Mind / Iron
by Bryan Bergeron, Editor ª
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ERVO FOR THE ROBOT INNOVATOR
6 SERVO 01.2016
One of the benefits of open source microcontrollers and other
hardware is that with a modest
investment in a software package
such as EagleCAD, it’s a simple
matter to create custom boards to fit
the size and weight requirements of
your robot. For example, let’s say
you’re working on a pint-sized
quadcopter drone and every bit of
extra circuit board not only cuts down
on battery time, but requires a larger
enclosure. If you’re working with, say,
an Arduino Uno, then you can leave
off the USB connector and create a
round instead of rectangular board to
better fit your quad design.
Custom has a cost, however. The
first is, well, cost — in dollars and
cents. You can probably pick up a
standard Arduino Uno for less than
$30, including shipping. A custom
Arduino — in comparison — can easily
run $30 for shipping alone because
of the multiple vendors involved in
supplying parts. There is the board
manufacturing cost, as well as the
cost of the components to populate
the board. There’s also the cost in the
time and effort required to design the
board, order the components, wait a
week or two for everything to arrive,
and then spend a day assembling and
testing the board.
Perhaps the greatest cost in
going custom is the cost of keeping
up. It seems as though the
microcontroller companies are
announcing new boards on a
quarterly basis. They’re faster, more
powerful, and sometimes even
cheaper. Fortunately, they tend to
keep the same physical footprint and
connectors. So, upgrading your robot
to the latest board is a 10 minute
board swap. Not so with a custom
board — especially if every component
The Cost of Custom
Dear SERVO:
Bryan Bergeron’s November 2015 editorial where he compared the work of
experimentalists and engineers reminded me of the investigation of the
Challenger Shuttle disaster. While the investigation went on and on and
everyone was pointing fingers at each other, it took Nobel prize winner, Richard
Feynman to shut them all up with one little experiment he did in front of the
media. He took a piece of the rubber like that of the seal of the propellant tanks,
immersed it in ice water, then showed how the rubber would shrink and harden
under similar conditions that existed on launch day. Just like the experimentalist
that dunked the PCB into water to see its effects! Sometimes the guys with the
degrees — unlike Feynman — get too wrapped up in their ego and look for the
solution that validates why they are engineers. (I am both, by the way.)
Bob Found
Indian Harbour, NS, Canada
Appreciate the feedback and your story. Re: Feynman is one of my virtual
mentors. I can't play bongos, but I'm okay on the standard kit.
Anyway, great point and story.
Bryan Bergeron
Continued on page 51