Plotters and drawing robots are interesting projects that allow you to create the precise and perfect art that computer numerical control can provide. [tuenhidy] cleverly demonstrates this with multicolor drawbot.
The product adopts a simple XY Cartesian design and uses a pair of NEMA 17 stepping motors. It is built in a typical corexy way and runs grbl firmware on Arduino UNO.
The creativity of [tuenhidiy] comes from the pen itself. Instead of using a simple ball point pen or marker, use a retractable multicolor pen. Tuenhidiy used multicolor pen in the design and pointed out the importance of limit switch. In this way, the robot can scan multiple times and use different colors each time, so as to form a multi-color image. If there is no suitable limit switch, it is impossible to queue up in every next pass.
We hope to see this automatic color switching system based on servo system go further. Nevertheless, tuenhidiy has a powerful plotter that can provide neat multi-color works of art.
Recently, a more strange application of plotters is sending forged handwritten letters through the postal system. Video after break.