My Final Project
My final project is to create a electronic wool spinner.
Background
I have grown up on a farm and a annual activity is to deal with the fleaces after the sheerer has come to sheer the sheep. The wool is then wrapped up and sold for very little as unprocessed wool has little value today.
It has been my aim to set up the equipment neccessary to process the wool myself but in a more time efficient manner than what is currently available and without spending a great amount of money on what is currently a hobby.
I believe there is a audience for makers and hobbiest which will appreciate a open source design as they cost several hundered to buy currently.
Similar Projects
There has been one previous final project that I can find by Robert Hart. He appears to have made a spinner which is similar to the commercial ones available. This could have some useful information that I can build off.
There is a project by StudioHILO where the machine uses rollers to control the input of the roving and then the fiber is spun. There is unfortunatly not much information on the machine but it is an interesting idea. I was wondering if it would be possible to make the machine not need user input constantly. This is quite similar to industrial machines.
Oltaz Pereda has made a good example of a typical e spinning machine than uses a break band. The body is laser cut and uses a small BLDC motor.
Here is an example by Human Tech Lab of a portible walking wheel style spinning wheel. This does not use electronics but it a nice scaled down working example.
Selection of Comercial Machines
.jpg)
Here are some e-spinning machine which are able to purchase. My aim is to create a open source version that is ideally cheaper than just buying one. Ideally cheaper than the £300 Electric Eel and better materials. I also want to add some more features which I will discus later on.
| Model | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Ashford ESpinner 3 | £730 |
|
| Electric Eel Wheel 6.1 | £300 |
|
| Hansen Maple miniSpinner v2 | £955 |
|
| Ashford ESpinner 3 | £730 |
|
Project Week Map
| Week Topic | Relation to Final Project |
|---|---|
| Week 1: Project Management | Made some beginning outlines of the final project and a 2D sketch of what it could look like. |
| Week 2: Computer Aided Design | I did some 3D modelling of a possible motor set up with a belt and bearings. I also modelled some of the various attachment I would need for the final project. I also made a 3D render of my sketch from last week. |
| Week 3: Computer Controlled Cutting | Whilst I did not make anything directly related to my final project the skill of using the laser cutter and modelling joints should be useful. At the very least in making the packaging. |
| Week 4: Electronics Production | This week we experimented with CNC milling PCBs using v-bits to make fine traces. I will need to mill custom PCBs for my final project. It was good experience for soldering as I had shorts from bad solders to fix. |
| Week 5: 3D Scanning and Printing | This week I tried out multi-material printing in order to have flexible TPU components with a rigid PETG body. This features may be useful, h0wever the process of 3D printing will be very useful as there will be lots of custom parts such as bearing holders that I will need to create. |
| Week 6: Embedded Programming | This week was my first proper interoduction to coding. There are some basics and some useful base code that I will use in my project such as debouncing a button signal. |
| Week 7: Computer Controlled Machining | Used the RouterCAM 1224 to miss out of 18mm Plywood. I may make a nice outside of my project using this method. |
| Week 8: Electronic Design | Will design a custom PCB for my project. Milling a stepper driver board will be similar to my final board. |
| Week 9: Output Devices | Coded a stepper motor and other components such as a servo to move. A BLDC motor which will be in my final project with a ESC with behave similarly to a servo. |
| Week 10/11: Mechanical Design & Machine Building | Created a draft part of my final project. BLDC moving a gear which is connected to a barrel held in bearings which spins a knitting needle. |
| Week 12: Input Devices | Attempted to make a preshure button for a hand controller for my project. Will be scrapping this idea as it was not suitable. |
| Week 13: Modelling & Casting | |
| Week 14: Networking & Communications | |
| Week 15: Interface and Application Planning | |
| Week 16: Wildcard Week | |
| Week 17: Applications and Improcations & Project Development | |
| Week 18: Invention, Interlectual Property and Income |
2D and 3D Modeling
Add here your modeling and design.
Some other section
This is an updated text.
Materials
| Qty | Description | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material one | 22.00 $ | https://amazon.com/testoe | Order many |
| Material two | 22.00 $ | https://amazon.com/testoe | |
| Material three | 22.00 $ | https://amazon.com/testoe | |
| Material four | 22.00 $ | https://amazon.com/testoe |