Summary of AUTOMATE YOUR GRAFFITI WITH THE GRAFFOMAT!
The Graffomat is a DIY graffiti plotter designed by Niklas Roy to automate street art for those without artistic skills. Built primarily from wood and powered by recycled cordless drills, the machine uses string pulleys to move its gantry. An Arduino Nano controls the system via serial coordinates, supporting real-time computer control or SD card operation. To ensure accuracy despite non-repeatable motors, it employs black-and-white striped encoder strips read by phototransistors alongside homing switches for absolute positional tracking.
Parts used in the Graffomat:
- Wood
- Recycled cordless drills
- String pulleys
- Gantry
- Arduino Nano
- Serial communication interface
- SD card reader
- Computer
- Black and white striped encoder strips
- Phototransistors
- Homing switches
In Banksy’s book, Wall and Piece, there is a very interesting quote; “Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked…”. This sounds like it would be a very exciting city to live in, except for those of us who do not have an artistic bone in their body. Luckily, [Niklas Roy] has come up with the solution to this problem; the Graffomat, a spray can plotter.
The Graffomat is, in its creator’s own words, a “quick and dirty graffiti plotter.” It is constructed primarily from wood and driven by recycled cordless drills that pulls string pulleys to move the gantry. The Arduino Nano at the heart of the Graffomat can be controlled by sending coordinates over serial. This allows for the connection of an SD card reader to drip-feed the machine, or a computer to enable real-time local or over-the-internet control.
We are especially impressed with how [Niklas] handled positional tracking. The cordless drills were certainly not repeatable like a stepper motor, as to allow for open-loop control. Therefore, the position of the gantry and head needed to be actively tracked. To achieve this, the axes are covered with black and white striped encoder strips, that is then read by a pair of phototransistors as the machine moves along. These can then be paired with the homing switches in the top left corner to determine absolute position.
Graffomat is not the first automated graffiti machine we’ve covered. Read here about the robot that painted murals by climbing smokestacks in Estonia.
Source: AUTOMATE YOUR GRAFFITI WITH THE GRAFFOMAT!
- What is the Graffomat?
The Graffomat is a quick and dirty graffiti plotter constructed from wood and driven by recycled cordless drills. - How does the Graffomat move its gantry?
The machine pulls string pulleys using recycled cordless drills to move the gantry. - Can the Graffomat be controlled over the internet?
Yes, a computer can enable real-time local or over-the-internet control via serial coordinates. - Does the Graffomat use stepper motors for positioning?
No, the creator notes that the cordless drills were not repeatable like stepper motors, requiring active tracking instead. - How does the Graffomat track its position accurately?
It uses black and white striped encoder strips read by phototransistors paired with homing switches to determine absolute position. - What is the primary material used to construct the Graffomat?
The Graffomat is constructed primarily from wood. - Can the machine operate using an SD card?
Yes, connecting an SD card reader allows the machine to drip-feed coordinates for operation. - Who created the Graffomat?
Niklas Roy came up with the solution to automated graffiti with the Graffomat.
