While I was waiting for the limbs to be done printing and some more pieces to be shipped, I made a smaller scale model on the school printers. It was easy and quicker and it gave us a good idea of what we're looking at for a finished product. This one is half of the size of the finished quadcopter.
The limbs are done printing and the only thing left to make is the top plate and to cut the aluminum plate for the bottom and all of the pieces of the frame will be done. I've started assembling the frame with the pieces we have and testing the fittings. The holes need to be drilled through because some aren't perfectly accurate, some of that may be due to modeling, but a lot of it is just the way 3D printing works. Most of them aren't a problem however the holes for the motors are not quite lined up because we had to convert the dimensions from metric to imperial and the holes are slightly offset. This is an issue because its far enough that I have to try to grind away material until the slots are lined up with the holes in the motor. This is a dangerous game to play because if I'm not careful I could compromise the structural integrity of the limb (no pressure or anything).
I've also started figuring out the electrical and leaving most of the programming and stuff to Richard. I had to order several connectors and adapters in order for the pieces to fit together and those finally arrived. In order to use the bullet connectors I'm going to have to learn how to solder (inconvenient, but exciting because I know I'll need to be able to in the future some time).
I'm excited to see everything start to come together. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we're making a lot of progress for the first time in a while!
Spence, my boy, whaddup? Sounds like your project is honestly just starting because of the electrical and programming work that you have to do. It sounds like this earlier stuff was a breeze, minus the warping of the limbs, compared to what you are going to be doing. I'm super excited to see what you are going to have completed for next blog post. You know that if you ever need help with wiring and/or soldering, you can always go to the Franklin Center and ask a mentor there or I could definitely help you out. Can't wait to see more pictures soon!
ReplyDeleteSpencer, for any part of the drone it might be worth your while to go to the Franklin Center (like John said) and work on it their. They'll have equipment that you could use to get your stuff as precise as you want to make it. Good luck with the wiring. You're going to have a hell of a time organizing the wires.
ReplyDeleteSo exciting!
ReplyDelete