News nobody is surprised by: Polargraph building on hiatus!

Things have changed for me in since 2012 when I first started making Polargraph machines. My day job has changed and takes a lot more of my mental energy now. I miss having time to develop new aspects of Polargraph, and to work on new projects. I spend more time now looking after myself, getting my piano practice in, or running complaining about sore legs.

When I finished the most recent batch of Polargraph machines in June, I was collecting interest, and suggesting “July probably” for the next batch. That turned into “maybe August”, then “could be September or October”, and now I’m going with “perhaps 2017”.

The scale of each batch has increased each time, and led to a build becoming a fairly intense, time consuming process that disrupted, rather than complemented my life. At the same time, I’ve streamlined it to get more done in less time, and that’s led to it becoming more mechanical. Pleasurable in a way, but numbing in another way.

I’ve been able to do other projects in between, like my circuit portrait screen prints, and a bit of research and development on Polargraph hardware features like endstops, and the odd enhancement to the software. I’ve dared to play Rocket League recently, the wastefulness of which would have had me collapsed in paroxysms of guilt this time last year.

So if you’re waiting for a machine, then you might have to wait a long time. That said, I have got a new batch of PCBs on their way, and having those in stock usually prompts some activity in that direction. On the other hand, I’ve also got a Sinclair Spectrum Issue One circuitboard to print, and a TB-303 to trace, and a Gameboy and a NES to strip and scan, so there’s competition for attention.