Gambit
I finally got the gantry running as smoothly as I wanted. It took completely dismantaling the old gantry setup, creating a new base board, and aligning things numerous times. It was all worth it to finally see the it run as it did.
Going into the FEDC, I thought I would go ahead and just quickly attach the new gantry parts to the existing board. I quickly decided that I wouldn't. Instead, I went ahead and grabbed some of the scrap wood to make the housing of the board. Starting with the base. It was the first time in a while that I was in the machine shop so I was a bit nervous, but once I got going it felt like I was right at home.
With the new base cut, I was able to quickly add all the parts I had created for the gantry to the board with the help of my calipers. It was beautiful to see. With everything aligned, I already went ahead and connected the motors and belt system to see it running.
Base and the Gantry
After seeing that sytem work, I started creating the rest of the housing. As of now the board will be 24x27x2.5 inches. I may be able to make it thinner, but that depends on the thickness of top plate. It is crazy to see this coming together.
Board Housing
The parts of the board truly came together and worked pretty seemlessly. There is always room for improvement, but for the time being, it works remarkably there.
Gantry Components
Before working on the chess engine and the communication it will have with the rest of the system, I have a few more things to care of. Those things being the sensing selection, the routing of the board for wire management, and the top plate that will be the playing surface for the users.
Habit Tracking
Today, I journaled, worked out, read, tracked my caloric intake, and worked on at least one of my personal projects. Today was a good day.
What I am thankful for
I am thankful for the machinery at the engineering facility that has allowed me to expand on my skills and projects.