I worked on the final presentation slides and reviewed the slides. This week was heavily focused on integration and final optimization of both the hardware and software. We as a group did a lot of testing for the entire project. I spent a a lot of my time improving the gantry system physically. I cut and reattached the belts for both the wheels and the gantry system. This was to make sure they were properly tensions after noticing slipping from the stepper motors. I also contributed to wire organization and stability improvements which included the pen holder movement.
Alongside the hardware work, I helped refine the software pipeline with Ethan, specifically help improve the column-splitting calculations that convert the uploaded PDF into draw-able sections within the gantry’s range. I spent significant time debugging and attempting to optimize the G-code output so the marker wouldn’t unnecessarily lift between small strokes, although Ethan ultimately discovered the final solution.
I am currently working on a progress bar for the website that updates users of the amount of time remaining for the gantry to finish drawing their pdf content. This will improve user transparency and overall experience. Next week I will be responsible for editing our final demo video. I will also be working on the final report and demo preperations.