Updates on RD-3D now that he's done a few shows

The one thing I've learned as I've really gotten into the Maker Movement is that rarely does anything work right the first time. You have to keep researching, learning, testing, and trying new things.

For example: the rubber bands that I use for tires on his tiny wheels. I had the hardest time gluing the rubber bands to the wheels. I tried all different kinds of glue, even rubber cement which is nearly perfect for gluing rubber. Nothing would work. But it turns out rubber bands are coated with a special powder that keeps them from sticking to anything, even glue and rubber cement. A quick rinse under the sink and presto, the rubber band tires can now be glued to the wheel!

Another problem I had was with the front forks. I designed them in TinkerCad using measurements of the button wheel I made with my calipers. I added a little "shelf" perpendicular to the forks that fit under the lower lip of the can to keep the forks steady.

Unfortunately I measured the width of the button in the CENTER and failed to account for the outer lip of the button which is a little bit fatter. No big deal. The button-wheel I measured was actually 2 buttons glued together, so I could still use a button, I just had to use a single button rather than the double I had wanted.

But then another problem arose. RD-3D started turning while he was moving. It was as if he were steering off-course. It seems that the little "shelf" I made didn't to as good a job as stabilizing the forks as I had wanted. So, I decided to go back and redesign the forks, making them wider (to hold a double-button wheel) AND to also improve the shelf so that it would stabilize with the can better. So I greatly increased the size of the shelf and also contoured it to the curve of the can which makes it nearly impossible for it to pivot around the screw like it had been doing. So far, so good.


But there is one more issue I've been dealing with. The 9 v. batteries I've been using seem to go dead after just 4 shows. There is NO REASON for them to die that quickly. I mean, they aren't DEAD-dead, just low enough that RD-3D can't move. His lights still turn on and blink quite brightly, and he has enough power to do his "shaking" thing (which turned out to be one of the funnier jokes in the show).

When he's supposed to move across the table, I can hear his motor struggling, but he doesn't actually move. I think I know what the problem is, and I'll report back on it whether I'm right or wrong.

RD-3D is Finally DONE!!

It is such a relief to have him all completed and know that he works like I want him to. Everything he does is programmable. That is, I can adjust how long the lights are on and off, how fast and how far he moves forward and backward. But it's all programmed BEFORE the show; sort of like how I memorize lines, RD-3D will have "memorized" things he will do.

For example, I'll ask him questions and the green light will represent "yes" and the red light will be "no." But he won't actually hear the questions, just wait a set amount of time and then turn on the green light for a second. Also, the shaking back and forth he does near the end of the video I think I'm going to use as a joke in the show. I'll say something like "Okay, we have an agreement. Let's shake on it," and he will begin to shake.

Foundations of a Robot Puppet

While in my local Lakeshore Learning teacher supply store I spotted this little toy on a discount shelf and snapped it up. I "knew" I wouldn't use it (i.e. "thought" I wouldn't use it), but figured it might provide some inspiration for my own robot project.

Little did I know that it would become the basis of my show this summer!

First of all, this is a toy, and certainly NOT a robot. From an electronic standpoint it is a simple circuit with a switch, battery, and a motor; turn on the switch and it completes the circuit causing the motor to run until you turn it off.

But I liked two thing about it that I wanted to use: 1) The frame that holds the can, and 2) the gear exchange that uses the motor to drive the wheels.

But I wanted to wire it to an Arduino so that I could control various aspects of the motor. I wanted to be able to go forward AND backward. I wanted to be able to control the SPEED of the motor, and I wanted to be able to time certain things to happen (move forward for 2 seconds then stop for 5 seconds, then go backwards at half speed for 2 seconds, etc.).

Anyway, I have been playing with it. I am unsure of what I'll be able to do, but I was happy to notice that 10 oz. cans (most soup cans, Rotel tomatoes, etc) are about the same size as soda cans and will fit within the frame of this robot.

The downside is that I knew that one can would not be big enough to hold my Arduino and all the wires I might need for the LEDs, moving arms, etc. So I carefully measured the inner diameter of a 10 oz. can, got on Tinkercad and fabricated this "Tin Can Connector."

