Pikajane

Pikajane OP t1_iyezk6p wrote

I do often forget where I left the stylus, and what I normally do in that circumstance is jiggle the knobs ever-so-slightly until I notice minute movement on the screen. I do my best to park the stylus in a corner or area where it's more visible (where I've etched a lot of the powder off, for example) to make it easier on me when I get back to it.

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Pikajane OP t1_iye9ypj wrote

in theory this would work since it's a plotter. In practice every Etch A Sketch has its own minute mechanical flaws and idiosyncrasies which makes it so that the knobs sometimes lock up and skip at random parts which would make mass automation difficult. On top of that, each Etch A Sketch has varying line weights etc so it's hard to pick units that consistently function exactly the same both mechanically and cosmetically.

People have been able to program some really cool stuff with arduinos but this level of detail would probably take more effort than it's worth for reproducing.

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