Middlefart’s A-10 build

[Middlefart]

Thanks.

I tested it in a real mission but only for a couple of minutes.

I didn’t see any signs of lag or missed steps but I need to test more.

 

If I need to change it to one nano per motor, that’s not a big thing to do so I’ll continue this path and see how it works.

[Middlefart]

Here is my first prototype for the engine cluster.

 

The bezel is 3D printed as two parts to be able to fit a glass.

The needle is temporary. I need to find a good material to make them from.

This will not be backlit since I'm planning on adding lights as the original has.

 

 

Fusion file: https://a360.co/2NefXDa

 

[lesthegrngo]

Hi again

 

After having seen the previous posts I took the plunge and got one of those K40 clone laser cutters. Evidently I didn't get one of the good ones, as even after alignment, properly assembling it (lens upside down, mirror attachment bracket bolts loose) and removing the truly crap work 'clamp', replacing the water pump that failed on day two.... it really hasn't fulfilled it's promise.

 

I have added air assist, fed by my airbrush compressor, without which cutting is impossible. With it, I can cut 2mm opal acrylic if I make 4 or 5 passes, and you can see from the picture that it does work. However I can't cut MDF no matter how thin it is, and ditto transparent acrylic - in both cases after going part way through, it stops cutting.

 

So I would like to know whether this is your experience, or whether you are able to cut MDF / acrylic better that that

 

Cheers

 

Les

[Middlefart]

Thats sounds awful.

My experience is totally opposite of that.

After aligning the mirrors i was able to cut 3 & 4mm acrylic (any colors) without any problems. Haven't tested with mdf

What speed are you running?

I'm running 5mm/s 15mA for 3mm acrylic and 4mm/s 15mA for 4mm arylic.

It ain't fast but it cuts it with one pass.

 

Have you checked the focal point? https://k40laser.se/diy-how-to/setting-the-proper-focus-in-your-k40/

[Middlefart]

New version with light added.

The engraving is a bit deep which made it a bit to bold.

 

 

I've ordered a really cheap cnc router so that I can mill my own pcb's. I have etched pcb's earlier but that is a bit of a hassle. Hopefully it is easier to mill them.

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07MV846B4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I'll start to build the complete engine cluster as soon as time permits. However I'm starting a new job in a week so I suspect time (and energy) will be a bit on the low side for the upcoming weeks. :unsure:

 

The plan is to have 3 nanos running 4 gauges each connected in a rs485 network.

The tests I've run shows no problem for the nanos to keep up so I'm feeling pretty confident that this setup will work. Since theese gauges isn't moving a lot during flight, a couple of missed steps won't matter too much :thumbup:

[lesthegrngo]

Thanks for the feedback. The cutting rate was 10mm/sec so I'll try again with the slower speed. As for the focal point, I used the ramp method to find it, it was easy enough to determine it.

 

For the PCB's, I have seen where people have sprayed the PCB with paint, then used the laser to cut away the paint where you want the isolators, leaving the paint on the parts where the circuitry has to be. Once the laser is finished, a wipe with IPA removed the burnt paint, and then you can etch the board. Of course, you still have to drill all the little holes, so maybe you need that CNC router after all!

 

Cheers

[Middlefart]

Yeah try a lower speed. How many mA are you cutting with?

 

I've seen the method you are talking about, but I'm trying not to etch them at all.

It would be great if the laser could cut the copper layer away :-)

Edited August 25, 2019 by Middlefart
typo

[lesthegrngo]

I know what you mean. My PCB's are all done on my CNC router, the problem is that when the PCB's are larger that five cm square, the uneven bed plus the fact that clamping distorts the blank PCB means that the engraving of the surface can be uneven. I take it in 0.05mm steps, and eventually end up with the full PCB but sometimes it can take hours, especially if I am working on a double sided PCB. I have never worked out how to do bed levelling on my machine using Universal GCode Sender (UGS), which would help immensely. The trouble I have is with the Woodpecker' CNC board that came with the machine, I have enough problems with it generating errors meaning I have to restart UGS and reset the Woodpecker card. So even if I did level the bed, the reset clears it. You also have a conflict in that you want to clamp firmly, but that adds more distortion.

