Control Issues - EP 11: Lightweight Weed Whacker

In this episode Jason uses Actobotics, 3D printing, laser cutting, an Arduino Nano, RGB LEDs, carbon fiber, a new brushless motor and LiPo batteries to make a lightweight weed whacker.

Check out the instructable for this episode for the code, wiring diagram, parts list, laser cutter files, and 3d printer files he used to make this project happen.

[brentbumgardner]

You could monitor the battery voltage with the Arduino, then use one or more of the neopixels as a battery level indicator, and program a low voltage cutoff. You could even use the motor as buzzer to indicate that the voltage is too low when you pull the trigger.

[robert]

More powerful motor, commercial style line head, remote belt hung multi battery pack designed to be easily switched out and you would have a feather weight commercial product that would sell.

Same for leaf blowers and any other portable motorized landscape tools pro landscapers use.

One of the biggest problems pro landscapers have in certain areas are early mourning noise complaints. well designed battery powered equipment that is silent would instantly sell to landscapers in upper end communities where noisy equipment causes many complaints. No one wants to be woken up at 4:45 am when they shoulda been able to get another 1/2 hr of sleep or have their baby woke up by the neighbors landscape maintenance crew, or your own hired landscape crew arriving and starting work at the crackass of dawn.

In such cases certain landscape companies could gain market advantage if they advertised total silent landscape services, and those companies could charge a premium for this and people would gladly pay it.

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