Individual Assignment Rules

Complete your final project tracking your progress.:

  1. What tasks have been completed?
  2. What tasks remain?
  3. What has worked? what hasn't?
  4. What questions need to be resolved?
  5. what will happen then?
  6. what have yuo learned?

Final Project Progress

The presentation day is approaching, and various of the planned activities have been completed. I have progress with the mechanical parts and electronics, testing individually the pherifericals functioning. However, the integration to test shelf's functionality, it the challeging part.

What tasks have been completed?

  1. The Mechanical Parts development using 3D Printing Process

    2. I donwload the files to printed them, and to have an idea about dimensions. Because I need to test the diferent funko models, not every model present same characteristics. So I can decide if I could used packed or unpacked funkos. I have some problems when printing. i think that ir was because my filament was expose to much time to humity.

    I test product dimensions using different kind of funkos, because some special design are wider or taller. So I can decide for which kind of funkos I will develop my final design. I also notice that build something for the unpacked funkos will need something bigger

    Base on testings I started the desing of the mobile top using Fusino 360. At the begining I made mistakes with 3D printing tolerances and the I couldn´t get a mobile desing like show in the photo bellow

    I redesign the top and I've got a mobile desing and 3D printed it, like show in thefollowing photos

    I design the top and I've got a mobile desing and 3D printed it, like show in thefollowing photos

  2. The Electronic Parts development

    3. First Components Layout

    With my instructor support, we review the components that I'm gonna need for my final project in order to decide which output could be the starting point. So I decide to start with a Servo motor that I'll probably use to open the hidden shelve. The following picture show the potential devices that I would use for my final project. I would use 2 Servo Motors, so the option could be to fabricate one or two boards. I decide to fabricate one.

    1. One Stepper motor (4DO)
    2. One Limit switch (1 DI)
    3. 2 Servomotors (2DO)
    4. 1 LED Strip (1DO)
    The idea would be to use a switch or a remote control to control prototype motion

    Selecting the output device

    On week 9, with my instructor support, we review the components that I'm gonna need for my final project in order to decide which output could be the starting point. So I decide to start with a Servo motor that I'll probably use to open the hidden shelve. The following picture show the potential devices that I would use for my final project. I would use 2 Servo Motors, so the option could be to fabricate one or two boards. I decide to fabricate one.

    Board Components

    By acknowledging that servo motors function with 5V and common power supply sources provide 12V, we select the following components for this main board. It consists of the following:

    1. One terminal block 2x1
    2. Regulator LDO 5V 1A
    3. Male connector header 2x3
    4. Male connector header 90° 1x3 (GND+2DIO)
    5. 2 Servo Motors
    6. Capacitor 1uf

    This is the pcb design where you can see all the components. You can download design file and the SVG files here.

    I proceeded with machining and soldering the PCB board

    For functional testing I used a modified coding provided by Adrian-Torres

    The following photo shows all system connection to test. I used XIAO RP2040 from Week 8 to test the board and the output device (Servomotor)

    The final test was made runing the conding Arduino IDE and using a variable energy source, like shown in the following video

    Selecting the input device

    On week 12, with my instructor support, we review the components that I'm gonna need for my final project in order to select input device. The only input is a limit switch, that is going to activate all the complete system to stop the stepper motor that will show the funko. The following picture show the potential devices that I would use for my final project.

    Board Components

    By acknowledging that switch function we select the following components for this main board:

    1. One Micro Switch 3P SPDT 1A 125V AC
    2. Male connector header 90° 1x3 (GND+2DIO)
    3. Resistor 1k

    This is the schematic where you can see all the components. You can download Schematic design file and the PNG file here.

    This is the pcb design where you can see all the components. You can download design file and the SVG files here.

    The final PCB image is shown below

    The following photo shows all system connection to test. I used XIAO RP2040 from Week 8 to test the board and the output device (Servomotor)

    On 14th week, with my instructor support, we review the components that I'm gonna need for my final project in order to decide which could require a wifi or bluethooth communication. So I decide to start with a Servo motor that I'll intent to use for opening the hidden shelve. The following picture show the potential devices that I would use for my final project. I would use 2 Servo Motors, so I decide to execute a bluethooth connection, using an app to activate the servomotor.

    Servomotor Board Components

    I used the board design and fabricated at week 9 ,the following are its components:

    1. One terminal block 2x1
    2. Regulator LDO 5V 1A
    3. Male connector header 2x3
    4. Male connector header 90° 1x3 (GND+2DIO)
    5. 2 Servo Motors
    6. Capacitor 1uf

    This is the pcb design where you can see all the components. You can download design file and the SVG files here.

