Evil Mad Scientist Wiki - User contributions [en]

Spherical media

2014-11-30T05:17:48Z

Edward: /* Types of objects */ link to EMSL Christmas ornament page

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Many types of objects can be put in the Eggbot and plotted on. In choosing an object, a number of questions come into play:
* Size - How does it fit and what adjustments do you need to make to the Eggbot to draw on it?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's?

= Types of objects =

* Chicken eggs - the default standard. Inexpensive, absorbs ink well. Also fragile. Tips on [[Blowing Eggs]].
* Duck eggs - bigger than chicken eggs, and narrower proportionally.
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/ornaments Christmas ornaments]
* Ping pong balls
* "Ball pen" balls
* Golf balls
* Lacrosse balls
* [[Plastic eggs]]
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/pumpkinbot pumpkins]
* Wooden balls/eggs
* [http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=151886 ceramic eggs] from Hobby Lobby
* Acrylic Spheres[http://www.corseceng.com/planet-kits] from CorSec Engineering[http://www.corseceng.com] - marketed as planet kits but fit in an Egg-bot and comes with a stand
* Decorative glass balls, for example the 4" spheres [http://www.cb2.com/table-top-decor/accessories/bubble-balls/f4820 from CB2]
* Wine glasses - some wine glasses (generally with relatively short stems) can fit with the tailstock all the way back. You can use a disc or jar lid to hold the open end of the wine glass. Tape it to the wine glass or use a rubber gasket to hold it in place. The stemless Reidel "O" tumblers are likely a good choice as well.

Spherical media

2011-11-19T02:26:05Z

Edward: added link to plastic egg page

Pen choices

2011-06-16T00:15:34Z

Edward:

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Details =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens.

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" pens:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=SharpieUltraFinePointPermanentMarker%28Sharpie%20Catalog%29 Sharpie Ultra Fine point]* Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. Larger point size Sharpie pens will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder.
* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Product/Sharpie_Micro_Permanent_Marker.html Sharpie Micro]* Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/office-supplies/pens-pencils-markers/markers/permanent-markers/product-prod260044 Tul ultra-fine point]* Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series]* Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series]* Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen]* These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.

Food safe markers and pens:

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.kopykake.com/store/set-of-10-edible-ink-coloring-pens-usa-euro-fdp10.html Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

Other writing implements:
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).

Alternative tool heads:

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Additional information will be added here when available.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official diamond point accessory is offered in the Evil Mad Science store).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Plastic eggs

2011-05-07T17:39:38Z

Edward: create page, some basic info

Plastic Easter eggs are common and cheap, around Easter they can be found at almost any store, and they can be ordered online year-round. Plastic eggs also avoid the issues of blowing eggs. They are also more durable then a blown egg and never spoil. These factors recommend them as a canvas for the Egg-Bot. There are a few limitations however. The first limitation is that the plastic is less receptive to ink than eggs and some inks have a tendency to wear off with handling. The second issue is the seam in the center of the egg.

The smooth plastic surface of the egg can be handled by a combination of pen speed (slower) pen choice and allowing the egg to dry undisturbed. A clear varnish can also help.

Plastic eggs have a join at the widest point (the equator) where the two halves meet and usually have small plastic hinge that holds the two halves together. If the two halves meet well, it is sometimes possible to draw across the boundary of the halves. The hinge usually sticks up far enough to catch the pen and cause major alignment issues. Even under the best situations, drawing across the half boundary causes minor alignment issues. A simple and effective workaround is to design plots that only cross the equator while the pen is up. If plots are designed so that the equator is crossed only a few times, the hinge generally does not cause an issue.

The Original Egg-Bot Kit

2011-05-07T17:37:20Z

Edward: added link to plastic egg page

This page is the central site for documentation of The Original Egg-Bot kit.

