Four days since announcement of Sponsored Challengers finalists/winners and I have mapped out the 10-12 weeks programme of work:
- Draft mechanical designs and detail materials and equipment for the complete module.
This will be the most difficult and I am considering making a scale-model to see how the various sections will best fit together. I will probably use standard plastic shapes as these could probably be produced by 3D printing for the final build (and a 3D printer might be part of the ‘onboard’ support equipment).
- Utilities and services to be designed into the assembly and miniature components selected.
Once the first assembly has been roughed out, I can see how water supplies valves and pipework can be fitted, together with any cabling runs for electrical power and sensors/controls.
- Materials, equipment, and components sourced and procured
- Mechanical structure and relevant sub-sections constructed
- Equipment and components, including control systems, fitted
At this stage I will have a unit with sections, including a ‘dummy’ central tower that I can manually move around and position. Depending on those experiments, I might make and fit some simulated drive units and controls that I can run either in single steps and/or complete cycles.
- Breadboard designs of control system utilising Raspberry Pi 4 2GB, a Pimoroni PIM487 Automation HAT, PIM486 Enviro HAT, and a PICO HAT Hacker PCB (and other items) supplied in the Challenge Kit by Element14
- Assembly and hook-up to scale model for first phase testing and ‘dry’ runs
- Final check of structure and operation, including additions, before procuring materials and equipment for full sized module
- Make of full-sized sections and construction of first main module
- Trial runs ‘dry’ and then full ‘wet’ testing
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