Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00195
To: beam beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Richard Piotter richfile@rconnect.com
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 12:02:28 -0600
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Various thoughts (was Schmitt trigger)
I agree, too many of the smaller colleges stick with the known and don't
encourage exploration. The only ones that do seem to be un affordable to the
comon curious student. Look at all the colleges that get into the news for
breakthroughs and discoveries. Mainly ones like MIT and Cal Tech. They are good
places if you like to do new things with science. I guess that means the common
person can't go! ):
My college is pretty nice though. It's small and the rent in the town (not
larger than around 3000 people) is low. The teachers get you know you, and the
best part, is that some (particularily the one who I've got ALL my classes with
this semester) is very encouraging. He actualy will buy materials through the
school to help people with personal projects. He mentioned using the robotics
that I work with as an elective, and get some credits for it. Just yesterday, he
told mo get a parts list for Quadrapod's controllers and he'd order the propper
parts! He gave me free copperclad board, new! He just asked if I needed any!
I've seem him rack his brain for 15 minutes just to try to figure out a circuit
that I'm using. He couldn't see how Quadrapod's controller could even possibly
work as it was, till I explained it's use of the "null" state to actualy perform
a function! He was pretty impressed. I added a feature by removing parts!
The college I'm going to may be small, but they are BEAM compatible, which is
very nice! I personaly and going to ask for MN West Tech College to be placed in
the list of contributors for the next robot's show I'm doing. They have real
helped out, I appreciate it. If only all coleges could be that open to new
technology! That cool teacher went to college around the time transistors had
come out. The college never even mentioed transistors, even though they'en out
for a couple years! Started his first engineering job not even knowing what
those little metal cans were!!! He then taught himself and had a good carreer in
electronics engineering!
It's good to have an open minded teacher. Also, I designed a powerless balancing
system for MECI IV M. It uses mercury switches and diodes attached to the rear
motor. When upright, the mercury switches anr closed and the motors leads are
shorted. If the robot tilts to one side, the mercury switch opens, removing the
bypas to tha diode. The motor than has open current one way and short c the
otherway. That makes it want to turn one way rather than the other. if balanced
very carefuly, I can may it work, but it'll rely on completely perfect
mechanics. I'm going to try to have another pair of mercury switches that
actualy puts power into the motor. The question is keeping it from shorting when
it' upright. I may end up going with an electronics controll, like I planned. Is
there a such thing as and analog tri-state (floating) switch? I would look in my
MAXIM books, but they are all at my dad's place. If I can do that, i can just
electronicly control the tilt, and easily switch the motor to a powered
controller.
> Well I'm not Scott, and to read his view would be nice, but in the college
> system if it doesn't fall into what the boss (professor, teacher etc.) deems
> worthy, it does not need to be explored. I can see doing that in business
> but college where you are supposed to learn how to think and explore and
> push boundaries.....
>
> That's why I left. I don't believe that there is only one way to do things
> and just because it hasn't been done that way before or violates the laws of
> physics or just the law it is intrinsically wrong. That makes a lot of
> people who get degrees useless. I actually had to explain to a computer
> science major why a Pentium2 "Cartridge would not fit in a 486 socket. And
> I've had others put floppies in upside down, folded, cut, busted and other
> ways that you don't even laugh. you just say "duuuude, what were you
> thinking?"
>
> In short by limiting the students to a vision of what is acceptable, they
> are destroying critical thinking and scientific exploration. Curiosity is
> what you have before college.
Richard Piotter
richfile@rconnect.com
The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
http://members.xoom.com/richfiles
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