Kit Log #012: Preparation for Operator Interface Kit
Some good news of the day is that the bill of materials for the Operator Interface was already quite well organised. A few components were out of stock, and it was straight forward to find updated replacements. We ordered components for three kits, and looks like we will be assembling one for photos tomorrow.
The operator interface has numerous display board revisions. These were for different additions along the way. The first one had a charging circuit on it for a possible battery. The next revision, this was removed and added a speaker. The next revision, the display changed to a less expensive one, and a serial connection was added where the Xbee is (in case you wanted to monitor it on a computer with a serial cable). There’s even a revision after that one where we went back to the original display.
The original display is an Adafruit monochrome OLED 128×64. It’s great because it was pretty easy and fast to work with. We were thinking of then moving to a different display, however, it’s tricky to source the proper sized one, and the code might be a tiny bit less ‘plug and play’. All things to be considered when trying to prototype as quickly as possible. For the instruction images tomorrow, we will use the display board with the original display. If changes are made down the road, to say, a different display, then these modifications can be documented in the written portion. Also, the operator interface boards were designed by Randy Glenn, one of our electronics volunteers. Thanks Randy!
-
- Current Operator Interface display
-
- …and the keypad
-
- The white soldermask colour shows through the translucent 3D print filament better
-
- This revision had a speaker and the original display
-
- Next revision display changed
-
- Sourcing the display can be tedious – this one was too tiny
-
- Size in comparison
-
- These components will be joined by new components tomorrow for assembly
The spare operator interface chassis need to be found in one of our boxes. Then, they will need heatset inserts added. Last kit log we mentioned about the power pack packing list. Surprise! That was already done. This means the Power Pack is also at step #3. A goal would be to get motor kit and operator interface at step #3 by Thursday morning. The motor kit depends on a few metal pieces, which is to be determined. Maybe we will substitute those for 3D printed pieces.
This was a bit more words than action for this kit log, but the proof will be tomorrow’s assembly photos (assuming we get the package A-OK).