The Make It Last Build Series, Sponsored by Microchip and Energizer
Welcome to Make It Last, a project build series and contest, sponsored by Microchip and Energizer. Over the course of this contest, we're going to cover a series of three project builds, demonstrating some of the finer points of low-power microcontroller design. We're hoping these will be fun, informative projects and a good introduction to using "bare" microcontrollers and learning more about the relationship between microcontrollers and power management. Starting with basic components, we will build up each design and you can follow along in a series of Make It Last build newsletters. We will be awarding some really cool prizes at the end of each build, based on the quality of your submission, what you learned in the process, your documentation, etc. All you have to do is post your Drawbot images on our MAKE Flickr pool, tagged "makeitlast".
Third Build: The Drawbot
[January 27 - March 3, 2011]We've got an exciting third build for you called the Drawbot. With two stepper motors, some monofilament line, a binder clip, a Sharpie and a microcontroller, the Drawbot draws cubic Bezier curves, circles and can move from one point to another accurately. Here's a video of the Drawbot in action!
The third build of our Make It Last series will be a simple drawing. To be eligible for the drawing, post your Drawbot images on our MAKE Flickr pool, tagged "makeitlast". We will draw a first and second place winner from that tag pool.
The prizes for the third build are as follows.
- MPLAB® ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger
- Explorer 16 Demo Board
- F1 Evaluation Platform
- MPLAB® Starter Kit for PIC24F
- MCP 1640 Single Cell Boost Converter for Energizer® MAX AlkalineAAAA
- Energizer® Night Strike Swivel Light
- $50 Maker Shed Gift Certificate
- F1 Evaluation Kit
- MPLAB® Starter Kit for PIC18F MCU
- MCP 1640 Single Cell Boost Converter for Energizer® MAX AlkalineAAAA
- Energizer® Night Strike Swivel Light
- $25 Maker Shed Gift Certificate
Links
Here's a handy checklist of Build Series links:
Read back issues of the Make It Last Newsletter
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #1
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #2
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #3
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #4
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #5
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #6
And the blog posts about the contest:
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #1
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #2
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #3
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #4
- Make It Last Build #3, Dispatch #5
Sign up for the newsletter
Second Build: The Robotic Plant
For the second project, we built a robotic plant seedling that used its microcontroller brain to monitor its environment, and bloom when the time is right. The whole project was housed in an ordinary plant pot, and thanks to an energy-efficient design, is able to lie dormant for months, even years, on a single set of AA batteries. That means you could set it by your window and be delighted when it finally wakes up, or give it as a gift to a patient robot enthusiast for safekeeping.
The prizes for the second build are as follows. The entry that gets the most points will win a prize package consisting of the following items:
Links
Read the Make It Last Build Series Newsletter for Build #2:
- Make It Last Build #2, Dispatch #1
- Make It Last Build #2, Dispatch #2
- Make It Last Build #2, Dispatch #3
- Make It Last Build #2, Dispatch #4
- Make It Last Build #2, Dispatch #5
And the blog posts about the Second Build:
- Make It Last Build #2: The robotic plant
- Make It Last Build Series: Robot plant brains
- Make It Last Build Series: A metal stem for an electronic flower
- Make It Last Build Series: The robot plants are in bloom!
- Make It Last Build Series: Papercraft flower
- Make It last: Finishing up the robot plant
First Build: The Data logger
The first project in the build is a data logger. This is a battery powered device that can periodically sample the temperature and record it for later analysis. It's basically like a thermometer combined with a recording device- you could track the temperature of your home, refrigerator, personal volcano, or anything else over a long period of time, using a single set of batteries. To save battery power, the device will spend most of its time in a reduced-power 'sleep' mode, only waking itself up every so often measure a temperature probe before going back to sleep.
Links
Read the Make It Last Build Series Newsletter for Build #1:
- Make It Last: Build #1, Dispatch #1
- Make It Last: Build #1, Dispatch #2
- Make It Last: Build #1, Dispatch #3
- Make It Last: Build #1, Dispatch #4
- Make It Last: Build #1, Dispatch #5
And the blog posts about the First Build:
- Announcing the Make It Last build series
- "Hello, world" blinky light on a PIC
- Make It Last Build Series: the third newsletter is out!
