Arduino Dynamometer ‘preview’?

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

About a week ago I saw a 'Tweet' from @modelengineers offering a sneak preview of a forthcoming article in MEW.

I clicked on the link (on an Android phone) but it takes me to a zip file which has to be downloaded and unzipped. I suspect not many phone users have an unzipping App on their phone so viewing it is probably most like done on a PC. The majority of Twitter users use their phones so all in all the sneak preview has not been seen by many.

Ian P

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

A treat, but mainly for PC Twitter users

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

That's the sneaky bit

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Just opened it on the iPad **LINK**

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/torsion_dynamometer.zip

but the unzipped file has a .ino extension, so it's presumably the Arduino Sketch

… Does that qualify as a preview of an article ?

MichaelG.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 11/05/2017 23:42:13:

… Does that qualify as a preview of an article ?

Possibly, although a sketchy one.

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

Maybe they're pulling your string

Ian.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by XD 351 on 12/05/2017 06:37:37:

Maybe they're pulling your string

Ian.

?

Right over my head that one

Ian P

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Who needs a preview whan I can open the whole mag

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

It was aimed at getting some #arduino users to look at MEW. No sense preaching to the converted!

Neil

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/05/2017 08:10:29:

It was aimed at getting some #arduino users to look at MEW. No sense preaching to the converted!

Neil

It probably failed dismally!

There is plenty of 'noise' on the internet without MTM adding their bit.

Ian P

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

My mum thinks this article is absolutely brilliant! Shocking revelations! The Truth! In Full Colour! Buy extra copies for your friends and relatives. Don't delay – limited edition for connoisseurs only. Available in all good newsagents…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Just to clarify, the tweet started 'for #arduino fans', who I hope would be able to cope with zip files and sketches!

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 12/05/2017 13:57:24:

Just to clarify, the tweet started 'for #arduino fans', who I hope would be able to cope with zip files and sketches!

.

Fully accepted, Neil

I suppose the real question is whether the sketch provides sufficient information about the project to encourage 'arduino fans' to go out and buy an engineering magazine.

I have looked at the sketch [and I already know a little about dynamometers] but I can see nothing there which would introduce the engineering concepts to your target audience.

… You, of course, are probably best-placed to meaure the effectiveness of the tweet.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

One can only try .. my hope is it may attract the curiosity of a few folk.

Well… the stats suggest it has roused more interest than most other ME tweets, aside from the Drill Sharpening jig.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 12/05/2017 20:37:35

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Problem is the stats are likely to be distorted by all the members here looking at the preview since the thread was started.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by JasonB on 12/05/2017 20:42:03:

Problem is the stats are likely to be distorted by all the members here looking at the preview since the thread was started.

Actually it should not be a problem, after all the idea was to get people to look at it.

Surely the stats would create data that could show a graph of hit rate and time. Whether the data breaks down and identifies how many people actually downloaded and opened the zip file, or just counted people looking at the tweet I have no idea but it would be interesting to know if there was a significant increase in activity after this post started.

My original comment still applies in that most twitter users are unlikely to open a zip file. Certainly I do not open any compressed files without knowing their provenance.

Ian P

P.S. When does the article appear in print anyway?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Ian Phillips on 12/05/2017 21:51:18:

P.S. When does the article appear in print anyway?

See here

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

No way will Arduino projects appeal to everyone. Nor should they.

That said, I celebrate the fact that 'Model Engineering' attracts a wide range of technical people, all of them interesting in their own way. If Neil sticks the word 'Arduino' on the front-cover of MEW, with luck it will catch the eye of the large Arduino community. Some of them will buy the magazine, discover 'our' world and catch the bug. Hurrah!

I can easily imagine a teenage computer geek evolving into a hobby metalworker making engines in his garage and enthusing over IMLEC. It's what I did.

Dave

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by JasonB on 12/05/2017 08:04:59:

Who needs a preview whan I can open the whole mag

Jason

My MEW arrived in the post this morning so I too can see the article.

BTW, your remark (a rhetorical question?) makes me wonder who needs a tweet!

Ian P

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