Putting It All Away
• Design your projects so that you can
disassemble them into easily stored pieces.
• Plan for reuse by standardizing the parts
you use.
• Have a couple “fun” projects on the shelf
for those times when you only have a few
minutes available to work on something. This
helps keep the spark alive and gives you the
opportunity to test out new ideas.
• I do a lot of trial and error builds. Not
every design I come up with works, however,
your mileage may vary. I chalk these up to
learning experiences and go on to another
design or new project. Sometimes I will build
something just to test out an idea which I hope
will one day be incorporated into a project.
• Think about how and where you will store your
creations, and organize things so they are easy to find.
• Repair things before putting them away. Who wants
to have to try to remember the issues with a broken prop
when it is time to use it once again?
• Use screws instead of glue when using PVC to aid in
disassembly (Figure 9).
• Use plastic storage bins to keep things dry and
organized. Label them so items are easy to locate and
retrieve.
I am Fresh Out of Ideas. Do You
Have Any?
My primary motivation for this article was to have these
tips assembled in a single, easily referenced place and allow
us all to be more efficient builders. Equally important is that
I hope that after reading this, you will be encouraged to
participate in building our community!
I have started a forum thread on this specific topic and
would like you to take a minute and add a tip or two that
you feel would benefit other builders. Let’s come together
by making connections and sharing our knowledge. You
can find the thread at http://tinyurl.com/j8txr4e.
May the urge to build be with you! SV
Figure 9. Plenty of adjustment available when
using screws.
Figure 8. You’ll find plenty of uses for an airbrush.
DIY Animatronics
SERVO 03.2016 53