- "Make It Last Build Series: Building the data logger
- Make It Last Build Series: The final data logger newsletter is out!
- Make It Last Build Series: Data logger contest winners!
MAKE IT LAST DRAWBOT BUILD SERIES CONTEST: OFFICIAL RULES
This promotion is intended for play and participation in the United States only and shall be construed and evaluated according to the laws of the United States. Please do not participate if you are not a legal resident of the United States at the time of entry.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. CONTEST OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHO ARE OF THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN THEIR STATE OF RESIDENCE AT THE TIME OF ENTRY (19 OR OLDER IN AL AND NE, 18 OR OLDER IN ALL OTHER STATES). VOID OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES AND WHERE OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Important: Please read these Official Rules before entering the MAKE IT LAST DRAWDBOT BUILD contest (the "Contest") sponsored by Maker Media, a division of O’Reilly Media, Inc., the folks who bring you Make Magazine (MAKE), Microchip Technology (“Microchip”) and Energizer (“Energizer”) (each a “Sponsor”, and collectively “Sponsors”).
BINDING AGREEMENT: In order to enter the Contest, you must agree to these Official Rules (“Rules”). The Rules consist of the terms and conditions on this page and the Contest Entry Form. Because you will be bound by these Rules and these Rules will form a legally binding agreement with respect to this Contest, please read them carefully. You may not submit an Entry (as defined in Section 3 below) unless you agree to these Rules. You agree that participation in this Contest and/or submission of an Entry in the Contest constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and Sponsors’ decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.
ELIGIBILITY: Contest open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are of the age of majority in their state of residence (19 or older in AL and NE, 18 or older in all other states) at the time of entry. Employees, directors and officers of Sponsors, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, distributors, retailers, contractors, agents, advertising and promotional agencies, and members of their immediate family (spouse, parents, children, sibling and their respective spouse) are not eligible to participate. Void outside of the United States and where otherwise prohibited by law. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
HOW TO ENTER: Contest begins at 12:01 a.m. PST on January 27, 2011 and will end at 11:59 p.m. PST on March 3, 2011 (the “Contest Period”). During the Contest Period, participants have the opportunity to build a Drawbot, which draws cubit Bezier curves, circles and can move from one point to another accurately. The Contest winners will be selected via a random drawing, please visit the Contest landing page at http://www.makezine.com/makeitlast and sign up for the Make It Last Newsletter. This weekly newsletter will provide you with background information and walk you through a different part of the project build with each issue. To be eligible for the drawing, post your Drawbot images to the MAKE Flickr pool (http://www.flickr.com/groups/make/pool), with the tag “makeitlast”. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on March 3, 2011 to be eligible for the Drawing.
All Entries become the property of Sponsors and none will be returned. Should multiple users of the same e-mail account enter the Contest and a dispute thereafter arise regarding the identity of the contestant, the contestant shall be deemed to be the Authorized Account Holder. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization which is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses or the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Please see the privacy policy located at http://oreilly.com/oreilly/privacy.csp for details of Sponsor’s policy regarding the use of personal information collected in connection with this Contest. Email addresses obtained through the Contest will only be used by Sponsors to notify the winners and contestants of the Contest results, unless contestants elect to “opt in” to a particular use of his/her email address when submitting the Contest Entry Form. Entries must be in English. Each Entry must be the original work of the submitting contestant; created solely by the submitting contestant, must not have been submitted in any other competition and won previous awards; must not have been previously published or marketed; must not infringe third-party rights of any third party, including but not limited to copyright, trademark and right of privacy and publicity, and must be suitable for publication (i.e., not be obscene or indecent).
WINNERS SELECTION: All Entries in the MAKE Flickr pool, tagged "makeitlast" will be eligible for the drawing. The First Prize Winner and the Second Prize Winner are collectively hereinafter referred to as “Winners”. The winners will be issued no later than March 7, 2011, and will be final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest.
WINNER NOTIFICATION: Each Winner will be notified by email on or about March 7, 2011. Sponsors are not responsible for any change of contestant’s email address. Any prize or prize notification returned as undeliverable or otherwise not claimed within seven (7) days after notification of prize award will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. Each Winner may be required to execute and return an affidavit of eligibility and publicity, liability and other release within seven (7) days of notification attempt or prize will be forfeited and an alternate Winner will be selected.
