If there was an embedded systems versions of the IOCCC, this would surely be a winner.
From a post in hackaday.com, how *NOT* to design an embedded system:
-- Roberto Waltman
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I don't know, it seems to have done the job and the maker seems to wish to integragte art & engineering. Quite cool really!
It depends on what the _real_ design parameters. If we interpret the somewhat broken English literally then pressing the buttons on those specific handsets is the job - that rules out e.g. a smartphone and checking things in software.
Even if that really is the case I doubt many would approach the task in that manner. 26 R/C servos does seem a little excessive
- why not solenoids instead? Or even simpler, repurpose an old pen plotter from ebay and use the pen up/pen down action to strike the buttons.
On the other hand, it may be crude, inefficent and wasteful but it is completed and working. Much better that than a collection of parts to make an "elegant" solution that soak up tens or hundreds of hours and is never actually got to that point.
-- Andrew Smallshaw andrews@sdf.lonestar.org
Yep, the design is probably a good fit for the context.
R/C Servos are _cheap_ these days -- probably more so in S. Korea than trying to get a plotter. And solenoids are a lot less reliable for up/down motion than something geared -- witness electric car door locks, which pretty much all use a geared motor scheme these days.
-- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Do you need to implement control loops in software? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
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