 

The good thing is that taken slowly I have produced some very sophisticated boards, and the CNC router makes short work of the header pin holes and any cutouts you need. The double sided boards make matrices for things like the CDU easy, as you can route all the ground pins to the back, plus you can use the rear to add crossover 'wires'.

 

For the current thing, I'll have to check what the (probably inaccurate) gauge reads next time I'm cutting, but will definitely try with a lower speed - I think I was worried that it would overheat the acrylic at low travel speeds

 

Cheers

 

Les

[Middlefart]

Have you looked at auto leveling to sort out the problems with uneven pcb's? (or is that what you refer to as bed leveling?)

Looks promising.

Will try it out as soon as I get the mill.

 

And I think that double sided tape is better to use instead of clamps to hold the pcb down.

But what do I know, I haven't tested it yet :-)

[Middlefart]

Here are a test PCB i made.

The format is chosen so that it can be mounted horizontally behind the engine cluster.

Each board can drive 4 instruments each. The complete cluster will need three of these boards mounted like this.

 

The PCB is etched. I did order and receive a 3018 cnc mill but one of the drivers let the magic smoke out when milling my first PCB :-)

 

Actually, I think i will etch the PCB's even after fixing the mill. It was a lot easier then i remembered.

 

 

The ethernet cable provides the board with everything it needs:

5V

Ground

12V (For future use. This board doesn't use it but i want my bus to have it if anything else needs it.)

5V for back lighting

RX

TX

 

I have ordered JST XH connectors for the motors so the final board will have them instead of the 6 pin headers. Each motor connection has 6 pins. 4 used by the stepper and 2 for back lighting.

[Middlefart]

And here is the PCB for the Master, Arduino Mega

 

[Middlefart]

While I'm waiting for my ordered PCB's to arrive I've started working on the altimeter.

 

The plan is to have two OLED's displaying the altitude and the pressure in combination with the analog gauge.

 

Really pleased with how this turned out so far.

[Muts]

While I'm waiting for my ordered PCB's to arrive I've started working on the altimeter.

 

 

 

The plan is to have two OLED's displaying the altitude and the pressure in combination with the analog gauge.

 

 

 

Really pleased with how this turned out so far.

 

Awesome, looks pretty cool.

 

Gesendet von meinem SM-A750FN mit Tapatalk

[Middlefart]

Thanks!

[Middlefart]

The pcb’s arrived today.

Looks really good.

Ordered them 5 days ago and got the shipped from China to Sweden today.

Why did I bother with etching myself? :-)

 

[lesthegrngo]

Very nice PCB's - may I ask what company you used to get them made? Also, did you use a specific program to design them? I generally make my own PCB's as they are one off's but there are a couple I need to make that are going to be a bit too complicated for my poor manufacturing methods

 

Cheers

 

Les

[Middlefart]

Middlefart’s A-10 build

 

Sorry for late reply.

I used Fritzing to design them and ordered them from jlcpcb.com

[lesthegrngo]

Thanks!

 

Les

[Middlefart]

The engine cluster is finished

[BlacleyCole]

My only reason for not building a full size switched cockpit is two fold room and I prefer to fly under vr so it isn’t viable.

[lesthegrngo]

Nice work!

 

Les

[Middlefart]

Thanks

 

 

Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

[youngque]

While I'm waiting for my ordered PCB's to arrive I've started working on the altimeter.

 

The plan is to have two OLED's displaying the altitude and the pressure in combination with the analog gauge.

 

Really pleased with how this turned out so far.

 

:thumbup: This looks amazing! Any chance you would share your sketch for the rolling display? I’m currently working on the engine display panel of the AV-8 with the same OLEDs. I’d like to look over your code and learn.

 

Thanks in advance,

Quentin

[Middlefart]

Of course. I’ll try to fix that tomorrow and get back to you

[youngque]

I appreciate it.