Design and Planning in Font

Creator Code-39 in Font Design and Planning

I m sure I didn t fool you by reversing the words in the section title. Since you are no longer scared by the phrase planning and design, I m just a little worried you might become a little bored with it and try to skip it. So I m going to shake it up a bit in this chapter . . . challenge you a little bit to come up with something truly unique. The jar isn t going to magically fill with pebbles, so you ve got some work to do.

In 2, I gave you an advanced look at the ExploroBot before we began working on the Design Journal page. While I ve got my version of the StringBot ready to go, try to keep from skipping ahead to 7 to look at it. I want you to start seeing your own StringBot in your head without my design influencing you. We re going to use the Design Journal page again in this chapter. If you followed along in 2 carefully, this chapter will follow the same steps. Get a blank Design Journal page and a pen and let s start designing.

Note There are four blank Design Journal pages left in the back of this book (if you used one for 2). If you need more pages, feel free to make photocopies of the Design Journal page or visit the Apress Web site to download the page in PDF format.

At the top of the Design Journal page, in the Robot Name box, go ahead and write StringBot. Feel free to create your own name for the bot; names such as TwineBot, MonkeyBot, or Gort are

available. (You get Big Bonus Points if you recognize the Gort reference.) Once you ve got your bot s name selected, it s time to work on the Robot Description.

Remember, the Robot Description doesn t need to be pages and pages of written text. Your goal is to keep it simple and uncluttered. As I said in 2, this isn t where you describe the bot as lightweight, a mixture of parts, some motors, and maybe a sensor or two. This section is where you try to accurately describe the overall process the robot will follow. Ask yourself the question, What is this robot supposed to do and start writing inside the Robot Description box. Write visually. What do I mean by this Picture a box (a shoebox, for example) in your hands the box doesn t have any sensors or motors or any other items yet, it s just a box. Imagine this box doing what you believe needs to be done to solve this challenge (refer to 5 if you need a reminder). Now compare what you wrote down to my Robot Description in Figure 6-1.

Figure 6-1. The StringBot s Robot Description should be short and simple. Did you cover the major requirements Again, don t worry if your Robot Description doesn t match mine exactly. Although it wasn t mentioned in the challenge ( 5), I had a thought that if the bot were moving too quickly on the string, it might overshoot the jar. So I added If the StringBot can move quickly on the string, but slow down as it nears the jar (to keep from overshooting the container), this will reduce missed drops. You might not have added that to your Robot Description maybe you have an idea to prevent that from happening. Great! Put it into your Robot Description. The major items you need in your Robot Description are the bot s need to traverse the room on a string, backwards and forwards, and to be able to hold a small object and drop it into a container. Make sure that the bot returns for another object (it will take many visits to fill the jar) and that you have a good Robot Description, and you are ready to move on to the next step the Task List.