Ultimate Steve

Hmm, those could work.

Technically though I spent more than a dime, I bought the hot glue sticks used in the making of the machine (although not directly for the machine, so maybe it shouldn't count? I'm thinking too much into this).

Speaking of hot glue, that reminds me of some of the logistics that go into building a machine like this. It has to be:

1. Mobile
2. Resistant to minor impact, vibration and shock
3. Able to be laid on its back for transport
4. Reliable
5. Consistent
6. Semi-permanent
7. Non damaging to the shelf it's made from
8. Visible and slow enough to be watched and understood
9. Mildly idiot proof
10. And I must come up with a fix for (almost) EVERY problem as it appears.

Mobile - I mounted it on wheels. Later I changed that to a creeper because those wheels sucked. It also needed to be self contained, on a shelf, one piece. This is closely tied to #2,

Resistant to minor impact, vibration and shock - This means that I can't have a part of the machine be super sensitive. It has to roll, and cross a bump between tile floor and carpet. If that sets something off it would be really bad. This was a problem with that weird thing I talked about a few comments up, but I fixed it. I have one part more vulnerable than others, so I have a "Remove before activation" tag attached to it which I will remove once I'm in the room. This requirement also means I have to make some design considerations. For instance, I can't use dominoes at all because they are extremely sensitive to this sort of stuff.

Able to be laid on its back for transport - I can't have anything extending beyond the back of the machine. Except I have three things which do that, but two of them are removable and one of them is really small but I can't fix it. I may put it up on small blocks.

Reliable - This is the big one. Initially I was shooting for 50% reliability, but now I want it to work 5 times in a row before I send it to school. I may lower that to three. I am okay-ish with having to give one element a push during the run, but not two. One is understandable, two is embarrassing.

Consistent - NO EXPENDABLE COMPONENTS!!! LITTLE VARIABILITY!!! MARGIN!!! Anything that introduces variability in how something performs, whether that be a balloon popping, something that can be reset an inch away, something secured with only tape that will weaken over time, must usually be eliminated. I think I have done good with this, only a few things are left with variability (strings can stretch, a few things are still taped rather than hot glued, the poster must be rolled up and may curl over time, etc.). Less variation leads to fewer failure modes.

Semi-permanent - Again, no tape in a crucial position. It has to survive for 2-3 weeks. Screws when usable, hot glue, and fishing line are good for this. Very few materials that wear out are on the machine.

Non damaging to the shelf - I can't drill into the shelf. I did some tests with tape. Duct tape will leave residue, but I'm willing to deal with that. Hot glue will damage the shelf if it's removed quickly, but I am hopeful that I can remove it safely. I've tested it. A bit. My parents would like the shelf back.

Visible and slow enough to be watched and understood - I had a 1 minute time goal when I started. This has been dropped to 30 seconds. I can't have shock resistance, margin, and stuff going slowly. It needs to be going fast enough to always-ish trigger the next step. The whole machine is averaging 20-25 seconds right now, which is multiple steps per second on average, depending on what constitutes a step. SO I had to compromise on this. As far as visibility, there are two parts in the back which are not visible, but only two. I intend to keep it that way.

Mildly idiot proof - It would really suck if it didn't work only because I forgot to reset one step, or wound the yo-yo wrong, or put something an inch off. Markings are in a few crucial spots to help me reset, and I'm going to make a checklist.

Fixing things - If I see a problem, I will usually fix it before the next test. Because of this, the last few steps are rock solid by now. I aim for the whole machine to be mostly rock solid.

My homework is to write three paragraphs on specific subjects, but I'm procrastinating bu writing ten paragraphs...

Sorry I’m a bit late to the party! Very cool, though! I’ll definitely want to see pictures/a video when it’s done! 

As for the poster, maybe:

”I made this all for you, X, will you go to prom with me?”

Or:

”There’s a simpler way to say this, but, X, will you go to prom with me?”

Or: 

“This was really complicated, but you’re worth it, X. Will you go to prom with me?”

 Or:

”Hey, I just remembered, I could have just asked, but we’re here now, so, X, will you go to prom with me?”

Or:

(This is assuming that she has two syllable name, if she has a one syllable name, just add a one syllable word. Maybe end it with -Steve? Although you might not like that. I’m sure that you’ll think of something.)

”Mr. Goldberg May have                                 Inspired me, but this is                               All for you, X.”

Anyway, those are just a few suggestions. It really depends on what style of message you’re trying to send and how much space you have to do it in. How big is the poster, by the way?

Also, thanks for all the details! This is really interesting! You couldn’t just use the ten paragraphs you just wrote?

The poster is about standard for a poster.

Maybe a bit smaller, though. I can't use the top few inches because they may show, and the bottom few inches may not unfurl properly and will have the PVC pipe weight (which I am going to re-attach so it doesn't look so ugly) covering it, so I'd say that roughly 2/3 of that space is usable. And it has to be mounted vertically.