    Using Xiao ESP32C3 Board Components

    I used the board design and fabricated at week 8 , because its design includes a push bottom and a LED, and have DIO pins to connect the servo motor controller, and replaced the XIAO RP"=$= by XIAO ESP32C3. The following are its components:

    1. 01 Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32C3.
    2. 01 1kΩ resistor
    3. 01 499 Ω resistor
    4. 01 LED 1206
    5. 01 SW - Button >
    6. 01 Female horizontal row header
    7. 01 100 μf capacitor

    This is the pcb fabricated where you can see all the components. You can download design file and the SVG files here.

    First I decide to test the microcontroller following the steps suggested by Seeedstudio here. and use the LightBlue App to control my servomotor

    In the following images you can observe the process

    You can download the KiDCad library here.

    In the follorwing video you can observe the final result when controlling the ServoMotor

    Interface for managing a ServoMotor

    On week 15, we first generated a code for a 180 arm movement. The code will need to recognize the serial imput that will come from the computer interface to control a microservo SG90

    1. We decide to use Xiao RP2040, considering that I develop a board to control a servomotor Week 9.
    2. After selecting the board, I decide to develop a specific code in Arduino IDE for the microcontroller and another in Python to connect by serial the microcontroller with the interface using Gaziro on Thonny.
    3. The interface produced two buttoms, a red one to generate a 180° arm movement and blue one to return to 0°, as shown on the image below

      4. You can download the Arduino Ide and Thonny Programing files here.

      In the follorwing video you can observe the final result when controlling the ServoMotor

      Week 17th: Individual Assignment

      Designing the Final Project Integration

      I have two options to develop my final project's main board, that does not change its general structure, but its interface to activate it.

      1. Use a Xiao RP2040, that would require to develop a PC screen interface, thus I could consider Week 14's activities
        Thus, I would need to develop an interface using Thonny-Guizero
        Its disadvantage relies on scalability because I will need a computer connected to the system to activate it.
      2. Use an ESP32C3, that would require to use a cellphone's app to activate the system
        Its advantage it is not only wireless control, but anyone that could use also LightBlue and introduce a string-value to activate it. Thus, I would need to develop an interface using MIT App Inventor
        Its advantage it is not only wireless control, but anyone that could use also LightBlue and introduce a string-value to activate it.

      Final project Selected Components

      After reviewing the mechanical and electronics requierements for my final project, its schema is shown in the following image.

      Thus, I would proceed to analyse system integration within mechanical design that would be develop for the project:

      1. ServoMotors
        In this case, the servomortor(s) would be assigned to open and close the front top (like shown in the picture below). I'm going to test if my project would requiere one or two servomotors, but my main board would be prepared for any of this cases. My mechanical design would need to consider two main factors.
          SM's Horizontal or Vertical Orientation: This decision relies on finding the best location for servomotor's arm that need to be adequately attached to the front top, and will requiere a customize design a channel like shown on image (b).
          SM's Horizontal or Vertical Orientation: This decision relies on finding the best location for servomotor's wires that need to be adequately attached and directed to the back of the hardware. The vertical orientation will work, and will requiere a longest base for the hardware like shown on image below.
      2. ServoMotors' Limit Switch
        In this case, the Limit Swith will need to be located at the base of the front top be clicked when to the front top reach the desire level to activate the motion platform. My mechanical design would need to consider two main factors.
          Location: It will requiere a larger front top and a wider main frame, and a redesign of its board, to make it smaller and could be contain in a cavity within the mainframe.
          Position: To be activate will requiere a vertical orientation like shown below
      3. Motion Platform
        In this case i reviewed two possibilities bechmarking some 3D printer platforms. There are several different popular motion schemes each offering pros and cons like reference by Instructubles. My project will requiere only Y Axis movement, thus I've considered two options.
          Two linear rails, that would placer the stepper motor at the end. Its advantages and disadvantages are:
        1. The stepper motor would be at the end of the linear rails it would not need a case for it, but would be challenging to avoid wiring disorder.
        2. The main board would requiere its own separate case
        3. The space for the DC power supply (the metal box would be located under the rails), which will requiere to enlarge the hardware.

          One linear rail, that would place the stepper motor within the hardware. Its advantages are:
          1. Would hold the stepper motor in a lateral position, and could be contained in a case down the platform like shown below, that could also have a slot for the main board.
          2. It would bring enough space for the DC power supply (the metal box that could be located under the platform).
          3. And will allow to contain wires at the left side of the structure