This week was mainly focused on 3D printing a basic test 3D print to allow so preliminary testing of some of the components including the stepper motors, to motor drivers, their interaction with the Raspberry Pi, and the IMU. I was not able to fully complete the printing and assembly of the test rig but I was able in the meantime to work on some of those peripheral devices and their interaction with the RPi.
I would have liked to complete the 3D printing and assembly, so given that I am slightly behind on that I am going to move forward with attempting a first iteration that will go onto the actual umbrella. Some of the CAD design and specific part selection for the parts that will interact with the 3D printed components (screw hardware, bearings, shaft collars, etc) has also taken longer than I would have liked so I need to really move forward with this next phase. This coming week the plan is to have a first iteration of the pan and tilt gimbal system on the umbrella complete.