10/14/2024 Work Log
Reflection on last two weeks:
- Very productive, though progress is very split up due to the Proto-Dash event as well as CDR week
- CDR presentations took up a considerable amount of my work on Recycle-Bot, though we also had some very successful meetings to discuss future plans, both with Shane at our enterprise’s weekly meeting, as well as our individual team meetings with the rest of the Recycle-Bot team. We also had a great meeting with Brett Hildebrand from the bread team regarding our implementation of bread within our project, deciding to move forward with the new bread slice and loaf design being developed right now.
- As a result of moving the focus of our bread integration to a new platform, we are going to need to redesign the stepper motor bread slice made for the old bread specification to the new one, important changes include:
- Using the new edge connector instead of the old through-hole pin headers
- Updating the communication protocol on the loaf to be CAN instead of I2C
- Adding CAN transmitters and receivers to adapt the Arduino nano controller on the old slice to support CAN instead of I2C
- Regarding Proto-Dash, the event as of writing has roughly two days left until the deadline, with progress being very good. The team all communicated really well together, which allowed us to finish our prototype in just two meetings, with our only remaining requirements for the project being the video presentation of our prototype, which will happen on Tuesday (10/16/24) though i will not be present due to having class.
Goals for next week
- Get started on the updated bread slice, possibly discuss migration to an esp32 board instead of the Arduino nano on the old design
- Pros: no need for CAN transmitter and receiver, better future proofing from extra performance
- Cons: need to rewrite the software
- Work with Jeff and John to start modeling the parts needed for the rewind unit
- Filament guide
- Gear ratio/Belt for guide
- Infidel sensor
- Stepper motor to filament reel interface
- How it will all be supported on the chassis
9/29/2024 Work Log
Device Operation Diagram:
Reflection on last week:
- Slow progress due to career fair and exams, but progress was made nonetheless, particularly on my team with the gauge sensor, which has been narrowed down to using an optical sensor with a pinhole camera and mirrors, which will give good accuracy without touching the filament directly, allowing for measurement without risk of deformation.
- We put in our first purchase request, with many of the parts needed for the project’s first revision
- The CDR process has been started, with us prepping materials for the presentation
Next week’s to do list:
- Finalize a decision on and purchase a stepper motor option that is compatible with the stepper motor driver slice BREAD has already designed
- Start working on rewind guide 3d models and structural design for the stepper motor / gear ratios / belts
9/22/2024 Work Log
Reflection on last week:
- Good progress communication with BREAD, we have a much better vision for the electronics for the system now that we’ve communicated with the BREAD team.
- Our surprise presentation during the Thursday meeting went quite well, with us putting together a good representation of our project.
- The parts list for the rewind unit is ending up a lot more complicated than expected, sourcing a stepper motor and driver that will be compatible with bread will take a lot more care than originally anticipated, though much of the heavy work on understanding what we need is done, now we just have to find parts that meet all our needs.
- We took a look at some ideas for the structural and 3d printed parts needed for rewind, though this is the area the least progress occurred at.
Next week’s to do list:
- Finish putting together a part list for the main control loop for the rewind unit, including:
- Stepper motor
- Motor control driver
- Bread slice (using pre-existing BREAD motor controller slice)
- Gauge sensor (optical, hall effect, capacitive, etc)
- Work with the rest of the team to put together an idea for the main BREAD loaf (how many slices, arduino/esp, etc)
- Finish putting together ideas for the structural design and 3d printed parts needed for the rewind unit.
- Start to work on the (custom designed) part for the auger to guide the filament onto the reel.
9/13/2024 Work Log
Design Drawings:
To Do List:
- Work with Jeff Gillis and team leads to put together the initial design for the rewind unit structure
- Put together a parts list for the basic elements of the rewind unit
- Stepper motor
- Gauge sensor
- Aluminum Extrusions
- 3d Printed parts
- Communicate with BREAD on working out the design of the control loop for the rewind unit
- Work with John Schneiderhan on getting the 3d printed parts we need (Material, Size, Integration, etc)
Concerns:
- N/A