Plotters are like 3D printers for 2D assets and maker Ben Akrin made his own with a Raspberry Pi! It was designed entirely from scratch and has more features than you can shake a stick at.
A Raspberry Pi Zero W was used as the base for the project giving the PlottyBot wireless support. It can do much more than just plot predetermined images, it also has the ability to record and reproduce handwriting in the form of a custom font.
(Image credit: Ben Akrin)
PlottyBot is specially designed to work with fountain pens. It even has an adjustable pen holder to get the angle just right. This makes it possible to introduce specialty inks like metallic, color-changing and UV. Akrin even included a feature that accounts for necessary ink changes after extended use.
If you want to recreate this project at home, you're in luck. Akrin provided everything you need to get started on his blog with a complete tutorial for the project. Many assets are 3D printed, the files of which can be found on Akrin's website.
To handle the software side, users can download the PlottyBot SD card image on the same project page. There are also additional components including stepper motors, bearings, fans, a power supply and more that need to be purchased.
Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