PRIZES: One (1) First Prize Winner, and one (1) Second Prize Winner will receive the following:
Grand Prize (1): First Prize Winner will receive an Explorer 16 Demo Board, a $50 Maker Shed gift certificate, and an Energizer® Night Strike Swivel Light. Total estimated retail value of Grand Prize is $240.
Second Prize (1): Second Prize Winner will receive an F1 Evaluation Kit, a $25 Maker Shed gift certificate, and an Energizer® Night Strike Swivel Light. Total estimated retail value of Second Prize is $155.
Estimated total value of all prizes: US $395. All prizes amounts are in US dollars. All prizes will be awarded, provided they are properly claimed. Prizes are not transferable. No cash redemptions. No substitutions or exchanges of the prizes will be permitted, except that Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any prize that becomes unavailable. The prizes are awarded "as is" and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). Acceptance or use of prize is at Winners’ own risk. All federal, state, and local taxes are the responsibility of the Winners. Limit one prize per household.
GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION: By submitting an Entry, you represent and warrant that: you are the sole owner of all rights in and to the materials that constitute your Entry; your Entry is your original work; you are the photographer of any photos submitted, videographer of any videos submitted, and the author of any written materials submitted; your Entry does not violate laws prohibiting copyright or trademark infringement, defamation, misuse of trade secrets, invasion of privacy, or other laws; and use of your Entry by Sponsors will not infringe on the rights of any third parties. By submitting an Entry, you grant Sponsors and their agents the irrevocable and perpetual nonexclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, promote, and provide access to any such Entry, in all media throughout the world, and without consideration to you. By submitting an Entry, you agree that your submission is gratuitous and made without restriction and will not place Sponsors under any obligation, and that Sponsors are free to disclose or otherwise disclose the ideas contained in the Entry on a non-confidential basis to anyone or otherwise use the ideas without any additional compensation to you. You acknowledge that, by accepting your Entry, Sponsors do not waive any rights to use similar or related ideas previously known to Sponsors, or developed by their employees, or obtained from sources other than you. Except where prohibited by law, by submitting an Entry into the Contest, you authorize Sponsors and their agents, to use your name, likeness, Entry submission materials, and/or Prize information, in any and all media without territorial or time limitation, for any advertising, promotional, or any other purpose related to the Contest, without further compensation to, or permission from, you.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Sponsors and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, professional advisors, employees, and agencies will not be responsible for (1) any late, lost, or misrouted entries or errors in transmission; (2) any disruptions to Internet connection, injuries, losses, or damages caused by events beyond the control of Sponsors; or (3) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest. Sponsors and their agencies are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, or telephone malfunctions of any kind and shall not be liable for failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled, or delayed electronic communications utilized in this Contest which may limit the ability to participate in the Contest. If for any reason, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other cause beyond the control of Sponsors, which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Contest is not capable of being conducted as described in these rules, Sponsors shall have the right, at their sole discretion, to modify and/or cancel the Contest. By entering the Contest, submitting an Entry and/or accepting a prize, you release Sponsors and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agencies (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, for any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest or acceptance, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses, and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional) whether under a theory of contract, warranty, tort (including negligence, whether active, passive, or imputed), strict liability, product liability, contribution, or any other theory.
GOVERNING LAW: The Contest will be governed, construed, and interpreted under the laws of the United States. Participants who violate these Rules, tamper with the operation of the Contest, or engage in any conduct that is detrimental to Sponsors, the Contest, or any other participant (as determined in Sponsors’ sole discretion) are subject to disqualification. By entering the Contest, you agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsors in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of State of California, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of California or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of California. Participants further consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts located in San Francisco, California.
WINNER'S LIST: A list of Winners will be posted at www.makezine.com/makeitlast for a period of six months after the end of the Contest.
SPONSORS’ ADDRESS:
O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Hwy N., Sebastopol, CA 95472.
Microchip Technology, 2355 West Chandler Blvd., Chandler, AZ 85224.
Energizer, 533 Maryville University Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141.
The Contest and all accompanying materials are copyright © 2010 O’Reilly Media, Inc.
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