Servo - January 2016

By the time this issue hits the newsstands, I will have started on one of my favorite parts of the design process: the brainstorming and idea generation that gets the ball rolling for the new builds. One of the most frequently asked questions by those who see our display is how I come up with the ideas and designs for my projects.

We will be looking at a couple of different approaches detailing how to come up with ideas, and begin the design process. This is a very important step, and one that deserves a significant amount of time and thought. Time spent in this phase of the process will be rewarded further down the road.

This is an opportunity to head off many of the costly design mistakes that can result from an ill-conceived idea. You can skip all the planning and go directly to building, but this method can lead to wasted time and money, as well as plenty of frustration. Spend some time early and reap the rewards of your efforts later. The adage “Fail to plan, plan to fail” is an appropriate sentiment.

There are multiple factors that need to be considered when planning a project. The building and design of the mechanisms is only a portion of the process. Other considerations include the electronics to make it operate as desired, the scene it will be incorporated into, as well as the “outside appearance.” Truth be told, this is the element that I struggle with the most.

In addition to these physical components, you need to take stock of your skills to see if your project can be accomplished as envisioned. Occasionally, I hope you are in need of the required knowledge and have to either learn what is necessary or recruit someone that does have the skills you need. This is one way we can increase our knowledge and become better builders.

We’ll examine the way I go about designing and prototyping a project, plus we will look at how one of the do-it-yourself builders I respect the most — Brian Lincoln — goes about bringing his projects to life. Brian’s background in engineering and project management is apparent in the attention to detail and thoroughness in preparation that he puts in before he ever begins an actual build.

Generating an Idea

We are fortunate to have a wide variety of online sources for ideas and tutorials such as forums, how-to

It’s that time of year when I reflect on the progress of the past year, and start to plan the projects for the upcoming build season. While many are preparing for the holidays, my thoughts turn to the new characters I would like to bring to life.

As I sit down to write this, I have just completed my big production of the year with two costume parties, as well as Halloween night. The next month or so will be spent doing any necessary repairs or upgrades to the characters before storing them away, until they reappear next year to perform once again.