Another effective, simpler idea is the
Solar Flag Waver
(SFW). This BEAM
critter won't sneak away from you and experience "Sudden De-acceleration
Trauma" (that means "fall-down, go-boom!") like the Solaroller can. It is also
neat to have on your windowsill where it happily sits, signalling its presence
to the rest of the world with its occasional blip of movement. It has such
interesting presence that there aren't many photovore worlds or Robot
Jurassic Parks out there that don't have a selection of these "Robot Plant
Life-forms."
It is very simple to turn an operational Solarengine into a SFW by simply
adding some legs to the motor and adding a flag mast to the output shaft of
the motor. Here's where raiding the junk drawer for older, cop-
per/brass paperclips works well. Unbend one end of the paperclip
and solder it to the top of the motor, like in the diagram. Just be sure
to sand or file off a spot on the motor so it's shiny - this make
soldering to the motor much, much easier. Glue the solar cell to the
side of the SFW, mount a mast in place with glue or solder, and tape
a business card or small sign to it and you're done!
Ideas for your Solarengine
The Symet, Roundabout & Solar Flag Waver!
If you want to construct something other than a Solaroller, you may want to try one of these devices - the
"Symet", the "Roundabout", or the "Solar Flag Waver".
The "Symet" is a simple robot that interacts with its environment by the use of tactile
(touch) sensors. When one sensor hits an obstacle, it causes the Symet to tip over to the
other side and scoot away in the opposite direction.
The Symet "Roundabout" is an easy implementation of the Solarengine with the addition
of two paperclips. By soldering the paperclips to the bottom of the motor (as shown in the
picture), the Roundabout will spin around in circles. This makes it more mobile than a
Solar Flag Waver, but still keeps itself in a central location.
Symet underside
Roundabout
Paperclip legs
Scrape area
before soldering
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