities, and awesome space-age appearance.
One major disadvantage is that they can be difficult to engineer. It's not straightforward to determine how forces will distribute throughout a structure that has a lot of redundant pieces.
All of the "struts" (the straight parts) of a space frame are subject to either tension or compression forces along their length (they're "axial forces," in engineer talk). Tension forces are pulling or stretching forces; compression forces are pushing or squeezing forces. The direction of the force (tension or compression) can change depending on how a structure is loaded and can sometimes be surprising in a complicated structure.
This Instructable will show you how to use the sticky tape pressure sensors from Plusea's Instructable to determine the forces acting on the struts in a space frame model you can build and test. To make a space frame model, check out my Instructable on the topic.
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Signing UpStep 1Gather Materials
This Instructable requires:
* Magnetic space frame model - You can buy toy kits like Geomags consisting of plastic struts with magnets on their ends and steel spheres, or you can put together your own from drinking straws, magnets, and steel spheres you can buy for much cheaper.
* Sticky tape, Velostat, conductive thread, scissors - These are all materials required for the pressure sensors, details in Plusea's Instructable.
* Arduino - For converting the analog signal from your sensors into something your computer can read.
* Various wires, alligator clips, breadboard - For connecting your sensors to the Arduino.
* 10K Potentiometers or resistors of various values - For creating voltage dividers to get the variable resistance of your sensor into a form the Arduino can use.
* Multimeter - Helpful for testing, though not absolutely necessary
* A computer with Processing and Arduino software - You probably have access to a computer if you're reading this. Processing and Arduino are available for free.
* Magnetic space frame model - You can buy toy kits like Geomags consisting of plastic struts with magnets on their ends and steel spheres, or you can put together your own from drinking straws, magnets, and steel spheres you can buy for much cheaper.
* Sticky tape, Velostat, conductive thread, scissors - These are all materials required for the pressure sensors, details in Plusea's Instructable.
* Arduino - For converting the analog signal from your sensors into something your computer can read.
* Various wires, alligator clips, breadboard - For connecting your sensors to the Arduino.
* 10K Potentiometers or resistors of various values - For creating voltage dividers to get the variable resistance of your sensor into a form the Arduino can use.
* Multimeter - Helpful for testing, though not absolutely necessary
* A computer with Processing and Arduino software - You probably have access to a computer if you're reading this. Processing and Arduino are available for free.
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void keyPressed() {
if(key == ' ') {
for(int i=0; i zeros[i] = avgs[i];
}
}
}
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because I get an error in processing saying:
"syntax error, maybe a missing semicolon?".
Can you please check this part again and correct it.
PS Thank you for posting this instructable because I was searching for how to read sensor with processing
Your processing code has an error though I think:
for(int i=0; i zeros[i] = avgs[i];
Have no idea what's going on here, you're missing the terminating bracket on the for loop, you've the initializations, but it's not clear what test or further loop instruction is being given.
Thanks, BR.