Most of our ordered parts have arrived, and many structural parts have been 3D printed. The corner brackets for the table have been improved, and a design for the mounting pieces for the linear actuators and the table itself have been completed on CAD. We plan on completing the wiring and a synchronizing sequence to keep the wear on each linear actuator even, as well as designing a way to attach the electrical box onto the frame.
Goals for the Following Month
Our goal this coming month is to mount a smoother acrylic table onto the frame, mount, the linear actuators, remote, and other electronics. We also must synchronize and program the motors to wear evenly over time. After this, we will begin running tests.
We finished our goals! April has been a big month for development.
We decided to switch from joystick control to IR remote controller. This is much easier to use and more convenient for My Possibilities students.
We connected our remote to the Arduino Mega circuit via an IR receiver. The receiver has good range and we have not encountered any substantial problems.
We also connected both the linear actuator and stepper motor to our circuit. We can move the table up/down and rotate it as needed.
The tabletop has also been attached to the frame.
What’s Next
We’ve noticed that the 3D-printed pieces we are using are not consistent or durable. They will have to be replaced.
The electrical subsystem will have to be moved inside an electrical box and then attached to the table frame.
We experimented around with controlling one of our motors with a joystick. We managed to get our actuator to lift up and down based on joystick movement.
We also finished our project brief and met with our partner again to solidify project requirements. While we expect March to be a part of the “figuring things out” phase, we know that a lot of our development will happen in April.
This month has been very productive for our planning.
We successfully ordered and received our new circuit-board, the Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3, seen below:
The board is necessary as the previous board we had, the TI Launchpad, was unable to support our linear actuator (voltage-pin issues). Alongside this, there is much more support available online and a better IDE for Arduino. This will make code development and testing a lot easier.
We also got in touch with our partner to set up a communications channel and verify our milestones for this semester. They agreed with our project plan and what modifications we are planning on making.
For the tabletop, we finished a rudimentary list of specific things we need to accomplish to mark it off as completed. This includes:
1. Smoothing the tabletop edges.
2. Attaching LEDs to the table surface.
3. Attaching the pencil-box to the appropriate location.
4. Adding some form of counterweight to balance the motor on the other side of the tabletop.
On the software side, we determined that the existing code would require quite a few changes to work properly. For testing, we are using a nunchuk to control our motors. We decided to use an existing nunchuck Arduino library to simplify development.
For electronics, we have had issues getting everything connected (actuator, rotational motors) but we are actively working to get everything attached as soon as possible.
Our team used this month to plan out our schedule for this semester. We plan on ordering/gathering remaining parts, contacting former team members for project information, and setting goals/expectations for this semester.
Our goals are:
Finish circuit to connect all electronic components together.
Finish tabletop design and additions (pencil-holder and LEDs).
Attach everything together.
Goal 1 has been determined to be feasible within 5-6 weeks, and Goal 2 has been determined to be feasible within 1-2 weeks (and both can be worked on concurrently).
Goal 3 is a reach goal as setbacks may prevent us from completing the table in its entirety. However, our other two goals will make sure that Danyal (who has already agreed to work on the project over summer) can easily put everything together.
We tested the Energia Driver Board. It became unusually hot, so we continued to troubleshoot the Energia Launchpad. We tested the Energia Launchpad with the motor board, and it seemed to not work (produce a voltage output).
We sent in a procurement form for the 30 Series Nuts, L brackets, and 30 Series Screws in order to connect the table mounts.
The black board for the table top was sent to and cut at the fabrication station.
We finished revising the table ledge holder to now have a trapezoid shape that fits completely into the aluminum bar.
On October 13th, the group presented the Mid-Semester Report.
We are currently in the procurement phase of the project. A UTD Procurement Request form was sent for the parts: pack of push button switches, Aluminum 80/20 Bars 48 inch, Aluminum 80/20 Bars 36 inch, and the 7A/160W dual DC motor drive module. On October 27th, the tactile button switches and the 7A/160W dual DC motor drive module arrived.
We finished a model of the tabletop ledge. The idea for the ledge would allow a bar with pins on it to be inserted inside the T-slot of the metal frame of the table and then allow the table ledge, which would have L-shaped holes, to be hung on the pins. To secure the ledge, we can then cap off the pins with something.
Schematic of Tabletop Ledge
On October 27th, the CAD-design for the bottom ledge of the art table in SolidWorks was finished.
After finishing the structure of the project file folder organization from the previous Art Table team, we created an agenda for our planned modifications to the Art Table. We also completed our Team Charter and our Project Plan.
We completed the design of the tabletop with its metal framework (including the CAD file saved and backed up). We also gathered the electrical components from the previous semester’s team members.
We brainstormed several ideas for attaching the tabletop onto the table’s structure.
Pictured below is an idea for a tabletop mount, but it was deemed inefficient and a potential problem that it can bring was that the pin support that the mount would require could interfere with the linear actuator. Additionally, a single support for the table may not be the best idea.
There were more ideas (pictured below) to attach the tabletop onto the frame of the table. The first thought was to use magnets but the team decided that would be ineffective due to magnets’ tendencies to slide off. The team also thought of screwing the bar that’s meant to hold the table top onto the tabletop, but the screws can damage the tabletop. Another idea is a locking mechanism that would give the tabletop a component to lock around the mounting bar. These ideas were thought of with the intention of meeting the goal of allowing users of the table to easily replace the tabletop if there were to be any damages on the tabletop. However, this idea was deemed inefficient as well due to its complications of getting it done.
Next, there was an idea to design the tabletop (pictured below) that would best suit the current structure of the table’s frame. This idea involves building a metal frame around the tabletop material and placing the mounting bar within the metal frame of the tabletop close to one side. The group decided to go with this design.
For the lighting fixtures, we developed an idea to attach a light source on the top of the table’s overhead structure as well as on the tabletop to illuminate the work area.
In the month of April with a better idea of our main objectives are we started working immediately on designs for the second iteration of the art table.
We mainly focused on the hardware aspect of the second table. We also designed a controller for next semester’s team. Designing the controller started with some brainstorming, and then we asked the project partners for their input on our conceptual design. We then took their feedback and finalized our conceptual design. We then created a 3D model and a list of parts needed.
Image 1: Design for the Art Table Remote with the Cad Design
With the semester coming to a close there is still work to be done currently. We printed out gears for the table. On Wednesday, May 12th we will assemble those gears and cut the table down to size. Our goal is that by the end of this semester is to finish the hardware for the second art table.
For the second art table, we have decided to also change the tabletop to make it more accessible for the HIPsters. We decided to come up with shapes based on the dimensions of the wheelchair.
Image 1: Initial Phase of Brainstorming Ideas for the Table Top
These were the final designs we came up with from the brainstorm we are currently waiting for these designs to be approved.
