Weekly Assignment
Complete the Mechanical Design for the final
project.
Final project reminder
Project was summarized in Project_Outline.html
From a mechanical point of view, the 2 main elements are the
feeder and the electronics box.
Electronics Box Design
Dimensions 3.5 x 3.5 x 6 inches
Must contain Senor board, Pi board, Pi camera, portable power
source and possibly wireless dongle.
Spacer plate holes line up with feeder top cover holes for
hanging.
Material is 0.13 inch thick wood material from Fab Lab.
Raw material sheet size is 24 x 12 inches (all parts fit on one
sheet as shown below).
Design was completed in Inkscape utilizing the Tabbed Box Maker
extension which was downloaded
and added into the application.
Box Design elements clockwise from top left:
Side with air flow vent, Fab Academy logo and camera hole
Top plate
Bottom plate with holes for sensor wires
Spacer plate for hanging
Side with air flow vent and hummingbird image (x2)
Side with air flow vent and Raspberry Pi logo
Feeder Design
Assembly consists of bottom and top cover.
Design was done in Solidworks and prototype parts were 3D printed.
Design elements include locking mechanism, bird perches, feeder
holes, bosses with holes for hanging.
Feeder Assembly
Remaining Dependencies and
Design Changes
- Camera position: I have been experimenting
with the Pi camera and my 3D printed hummingbird and it is not
clear that the camera can focus on a close up (I need it to
focus at 2 inches and it is more comfortable at 6 inches).
This is an issue I need to resolve (possibly with
magnification) or position of camera may need to be changed.
- Wireless dongle: This is a stretch design goal
under consideration (to allow remote access to system). It may
impact box design/dimensions.
- Locking feature on feeder cover needs to be
corrected (reversed).
- Feeder hole locations need to be corrected to
line up with perches in locked position.
- Sensor Board design: feeder cover may be
modified to accommodate sensor plates/wires.
- Holder for Pi board has been 3D printed -
design from Thingiverse.
