Today I am honored to introduce Radomir Dopieralski and his awarding project, Kubik M0 to you.
PCBWay Team: “ Could you please briefly introduce yourself? Many other PCBWayers in the community want to know more about you.”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I'm a Python programmer by trade, and I use the electronics as a way of relaxing from my day job. Since at work I have to deal with large, complex,abstract systems, making small, simple things that move or blink is very rewarding. I'm a big fan of MicroPython and CircuitPython, and I think that using higher level languages on the microcontrollers makes a lot of sense these days.”
PCBWay Team: “When did you start making and how did you learn?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I always was a little bit of a tinkerer, but I started with electronics seriously some six or seven years ago, when I decided that I need to build a walking spider robot. I learned mostly by trial and error, it wasn't until much later that I learned to actually read datasheets to understand what they are saying.”
PCBWay Team: “How did you know about our 2nd PCB Design Contest? And what drove you to attend this competition?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I saw it mentioned on a Polish robotics forum, forbot.pl, and since I had a few projects with interesting PCBs, I decided to give it a try.”
PCBWay Team: “About your award-winning work, Kubik M0, please tell us more details about it? And why did you choose it as your entry?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” Kubik M0 is a small walking quadruped robot, the most recent in a long line of robots I designed since I began with electronics. I'm trying to make it into a kit that is at the same time cheap and easy to assemble without additional tools like 3D printers or laser cutters, so that more people will experiment with walking robots, and hopefully advance this area of technology. I decided to enter it in the contest because I think that using parts of the PCB itself for mechanical elements of the robot is an interesting solution.”
PCBWay Team: “ What part of the project process excites you the most?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I always like designing the PCB itself the most. It's a lot of detailed, fiddly work, and I can spend hours on it, but I find it very relaxing.”
PCBWay Team: “ In your opinion, what comes first - the existing technology the design idea?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I don't think there is a single answer to this. I have done projects that just had to be done, because the technology was for them was there (like my CircuitPython-based game consoles), but I have also done projects where I had a goal in mind, and had to find or create the technology to achieve it.”
PCBWay Team: “ What makes you different or unique from other makers?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” Nothing. I'm a perfectly normal person.”
PCBWay Team: “How did you feel when you found that you were one of the winners?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I'm glad that someone liked my design.”
PCBWay Team: “What do you think is the most important inner traits to be a good PCB designer?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” As long as you enjoy doing it, everything you need can be learned as you go.”
PCBWay Team: “What do you think of Open Source Hardware? And how do you look at the future of open source community?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I think it's a misleading name, and just a temporary solution. I believe that sooner or later all projects will have public documentation and assembly instructions, because that is the only way that gives us optimal growth. The artificial barriers to learning and tinkering present in modern society will eventually go away, as there will be more to gain from progress than from preventing it.”
PCBWay Team: “What do you think of our website or the community page? PCBWay will contribute to the open source community more. Do you have any suggestions for improvement?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” To be brutally honest, I couldn't care less.”
PCBWay Team: “What are ingredients of a good maker space? If you were to create and equip a new maker space for a school or library, how would your ideal solution look like?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” The most important ingredients are always the people. It doesn't matter what tools and machines are available, if there is nobody to operate them and to teach.”
PCBWay Team: “ What do you know about Assistive Technology(AT)? It is useful for people with severe physical and cognitive challenges. How do you think the makers can be more conducive to AT community?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I think it's harmful to talk about "assistive technologies" as a separate thing, specially made for disabled people. All technologies are assistive, all devices should be designed to be easy to use without needing full capabilities of our bodies. Because it's not just about people who have permanent challenges -- every one of us sometimes is impaired physically (when our hands are busy holding something, when we can't use the stairs because we have a heavy luggage) and mentally (when we are distracted or sleepy). As with the "open source community", the fact that there is a separate "AT community" is a sign that something is wrong.”
PCBWay Team: “The 3rd PCB Design Contest has been in our New Year schedule, will you join in again? And would you like to suggest your friends to attend as well?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” I might join it if I have any new interesting design to show by that time.”
PCBWay Team: “ What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2019?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” 1920x1200”
PCBWay Team: “ Any words to PCBWay or to all PCBWayers around the world?”
Radomir Dopieralski:” Please stop advertising by sending spam. It has the opposite effect to what you intend.”
PCBWay Team: “ Thanks for your suggestion and have a better 2019”
