July 24 – Day 1 – Mechanical Input Devices Project, Project: The Cooling Machine

Mechanical Input Devices still play a vital role in industrial controls. Adjusting set points for process controls and switching operating modes (diagnostic/normal) on conveyor systems typically use mechanical input devices. This introductory session discusses the basic parts of mechanical input devices. The commonly used joystick and the potentiometer will provide the examples illustrating the construction of mechanical input devices. The hands-on project will consist of building a concept Cooling Machine using a potentiometer followed by the joystick as the mechanical input device. The Makerblock-Orion will be introduced in this session as well.