Main details about the Egg-Bot kit:
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/eggbot Announcement article] at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
* [http://evilmadscience.com/tinykitlist/171-egg-bot Product page] at evilmadscience.com
* [http://www.egg-bot.com/ egg-bot.com], the official site, featuring the Eggbot [http://egg-bot.com/index.php?page=FAQ FAQ]

Getting started with Eggbot: Essential documentation
* Part I: Assembly guide. Two versions are available:
:: (A) Single-file PDF version: [http://evilmadscience.com/KitInstrux/eggbot/ebk_assy_current.pdf Available here], a 9.3 MB PDF document (Trouble Viewing? [[Downloading_PDFs|Please click here.]])
:: (B) Page-by-page online version: [http://evilmadscience.com/KitInstrux/eggbot/assembly_current.html Available here].
* Part II: [[Installing software]]
* Part III: [[Making your first plot]]

Additional basic-level tutorials:
* [[Drawing a smiley face]], a detailed example, making a simple drawing in Inkscape and formatting it for the Eggbot

Getting started with Inkscape:
* [http://en.flossmanuals.net/Inkscape/ FLOSS Inkscape Manual], from the makers of free manuals for free software
* [http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/index.html The unofficial manual], "Inkscape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program"
* [http://inkscape.org/doc/index.php Inkscape Documentation], at Inkscape.org, with links to official and unofficial tutorials and manuals

Advanced topics and tips:
* [[The Eggbot Extensions v21|The Eggbot extensions]], a detailed guide to the Eggbot extensions for Inkscape
* [[Framing and Pen Centering|Framing and pen centering]], tips for getting your drawings placed just right on your eggs
* [[The Eggbot coordinate system]]
* [[Improving precision]]
* Methods of [[creating filled regions]]
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/hershey Hershey Text] Inkscape extension for drawing single-stroke text
* [[TSP art]], a technique for drawing likenesses of photographic images, based upon the Travelling Salesman Problem
* [[Pen choices]]
* [[Blowing Eggs]]
* Plotting on [[plastic eggs]]
* [[Tracing images]] in Inkscape
* [http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7290 Japanese resource for EggBot Extensions] by [http://www.thingiverse.com/MakiYoshida MakiYoshida] on [http://www.thingiverse.com/ Thingiverse]
* [[Updating EBB firmware]]
* [[Hardware reference design]]
* [[Hacks]]: Some ideas for Eggbot mods
* Some [[hints on optimization]] (to be posted)
* [[Eggbot software release notes]]
* [[Eggbot Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]
* [[Help wanted]]

Places for questions, answers, and sharing experiences:
* [http://groups.google.com/group/eggbotuser Eggbot-user] Mailing list (Please sign up!)
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/forum/index.php?forum=17 Eggbot Forum] at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/1503628@N24/ Eggbot Flickr Group] where you can share photos of your Eggbot and your Egg-Plots
* [http://www.thingiverse.com/tag:Eggbot Eggbot @ Thingiverse] where you can share Eggbot-ready SVG art-- or programs that generate art

<div id="support_resources">
Additional support resources:
* [http://www.schmalzhaus.com/EBB/ EBB] page, about the EiBotBoard that powers the Eggbot
* [http://code.google.com/p/eggbotcode/ Google Code Project, EggBotCode], where Eggbot software is hosted
* [http://code.google.com/p/eggbotcode/issues/list Software Issues List @ EggBotCode], if you have a bug to report
</div>

Hints on optimization

2011-04-28T19:02:42Z

Edward: added section Auto-Generated Plots

{{EggBotDocs}}

This page is just a placeholder for notes on improving plot speed and efficiency. (Please feel free to edit if you have useful information to contribute.)

= Extensions =

* Our first attempt to create an optimizer is the [[Reorder_Paths_for_Speed|Reorder paths for speed]] extension, which usually produces small improvements in plot speed.

* The built-in extension Arrange>Restack may also be helpful in reducing the amount of "air time" in plotting.

= Auto-Generated Plots =

A simple and often straightforward method of optimizing plots generated automatically, such as svg created with a script is to organize the design top to bottom.
For small, all over patterns, try to output parts of the plot that are near the top, then progress down the plot to the bottom. The Inkscape extension plots paths as
they occur in the svg file, the first first, then the next, and so on.

If a plot has several large features/designs composed of many individual parts, put all parts for each feature together, to eliminate going back and forth between areas.
As a side benefit, this can increase registration precision within the feature areas for certain "eggs."