Before we jump to the new product announcements, we need to tell you that we will be closed on Monday August 3rd (wait, what, it's already August?!) to celebrate something called a National One of the Many Long Weekends Day - I mean Heritage Day. We will resume our regular activities of answering phones and […]
Painted GraviTrack
Solar botics
March 5, 2018
We always enjoy seeing our products being modified, revamped and DIY-ed, as well as the results of these transformations.
Our customer Vera Kark provided us with some thoughtful feedback on adding mechanical tweaks to improve our Solar GraviTrack build and documentation. She also painted the brown MDF of the machine. She used tempera paint on the wood components still in panelized form, and the GraviTrack's performance seemed to be unaffected.
The GraviTrack looks great in vibrant jewel tone colours, however, we do not recommend applying paint to the hand mechanism itself. You can paint the base and the rails, avoiding the hand mechanism completely. The moisture and the thickness of the paint might affect the precise tolerances of the moving parts, and will interfere with its proper functioning. Another relatively safe option might be felt tip marker since the moisture from alcohol evaporates quickly.
Photos & video by Vera Kark
P.S. Also, a particularly bad idea is painting your GraviTrack after the assembly is completed. Even though we were using a very watered down acrylic paint, the mechanism seized up the moment the paint became sticky. Don't be like us. Take care of your GraviTrack.
A portrait of a sad stuck GraviTrack
MORE POSTS
GM15 Dual-Deal; Microcontrollers!
Ok, ok - we've been getting requests (no; more like demands) that we offer a bit of a deal for getting the GM15's in pairs. Alright then. How does $30USD or $40Cdn a pair strike you? Ok, now let's see some nano-sumo robots! "Wot's this? A microcontroller at Solarbotics??" Yup. The Atmel ATMega8L is part […]
Yarrrr... 'Tis that time of Tide again, ...
If ye`re wonderin' what be goin' on at Solarbotics today, 'tis "Talk Like a Pirate Day". We`re big fans o' this holiday, so if ye want a 5% discount on yer order, call 't in an' TALK LIKE A SEAFARIN' HEARTY! Remember, ya gots to be talkin' like a an ol' scalwag to get the […]
Delayed Express Shipments
Weather. It's a thing. And sometimes, it's a pretty intense thing too. Such as right now in our fair city of Calgary, where some neighbourhoods have been declared to be in a state of emergency due to recent thunder and rain storms. We're hoping that things will clear up in a few days, but in […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.