Nuts and Volts - January 2009

■ Nic Graner learning to solder at age nine. One of the first things he was taught was to always wear safety glasses!

only get one body per lifetime. On a side note, I checked with my original manufacturer and it seems there's no warranty on hair follicles, dang it!

Though we may preach it to others, sometimes we don't always pay attention to safety precautions. For example, do you wear safety glasses while soldering, cutting, or doing any work that can create flying debris? Do you have an exhaust fan to take fumes from solvents and soldering out of your breathing area? Do you eat at your workbench and, if so, do you handle solder or tools that have come in contact with industrial cleaners and the like? Do you wear gloves when using cleaning agents, lead based solder and other known hazardous substances? Many solvents are trans-dermal and act as a vehicle to take some toxins right through your skin and into your blood stream. I learned this the hard way when I noticed a strange taste in the back of my throat after using a

RESOURCES

■ The Robot Group www.robotgroup.org

■ PROBOTIX FireBall v90 CNC router — www.probotix.com

■ André LaMothe NURVE software www.xgamestation.com

■ FIRST Robotics www.usfirst.com

trichloroethane-soaked rag to clean up a couple of copper clad circuit boards!

RESOLUTION #7:

SHARE YOUR WORK

Document your projects. Take pictures of your work and then take a moment or two to write up descriptions and schematics. If you write software, spend a few moments going through and adding comments. This makes it easier for others to "get" what you're doing and gives you aids to use for talking about it.

Having documentation allows you to engage with other folks that have similar interests. Also, having to explain a project to someone can help to solidify the concepts in your mind as articulating what it is you're doing is an excellent way to reinforce and clarify project ideas. I've found that when I run into a problem on a build, sometimes just going over the problem verbally with someone else can help you see a possible solution that eluded you.

Consider writing about your project for a magazine. For those of you not otherwise aware, Nuts & Volts and their sister publication, SERVO Magazine, will pay you for well written articles! This is a great way to help finance your hobby.

The articles you read in these pages are (for the most part) written by amateur writers and fellow hobbyists that have taken a few moments to get their thoughts down on paper (well, on disk). If you've already created a blog or if you have

■ RoboMagellan — www.robo games.net/rules/magellan.shtml

■ Maker Faire www.makerfaire.com

■ THE PONGINATOR MK3 http://makerfaire.com/pub/e/2185

■ Nuts & Volts Writers Guidelines www.nutsvolts.com/writers_ guidelines.php

PERSONAL ROBOTICS

■ The upgraded "PONGINATOR MK3" control system incorporating ideas from MK1 and 2.

a nice collection of photos on one of the many picture-sharing websites, you may already have everything you need to write up an article, share it with your fellow readers, have a nice bullet point for your resume (i.e., "Internationally published technology magazine article author"), and get PAID for doing it! Check the resources for a link to the Nuts & Volts writers guidelines page.

LETS GET STARTED!

I figure seven is a lucky number so I guess I'll stop the resolutions here. I'm really looking forward to writing about some of the fun stuff I have planned in the coming months. I also want to invite you to let me know if there are topics or items you'd like to see reviewed, built, or covered in an article. Suggestions, comments, and observations are quite welcome. As always, you can reach me via email at vern@txis.com. NV