I'm not going to lie to you. This was very simple to create...and I still felt like a freaking ROCK STAR when I finished! And even MORE like a rock star when I picked it up from my local library (thank you Friendswood Public Library for being so amazing!!).

I'm even more inspired now than ever before about this summer's show. We live in an amazing time where we can sit at a computer, imagine something, design it, email that file to our local library, and for pennies per gram, pick up a perfect rendition of our imagination come to fruition.

I'm not mechanically inclined and never have been. So, when I tell you I'm nervous about finishing this project, it is true. But this first step was so surprisingly easy, that my confidence has been renewed. For a long time I kept thinking I should just BUY a robot that does what I need and be done with it. But I just couldn't bring myself to do a show about MAKING things while refusing to even TRY. So, if this doesn't end up in the show this summer, know that it wasn't for lack of TRYING!!

Writing the new show: Take Me to Your Readers

Without a doubt, the hardest work I do is writing a new show. Marketing and scheduling and travelling and bookkeeping and graphic design are all parts of my job that are boring, difficult, or just not fun, but WRITING a show is, by FAR, the most difficult work.

The goal is that I come in and every joke is funny. The goal is that there's never a dull moment. The kids are laughing hysterically, the adults are laughing at how much the kids are laughing, and no one realizes how much they are actually learning. Until it's all over, and they think back about the jokes and the puppets and the magic and it dawns on them that it was all a "mini-play," a theatrical experience that conveys a story, and stories are one of the easiest ways to learn things.

But the best stories are the hardest ones to write.

For me it's even more difficult because I have these other goals I add in about using puppets, using magic tricks, comedy for kids, comedy for adults, which books I want to talk about, and this year I'm incorporating some Maker-space concepts so I'm having to really learn some new skills as I literally have to build a robot for this show.

Keep tuned for updates. Right now I have to practice writing code for the Arduino that will be the "brain" for this robotic character in my show. Still working on a name for him...or her? Hmm, so much to think about.

Marketing with Posters

I love when libraries use the FREE promotional materials we provide!

We always send out several full-sized posters to every school and library that books one of our assemblies. Not everyone uses them, but the ones that do seem to have great attendance.

Sometimes selling "free" services can be harder than selling things for a fee. Non-profits can learn from the private sector how to let your patrons know what's happening in your LMC.

The Importance of Summer Reading

From Dr. James Harden

Wrapping up another Summer

I still have a few more shows to go before the end of the Summer Reading Club programs in Texas. It has been a great year. Normally I complain regularly to my wife about the heat and humidity, but for some reason it didn't bother me so much this summer. Maybe the A/C in my new truck blows colder than the one in my old truck?

Anyway, the show this year turned out really well. I introduced a new puppet (Nigel, an ape with an English accent). His personality has developed quite nicely and I really like the reactions he gets with audiences.

I'm looking forward to some time off in August and really excited about the new school year.

Most of the summer of 2011 is already booked for our show "Work Smarter" which is a perfect tie in with the theme for Texas Libraries in 2011: Dig up a Good Book.

Marketing Your SRC

As a performer in 100+ SRC programs each summer I feel responsible for ensuring good turn out at my performances. Part of my commitment to the success of the clients who hire me is that I create full-color, full-sized posters for each show and give them to the libraries that hire me. This is a pretty good tool if it is used.

But in addition to hanging posters, publishing a schedule, and reminding visitors each week about next week's program, there are a few other ideas I've come across that can help ensure packed meeting rooms each week.

One I'd like to share today is really quite novel. I was at a library that tracked "minutes read" on their reading logs. Some go by pages, some by titles, some by time. Each method has its pros and cons. But one of the good things about using minutes is that you can allow the patrons to count attendance at events toward their reading log.

In other words, if a patron came to watch a 45 minute puppet show, they would get 45 minutes of credit on their reading log.

I find this to be quite equitable. We know the library is about more than just books. We have videos, computer access, learning and training opportunities, meeting rooms for community groups, magazines, research tools, and a host of other functions to serve the community.

This method of giving credit for attending the SRC programs should not only increase attendance and reward those loyal patrons who show up every week, but it is a reminder that while the library was and is founded on books, there is a LOT more that goes on behind these walls!