Last modifications done

The issues found with bogies falling off of the corners have been solved. We added another 1/8" thick stock to the curve.  This helped the bogie stay level with the oncoming lower track and transitioning was a lot better. Picture shown below shows the added thickness. Also finished off with adding the rest of the thicker U brackets.  Had to drill more holes and countersink.  Track is finally done for the semester and all that is left is Maker faire and last presentation which is coming soon.  Second picture is the track completed.

 

Back to Printing

I was able to replace the thermistor for the printer.  Have six more thicker brackets to print so we can start installing on the other loop. These brackets add extra support where the individual track pieces meet up.

Thicker U Brackets

We decided to print out to double the thickness of the bracket.  Instead of 1" thick, we decided to go with 2" to help the the separate pieces that will link up. We would need 12 of these thicker U brackets. Unfortunately, my 3D printer ran into an error.  I had to order new thermistors to replace the one that is on the heated bed. Now it is a waiting game to wait for the new thermistors to come in.

Issues Found During Paseo

We had found other issues with the track. When the bogie goes through a corner and onto straights, the bogie has to fight up an incline and makes the bogie work harder. You can see it slightly in the picture but the bottom rails are not sitting  leveled to each other.  To accommodate for this problem, I designed a relatively  quick solution shown below.  This will help guide the wheels up so the bogie will not have to climb up a high incline.

Last Presentation for Class

This week was a slow week for us. After Paseo Prototyping we broke down the track then the next day we put it back together so that the APP and Positioning team can work on the track.  Also worked on the presentations and presented on Wednesday.

Paseo Public Prototyping

This week is the week of Paseo Public Protoyping. Saturday morning I came in to set up at the event.  Once everything was set up we got bogies up and running. The bogies ran pretty smoothly except we were only able to run two bogies at a time because of some issues.  Bogies would eventually run into each other and cause some issues.  There were some other issues with bogies falling at corners of the loop. So we will have to look into that and find a solution.

Ready for Paseo Prototyping

At this point, we are doing final touches to get ready for Paseo Public Prototyping.  We ground down some imperfections on the track.  Some of the U brackets extended above the lower track so those points had to be ground down with a Dremel.  Break down has been done for the track and ready for transport the morning of Paseo Public Prototyping.

Building a Loop

For this week, we spent a lot of time prepping the track to be put together.  It took about 2-3 days to get one loop up and built for the bogie to be tested on.  The track still needs to be fine tuned since there are flaws.  Some parts do not have enough clearance for the bogie to run through. Others do not have enough clearance for the top bearings to clear.  There are small issues that can be fixed within the week. Below is a picture of the track that was built.

CAD Design

This week, I worked on revising the bracket to support the posts that will be holding up the solar panels.  The previous design was very bulky and not very aesthetically pleasing to look at. This design was shown in the previous weeks blog. Below is the revisions done for the updated bracket. The middle square tubing is the post that holds up the track. The three outer square tubing are used to support the weight from the solar panel. Not shown in the picture but there is a hole for a set screw to make sure the bracket stays at a fixed height.  The three outer square tubing will be held in by nuts and bolts.

Welding

This weeks update is pretty small. At this point we are finishing up welding the brackets to the bottom and top rails.  Once done, we can start assembling the track. I also did a CAD design for a support bracket to help the posts that will carry the load of the solar panels. This is a very rough design and will be revised in the next week or so. Shown below is the design. The design is quite bulky.  Since this will be 3D printed, the part will have to print at an awkward angle to fit my printer bed.

Set Backs

This week we are getting prepped for welding. We are double checking all our dimensions since there is no easy way to undue a weld. We encountered problems along the way such as our straight pieces on our bends are not long enough.  So we made the call to cut them short.  This should not be an issue for other sub teams.  I made the changes to the track so other teams have a visual of the change. This also makes the overall dimensions of the track smaller. Roughly becomes 10 ft by 10 ft.  3D printed was put to a haul since filament ran out.  The track should be up within a week.  We planned to be done by March 1st but we went through some set backs.

Welding Practice

This week, Andrew and I took a welding class over at the Tech Shop to get certified to use the TIG welder there. In this class we welded with 1/16th gauge steel.  We found that it is a lot easier to weld this than aluminum. We went back to Tech Shop to practice our welds to find the proper settings. We were able to weld our aluminum pieces but they were not pretty.  During this week I was able to print about half of the brackets needed for the track.  My printer was out for a good while but I changed the hot end on my printer and now is printing fine.

Problems Occuring

Last week, our metals came in so we started to measure and cut. As we were cutting, we realized that our measurements were wrong and we stopped cutting. We doubled checked our dimensions and will start to cut again this week. The metals that were cut are still usable for other parts of the track but it is also a good thing we bought extra.  The 3D printing of our brackets have been put on a halt since my 3D printer hotend died on me. I am currently waiting on replacement parts so I can install and get back to printing.  With this in mind, the brackets will still be finished by March 1st.

First Workshop of the Semester

The previous week we were able to get on the same page with all of twelfth scale.  We figured out our important days since paseo is coming up.  During the break, my 3D printer went down so I am currently trying to fix the hot end so we can get our parts printed and ready for build.  I also took apart a section of the track to see what we can reuse.