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10. Mechanical design, machine design

This week we work together all the students to build a machine, the objective are to work together.

Group assignment:

  • Design a machine that includes mechanism+actuation+automation+application
  • Build the mechanical parts and operate it manually
  • actuate and automate your machine

Individual assignment:

  • Document the group project and your individual contribution

Tools: Printer, CNC desktop milling machine, KiCAD, SVG-PCB

Materials: PCB, electronic components, microprocessor

The group assignment

The final project is described on the group page.

The plan

We have one week for the project of building a machine, but actually since the next week is considered as a break we can extend our work on the second week too. My part for the group activity is to make the electronic for coreXY part of the project. Our project is another iteration of the Urumbo machine idea, which means that the plan is to have distinct controllers for each motor and that they will be … sincronized at the server/software level.

As discussed at the in the first group meeting our new contribution will be on the end effector part. The mechanical and electronical coreXY part will remain as in the original project, the latest iteration is UrumboXY Fall2022.

Choosing the PCB design for controlling the step motors

  1. Create the PCB from the original project.

  2. Pro: It is a validated design

  3. Cons: We don’t have all the components, they might not arrive in time before my leave so someone else will take the job.

  4. Modify the board to match the existing components

  5. Pro: It can be finished in the one week deadline

  6. Cons: the design is not validated, so I don’t know how much time will have on iterations; If not finished in time someonelse might have to take the job to work on design which might be faulty.

https://github.com/modular-things/modular-things/tree/main/things/stepper-hbridge-xiao

We decided to replicate the version from the instructor bootcamp.

Board from instructor camp

References

Files

  • KiCad files for stepper motors modul controller, zip file