I think I’ve nearly finished my prototype on the mechanical side. I’m very happy with the changes.
I added supports for two limit switches on the motor mount and created a hole to pass the cables. On the laser mount part (red) I added the corresponding arms to push the limit switches. On the camera side, the camera mount (yellow) has an internal channel to pass the cable into the case. This gives a very nice, compact unit. Also, I added a lip to the edge of the case where the USB and ethernet jacks wills be exposed. This allows the jacks to sit flush against the outer case. I also removed the power switch and opted for just one power plug. Turning off the unit will happen by disconnecting the cable. This is because my original model had the power jack coming out of the bottom which interfered with the tripod mount.
I don’t think there is much I want to change. For my notes the things I’m considering are:
- Expanding the hole to pass the laser and limit switch cables.
- Changing the limit switch mounts if I find better/more common switches. Right now it’s based on something I had lying around.
- Potentially adding a display/simple IO to allow operation without using a computer. This would be a major revision I think. The idea would be to make sure the unit was actually portable. I would need to consider power requirements and if it can be run off a batter pack.
That’s it for now. I’m soldering like crazy to get the electronics wired up.
Tim Saucer 