Page 16 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

Introduction xv

What You Need to Know
Although prior engineering and fabrication expertise is not required, you do need to
know a few things to get the most out of this book. One of the most important is
knowledge of how to use the Internet. There are at least three reasons for this.

• When it comes to mechanisms and all things related, we are standing on the
shoulders of giants. From the Instructables website (www.instructables.com)
to Leonardo Da Vinci’s first mechanical sketches, a lot of inspiration can be
found online to help form ideas for projects and learn from similar ones. The
goal of this book is to get projects done, not to learn everything there is to
know about a topic before getting started. Are you trying to convert rotary
motion to linear motion? Guess what—you’re not the first person to do that.
Take advantage of the basics explained in this book, and the dozens of
websites devoted to examples of converting rotary to linear motion, to inspire
the mechanism you need to realize your idea. Borrow the idea, and then
customize it to make it your own, and always give credit where credit is due.
As Aiden Lawrence Onn and Gary Alexander say in their book Cabaret
Mechanical Movement: Understanding Movement and Making Automata
(London: G&B Litho Limited, 1998), “If you want to make things move, be
sure to spend some time studying how other things move.”

• Making things requires parts and tools. You will most likely need to order
some of these things online. Although you can do a lot with cardboard boxes
and straws, you may not have a local big box store that sells DC gearhead
motors for your Not Lazy Susan (Project 10-1 in Chapter 10). Luckily, you can
order parts and tools online, no matter where you are. You can also get better
deals on most things—from hand drills to alligator clips—than you can at your
local hardware store. Resources are listed for each project, but a few I will
refer to often are McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com), SparkFun
(www.sparkfun.com), and All Electronics (www.allelectronics.com).

• This book has a companion website: www.makingthingsmove.com. Color
photographs and videos that cannot be included in the book will be posted
here. You will also find a blog and other resources. By purchasing this book,
you have become part of a maker subculture that is bigger than you may
know. The makingthingsmove.com website will help you connect with those
who share similar interests. Links to digital files to download, make, and buy