This past week, I mainly worked on the mechanical portion of the project. First, I spent some time marking out my pieces. I marked out the door and places to make holes for the acrylic piece, then the specific measurements for the wooden legs and door frame. I then learned how to use the laser cutting machine and the drawing tool, and marked out my specific measurements for cutting the acrylic on it. I cut the acrylic in three different sessions after seeing what I needed to connect the parts, one initially for the door, one for the frame holes, and one for the door holes. I then got some of the wooden pieces cut with the help of the TechSpark staff, and then cut the remaining pieces by hand using a hand saw. I then learned how to use a power drill, drilled holes into the wooden parts, and then tried screwing them together. I also added corner braces to the connected legs, and then connected the wooden frames to the servo and to the acrylic frame. After this, I tried working on the door, and while alignment was okay with the larger clamps to hold the axle, it was quite loose and hard to stabilize (used a lot of popsicle sticks and tape). To account for this, we have ordered smaller clamps to see if it will be easier to install. Additionally, when trying to put the servo frame + legs + door + acrylic frame all together, the overall frame was not very stable, and seemed better off if initially assembled without the legs (which were uneven and short due to the last wooden piece holding them up not being installed yet). Due to this, along with the fact that I have yet to cut holes to install the locks, and other complications with alignment, I will probably have to uninstall the legs and focus on fixing the rest of the pieces.
Next week, I plan on finishing the basic lid assembly and start integrating it completely with the hardware so the overall testing of the mechanics can begin. This has already been done with the main servo, and I will focus on installing the locks and the door to the axle so everything can be tested together.
In terms of schedule, while I was initially on schedule, due to complications and the learning curve for the tools, I think I have now fallen behind in terms of the mechanical building. However, now with a better idea of what I need to do and the remaining parts needed, I think I can make significant progress before the final demo.