Project Logs

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• At last

  SUF • 09/08/2015 at 10:38 • 0 comments

  ...the long awaited pulleys arrived:

  I only need one of these, but I was waiting for these a while.

  The only thing still missing for the transmission is the tension spring, but I can build the thing without it. I should order the required mirror in the local shop quickly.

• Electronics working

  SUF • 09/06/2015 at 04:03 • 0 comments

  Finally, the electronics of the project started to wok.

  I wrote the whole code in TI CCS. It is a long. I put incredible amount of work into it. ~30 lines of code including declarations, in around 10 mins :-D

  Then I tried to set the current limit of the stepper driver. Almost fried it when I connected the required 12V onto the 3.3V power rail but survived. Luckily the MCU was not already in the socket.

  Used this video for the setup:

  https://www.pololu.com/blog/484/video-setting-the-current-limit-on-pololu-stepper-motor-driver-carriers
  

  As the whole circuit started to work from my Lab PSU, finally soldered the power supply in. Last check. Still works:

  What left:

  • Some wiring
  • Tweaking the motor speed and the micro stepping
  • Minimal mechanical things like timing belt mount, mounting clamps, end stop insert, etc.
  • Mounting the lighting
  • Finishing the belt drive

  There is one thing set me back, that the driving pulley and the belt tension spring didn't arrived yet. As some things I ordered together with it, and things I ordered weeks later already arrived, I'm quite sure, that the bloody Post lost them. Already ordered some from different suppliers, and will complain when the time come.

  So, I'm waiting....

• Components coming slowly

  SUF • 08/31/2015 at 14:09 • 0 comments

  Slowly the components are arriving (hopefully all of them will be here in a few days).

  The post(wo)man arrived with this today:

• Advancing further

  SUF • 08/30/2015 at 06:05 • 0 comments

  I almost finished the woodwork, the PCB have been soldered, except the power supply part (I don't want to do this until I see the stepper driver running correctly, the transformer just screwed in to be able to do the woodcut correctly).

  Here is the device.

  Closed:

  Open:

  I would love to do a video while it's moving, but the MCU programming, and the cabling isn't finished yet, and unfortunately some of the moving parts are still missing.

• Getting Closer

  SUF • 08/26/2015 at 08:27 • 2 comments

  There is an aluminum frame of the device:

  I made it during the weekend. It is almost finished. The only thing is missing from the frame the two L shaped piece, what I'll use the mount it.

  I also made some supports for the optical endstops:

  The other things need to be done:

  - Etch the board

  - Build the electronics

  - Write the code

  - Mount the electronics to the frame

  - Cut out the place of the electronics/stepper from the LDF insert

  - Mount the insert to the sliders

  - Mount the lighting, etc. to the insert

  - Order the mirror

  - Mount the mirror to the insert

  - Mount the pulley to the stepper, add the timing belt, spanner, etc. (most of them not arrived yet)

  - Connect everything together

  - Mount the device to it's final place

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