This week was actually a Easter break. So all students gathered at Fab lab, brainstormed about group project. We learnt and did
- Basics about how machine works
- Project management: made a goal and distributed a role
- Test gestalt node
About Machine
Basics
Generally speaking, machine means a tool containing several parts to perform an action. In here, we regard machine as a simple robot which moves one or more directions and do some task with end effector. Machines got their name depends on how they move. For example, we have a 3D printer from creatable company and it is delta robot.
D2 from creatable
A delta robot consists of 3 arms connected by universal joints at the base. And this 3D printer has an end effector(extruder) at the bottom of the universal joints.
Many other 3D printers are cartesian coordinate robot which move in x,y and z axises. Performance of machine depends on whether a motor for extruder attached at the back of machine or top of extruder.
Milling machines we used previous weeks are also kind of cartesian coordinate robot. Perforamnce or durability of machine depends on mechanical design. Motion of axis could be done as belts and pulleys or threaded rod. I'm actually have no idea about mechanical parts. Thankfully an instructor in our lab knows a lot about mechanical stuff and also a peer student.
Yousun wll be a mechanical guy
The instructor, Edu, recommended us to read every single line of documents from RepRap. It is a wiki site describe about general-purpose self-replicating manufacturing machine. We'll use this site as a reference.
About Group Project
Ideation
A peer student Hyebin got an idea for our group assignment. The idea is making a mahine for oil marbling.
image from here
The key functions of our future machine are
- It move x-axis and y-axis.
- It emits a oil drops
- It stirs the water.
We need to think about more specific features and functions.
Role distribution
Since I'm the only one who has a engineering backgound, I took charge of software part. Even though I have little knowledge about developing or coding. Fortunately, we can use gestalt node for machine controlling and it is based on python language. We'll see!
Gestalt node
A framework for the rapid prototyping of rapid prototyping machines. Modular hardware, modular electronics, and modular software.
Here is the developer's video.
Check this website also.
Gestalt node is a modular machine allows people can prototype fast. Past student(year 2015) did group assignments with gestalt node flatform. Cool thing is that its parts can be organised to make various type of machines: from a cake icing mahine to form cutter machine.
Test
In our local fablab, we had a Ga Machine made by previous students. Since I wanted to test a code as soon as possible decided to run some test codes with this.
Python libraies and sample codes can be downloaded form here. I test the x,y-platter sample code to make machine move x-axis only and both x,y-axises.
Before run the code, we have to edit some parts. First find the usb serial name. Type ls /dev/tty.* at the terminal.
Second item-/dev/tty.usbserial-FTXW9LMC- is a name of gestals node we'll use. Copy this name and paste to the code file we use.
Here's some tips for trouble shooting
- Setting persistence without providing a name to the virtual machine can result in a conflict in multi machine persistence file -> remove test.vmp file when you made a change and try agian.
- When you see this error message: X Axis: Could not reach virtual node. Retrying -> uncomment(delete found symbol #) stage.xNode.loadProgram('086-005a.hex') / and copy the file into the same folder
- Start agian and then you see the message: X Axis: please identify me on the network. And pinkish purple led will blink -> click the button and it will designate the axis.
Conclusion
What I succeeded
- Start work on group project
- Test sample codes of gestalt nodes
- Move machine to specific coordinates (2DOF)
What left
- Make machine move more freely
| ← week8 | embedded Programming | week10 | mechanical design → |
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