Enclosure subdirectory is badly out of date

COAST-Lab / Open-Water-Level

An open-source, low-cost, DIY ultrasonic water level sensor

MIT License

9 stars 4 forks source link

Enclosure subdirectory is badly out of date #14

Closed SUPScientist closed 8 months ago

SUPScientist commented 11 months ago

Old SolidWorks drawings for laser cut enclosure haven't been used in 3 years. Update with new housing drawings when possible.

SUPScientist commented 10 months ago

Updated parts files (designed in Fusion, exported to .stl for 3D printing) are now here: https://github.com/COAST-Lab/Open-Water-Level/tree/main/Enclosure/PVC-End-Caps. Several modifications still needed:

[x] Threads didn't show up in STL. That is, they were in F3D file, but didn't export. This support article seems to know about the issue but didn't solve it: https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Threads-do-not-show-up-in-an-exported-STL-file-from-Fusion-360.html.
[x] The pipe gripper that seals the top of the top end cap needs a lip to sit on. It currently rests on an inner slope of the top end cap's ugly angled flange and doesn't rest down on a lip like it should, and therefore doesn't seal the way it should. Make a lip (1.9–2" diameter).
[x] Better flange needed for solar panel with screw holes for mounting panel.
[ ] Hole needed for solar power cable.

SUPScientist commented 10 months ago

See https://github.com/COAST-Lab/Open-Water-Level/issues/15 for issue specific to top end cap

SUPScientist commented 10 months ago

@acl3053, check out a few updates here: https://github.com/COAST-Lab/Open-Water-Level/tree/main/Enclosure/PVC-End-Caps. Note that GitHub renders STLs nicely in the browser!

I modified your bottom end cap design to open up the part of the hole that is not threaded. I used an NPT tap/drill chart to choose the new diameter.

(Side note: when I tried to export your end cap design into the Inventor file format (.ipt; in case in the future someone wanted to open it in Inventor), Fusion 360 created a folder that contains also the threaded part in addition to the part you designed so that I guess it can do the subtraction.)

acl3053 commented 10 months ago

@SUPScientist, has the thread itself changed at all? I thought that the subtraction method didn't seem to work based on the print I made a couple of weeks ago. I made the part again in Inventor to see if that would work but threads do not model in Inventor when exported to .stl. I uploaded it to my fork here: https://github.com/acl3053/Open-Water-Level/blob/main/Enclosure/PVC-End-Caps/WaterLevel_BottomCap_InventorTest.ipt if anyone can figure out a way around this limitation.

SUPScientist commented 10 months ago

No, the thread itself has not changed. The small change I made as mentioned above might allow an NPT tap to open up the existing threads slightly, though. It's not ideal to both print threads and tap threads (usually I pick one or the other!), but this may be a workable solution. We'll see.

acl3053 commented 10 months ago

Here is link for a solution to the lack of thread modeling in Fusion 360 (using the above stated subtraction method) for future reference: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-design-validate/modeled-npt-tapped-threads/td-p/11653018.

SUPScientist commented 8 months ago

Improvements may be necessary, but closing with https://github.com/COAST-Lab/Open-Water-Level/commit/fcdc1154d399747b5f7f4f890c0da2b4f97ea5d8 given marked improvements to design and file organization