Robotics is the exciting intersection of a number of engineering fields including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. This project was designed as the basis for a two-day workshop for high school age students to introduce them to engineering principles and giving them a jumping off point for exploring their interests further. There is something for everyone here, even if it is just for the art it creates. The design goals were:

• Easy to build.
• Easy to program.
• Did something interesting.
• Low-cost so participants could take it home and continue to learn.

With those goals in mind, here were a couple of the design choices:

• Arduino compatible for ease of programming.
• 4xAA battery power for cost and availability.
• Stepper motors for accurate motion.
• 3D Printed for ease of customization.
• Pen plotting with Turtle graphics for interesting output.
• Open Source so you could make one of your own!

A kit for this project is available on Tindie.

• Bill of Materials

The electronics were designed using Open Source KiCad. Design files are located in the electronics folder. You can oogle the schematic.

All 3D STL files located in the mechanical/STL folder. They were design were designed using:

• OpenSCAD, files located in the mechanical/OpenSCAD folder.
• FreeCad, files located in the mechanical/FreeCad folder.
• TinkerCad

This project is programed using the Open Source Arduino. The firmware is located in the firmware folder. Instructions for setting up the Arduino enviroment for the Adafruit Trinket Pro are at https://learn.adafruit.com/introducing-pro-trinket.

I have published detailed instructions on Instructables at https://www.instructables.com/id/OSTR/.

Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States (CC BY-SA 3.0 US)

You are free to:

• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

• Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.