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Super Glue Gun
- Discuss original idea / episodes (use footage flashbacks)
- Talk about what we liked / didn’t like
- Why we believe it’s a good project
- Map out project goals / major design challenges
- Design drawing and sketches
- Decide major parts and begin sourcing:
- Hot end extruder
- Extruder motor
- Power supply
- Trigger/controls
- Microcontroller
- Automatic stand & casing
GOAL: Create product roadmap & design spec
2. EXTRUDER MOTOR
- Knowing what the hot end can do and what the PSU can supply, figure out the best way to mechanically move the glue through the device
- Source gear motors / knobbed extruder heads and work on a variety of 3D printed prototype tests.
- Find a motor that works within the constraints of the PSU.
- Isolate DC motor noise from the rest of the circuit. Work on stabilizing voltages.
- Test glue loading, idle wheel spring, and basically try and break the mechanism.
GOAL: Using a PWM controlled motor, extrude glue through the gun at both low, carefully controlled speeds and high “gushing” temperatures
3. HOT END EXTRUDER
- Discuss why we must decide this part first (certainly before PSU)
- Source and test multiple commodity extruder parts
- Do safety tests & find best / cheapest method of reliable temperature sensing & control
- Determine force required to extrude glue through gun and temperature falloffs
- Talk about solid state current control and PWM techniques
- Try and break it / burn it up to find the limits of safety
GOAL: Decide on a hot end and know all of its specs and how this will affect the rest of the project
4. POWER SUPPLY
- In this episode we figure out the best way to power our Super Glue Gun
- Decide between cord / battery powered (probably going to be AC cord)
- Test power supply with all conditions of the previously established Hot End
- Figure out the cheapest way to provide (and control) high-voltage AC hot end power as well as stable 3.3v / 5v logic voltages
- Find solutions that will provide the quickest path to UL/FCC certification
GOAL: Select the best switching control for hot end and logic circuits. Breadboard temperature sensor tests with MCU
5. TRIGGER / CONTROLS
- Figure out what controls and indicators the device needs and build prototypes
- Decide best way to get analog trigger input (potentiometer, hall effect, optical)
- Test the pros and cons of each method (ie, motor EMF could corrupt a hall effect sensor)
- Controls will influence product case design, so start narrowing down ideas for this and do sketches
- Begin initial tests / designs for an auto-deploying kickstand
GOAL: Translate analog trigger control to PWM DC motor driver / extruder, and see if capacitive trigger touch is affordable / easy to manufacture.
6. MICROCONTROLLER
- Decide what this MCU must do based off our mechanical tests thus far:
- Temp sensing (be compatible with whatever we attached to hot end)
- Analog trigger control
- Capacitive touch sense – built in to save external circuitry?
- Fewest external parts (crystals, PSU, EEPROM)
- Source and test multiple MCUs (well before episode films) create pro/con list
- Request help from vendors / supply side solutions?
- Decide what this MCU must do based off our mechanical tests thus far:
GOAL: Select a MCU that is the cheapest possible thing that will support all of the features we’ve tested on the unit thus far (and has good availability / factory programming support)
7. CASING & AUTOSTAND
- Try and get an automatic deploy stand to work (controlled by capacitive touch trigger)
- Decide if this feature is economically feasible
- Using all previous parts, begin designing enclosures
- Fusion 360 / software collaboration?
GOAL: 3D print an enclosure that is in the ballpark of something that could be injection molded as a final product.