TeamTechno has been busy these last couple weeks.
We successfully determined the panels needed for the cart, and took a group trip to Home Depot in order to get all paneling materials. Most of the Technocart will be covered in white board material so that the robotics team can write notes on the cart in dry erase marker, with some parts using normal 1/4 inch thick wood. Over the coming week we will be cutting the panels to size and getting our final materials. At this point, we are very close to building the final model of the TechnoCart! Once we finish the drawers, monitors, paneling, and electricals, we will only need to fill it with all the required tools of the robotics club. We are in the home stretch!
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As we approach the end of our fellows project journey, TeamTechno has A LOT to get done. The good thing is -- we've been making great strides in the recent weeks. After being set back multiple months due to the instability of the hidden connectors (our original connection plan), we are now kicking our project into high gear, aiming to finish up by the end of May, along with our presentations.
In these past fifteen days, we have laid out each dimension for every panel existent on the TechnoCart (there's a lot of panels). We have also finished boring all counterbores in the aluminum extrusions, allowing us to finally be ready for frame assembly when our remaining pieces arrive. The counterbores took upwards of 15 hours total to finish, but they were well worth the time, as they are a significant step up in terms of vibration resistance over the hidden connectors. With the use of a drop saw, we have also cut our excess aluminum into specific lengths to introduce new, important extrusions to our frame. These extrusions vertically partition the drawer complex to allow us to separate the different compartments of the area. We plan on purchasing and cutting all panels next weekend. We are now researching how to secure such panels, likely with the use of 80/20 gasket that can slide into the t-slot of a given extrusion. We have also changed plans in regards to the pneumatic hinge that connects the body to the collapsible lid -- a friction torque hinge seems to be the simpler, more feasible option that can make our job more streamlined. Hopefully, we can find the right size for steel friction hinges to suit our needs (compatibility with 80/20 is quite hard). We have a lot more to think about and a lot more to execute, but the best way for us to progress is to work one step at a time. Let's just say -- Team Techno got their hands dirty over spring break. Our frame rework and upgrade has come with numerous variables and logistical concerns, but we are nearing the end of the process to make the frame more secure and vibration resistant. Upgrading the frame took far, far longer than we expected, consuming practically the entirety of our spring break. We are currently mapping out a plan to finish what we've intended to finish come time where our project is over, which will certainly be a challenge given time constraints, but we both are strolling along with confidence. The ability to gain engineering experience using an array of tools and machines in the GIC has turned out to be one of the most fruitful parts of our project -- in this sense, we get to go hands-on and work with devices we would never have worked with without our pursuit of the TechnoCart. Panels, drawers, hinges, monitor mounts, cabling, and workspace material/placement are on our mind as of now (in other words, a lot). Let's keep rolling!
Over spring break, we are working on the goals that you can find in the "Milestones" tab. We recently met with Mr. Baraty in the GIC to discuss multiple variables for the TechnoCart, including paneling, drawers, and the pneumatic hinge. Right now, we are machining our 80/20 extrusions with cylindrical holes (called bores) to install stronger fasteners than we originally had, called anchor fasteners, to make our frame more vibration resistant. We will likely be in the GIC for a solid amount of hours over break, but we hope this will be the most productive time for our project, so we can feel comfortable finishing the cart in time with a lot of features still left to be planned and carried out.
We have discussed and ordered an upgraded connection plan for our frame to reinforce its strength and make it more vibration resistant. Rather than using solely the hidden connectors as we originally planned, we are now going to creating several bores (cylindrical holes) in different pieces of our aluminum frame, and sliding fasteners inside the bores to create a much stronger and more secure connection. The picture above is our order for the fasteners, including a few excess pieces to cover miscalculation or mistakes in our installation.
Over the past couple weeks, we finished our midterm presentation and completed our order on cabinet hinges along with new hex nuts and washers to secure the wheels. On to the order for new connectors and drawers!
While we have been working on our Mid-term presentation, our casters and baseplates arrived! (Finally!) We first ran through some trial and error in the process of tapping, and we had a few big mistakes. Luckily though, our biggest mistake of breaking an entire tap inside of one of our aluminum extrusions was done on a practice block! We don't know what we would've done if it was the real thing, but we took a picture to remember the moment anyway! Finally, we have been creating our mid-term presentation and are excited to present on the 7th!
Above is a screenshot of a working-session with us and Mr. Baraty discussing the drawer layout of the TechnoCart. Putting a close to winter break progress and transitioning into second-semester Fellows, we feel pretty good about where we currently are. We have a physical, industrial, and quite hefty structure to work with now, we have a final design plan, and we are aware and feel good for what's to come. Now, that's not to say this second semester of progress is anywhere short of daunting. We have loads of research, consulting, and careful assembly to accomplish to engineer parts like the pneumatic hinge, drawer complex, monitor mounts, electricity cabling, laser-cut storage, and more. Winter break was a success -- we are proud of where we currently are, and we are truly excited to keep moving forward in the months to come (and to present our progress!).
Even through the challenge of the super-spreader Omicron variant, Team Techno was definitely productive over winter break. The TechnoCart frame has been fully assembled! This is where we wanted to be at this point when we were first scheduling our goals, so its a pretty satisfying milestone to reach. In addition to assembling the frame, after hours of research + back and forth, we also ordered base plates, wheels, and bolts to mobilize the frame (once those parts arrive). To finish off our holiday-break-Fellows-project-work, we met with Mr. Baraty to discuss future design plans, catch up on our current project state, and analyze future material needs.
After receiving the 80/20 in the mail, we have successfully assembled the lid of the TechnoCart! While building, we realized that we would rather use the inside-inside 80/20 connectors for more of our frame rather than the inside-outside connectors that we originally ordered. We worked with Ms. Carsley to order more inside-inside connectors which we intend to use for the construction of the full TechnoCart body. We plan to complete this over break along with working on our orders for panels, wheels, cabinets, drawers, hinges, and more.
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