AllSeeing: stuck with an empty wallet...

Did you know... that hot glue does not make a strong enough connection between a miniature web cam and a servo drive gear? I was foolish enough to try this. I guess I forgot that proof of concepts should stay in their own directory. In order to get this rig driving a web cam around it is time for mechanical engineering to step in. Only, proper mechanical solutions to servos driving a web cam would require gear trains, bearnings, and some type of housing. Have you ever priced gears?

So far this project required the following funds:

• servo motors - $12 X 2


• transistors - $0.2 X 8


• wire / connectors - around $4


• web cam - had it lying around

Put gears, bearings, and housing on that list and you are looking at a shoddy solution running +$60 more dollars. I am not willing to spend this on components that cannot be reused and on a project that cannot occupy my time for more than a month.

Here is where things get interesting. I sat on this dilemma for a few days and decided to start searching Google for a rapid prototyped solution. That is, I searched for companies willing to prototype custom parts for cheap. I could not believe what I found. Hence forth I am abandoning this project in order to make my own rapid prototype machine for under $500, unlocking SO MANY possibilities! Once this prototype machine is complete I will eventually revisit this... I am sure.