help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user  

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

The link you provided to the assembly instructions goes to a google search page, perhaps your web address starts with http:// or https:// ?

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Strange. Let me try that again.

https://github.com/nasa/NASA-3D-Resources/tree/master/3D%20Models/M2020-Model-Rover-STLs512020

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

I did not know this resource existed, as a massive NASA and space exploration fan, I am not sure wether to thank you or hate you...so much filament is going to have to be bought 

RE:

The wheel assembly, as shown in "wheel_assembly.png" is as follows:

There are 5 numbered parts in the photo.

Part 1 in the image is a stepped pin that joins the axle to the body part.

Part 2 in the image is a round hole at the end of the body part. The stepped pin goes through this.

Part 3 in the image is the "hub cap" for the wheel. This goes inside the circumference of the wheel (part 6)

Part 4 in the image is the axle on the end of the part that joins to the part 2, which looks like it comes from the body. The Stepped pin (Part 1) is used to join part 4 to the body part (Part 2).

Part 5 in the image is the round plug, or disc that holds the wheel onto the axle.

Part 6 is not numbered, but there are 6 parts in the image, I will call part 6 the wheel itself. The wheel has the hub cap (part 3) inserted into it and is held to the axle (part 4) by part 5.

I hope this provides some type of verbal explanation for you.

I suggest you contact NASA directly and ask them for help - they are always interested in ways to improve and simplify procedures for their own staff and writing assembly instructions  to cater for blindness in a technically adept person might be a useful test case for them...

Cheerio,

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Hello,

I've got most of the rover assembled. I'm now working on the front robotic arm and I'm stuck.

Can anyone give me an overview of how this is supposed to be assembled? There are several instruments that attach to the arm, but I can't figure out which part they actually attach to. I don't have one part that seems to be the actual wrist turret that these would attach to. Any description of how the arm fits together would be awesome!

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Let me give it a try:
In the github archive is a file called: robotic_arm_assembly.png 
I will use this for explanation. 
the arm is attached to a ring somewhere near a corner of the main object. I presume you already know where, if not, let me now and I will search for that too. On that image alle parts are numbered from 1 upto 19. I also presume this numbers are in the order of assembling. 
- the stl arm_bracket_azimuth_elevation or the arm_bracket_wrist_turret ( I can not see which one is what, because they are almost the same) is connected to this ring using parts two stls:
-- arm_motor_cap + arm_pin.  These are numbered 17 + 18 + 19 (so last action to mount the arm to the main body).
(BTW this couple is later used later 4 more times , so print enough of them). 
- Tube 1 is connected to arm_bracket_azimuth_elevation or the arm_bracket_wrist_turret using such a couple (cap + pin)
- Tube 2 (it looks identical to tube 1) is connected to other end of tube 1 using same couple (cap + pin)
- The other one: (arm_bracket_azimuth_elevation or the arm_bracket_wrist_turret) is connected to other end of tube 2, again using cap + pin
- the arm_turret_plate is connected to other side of the arm_bracket_azimuth_elevation or the arm_bracket_wrist_turret) using cap + pin. 
- the arm_turret_drill is connected to the turret_plate. At one side of the turret_drill there is a round hole. Somehow the plate/pin just mounted fits in there. I cannot see how it is attached, Maybe glued or somehow it snaps in. Trial and error here. 
- if you hold the arm_turret_drill with the pins to the left and the round hole upside. 
-- the arm_turret_pixl is mounted to the frontside (facing you)
-- the arm_turret_gdrt_fcs goes to the right side
-- the arm_turret_sherloc_watson goes to the backside. Flat surface is attached to the drill 

Hope this helps, regards, Eef 

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

This is super helpful! Can you give me any idea how the cap and pin relate? The pin I assume fits through the whole in the tubes, but does the cap just attach to the end of the pin? Both ends of the pin are flat, so I assume I would need to glue this.

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

The more narrow side of the pin is 5.00 mm
The hollow side of the cap is 5.10 mm
I checked this in slicer, and I think when you press these together they will just hold by itself. (You probably have to use sandingpaper to make it fit). 

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Hello,

Thanks, but I think we might be talking about two different parts.

The pin cap is hollow, but the one I'm talking about is called Arm Motor Cap, which is solid. I'm assuming this part is for the robotic arm, but maybe I'm wrong. If the pin cap goes on the end of the pins, where does the arm motor cap fit?

Thanks again!

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

I explain how it is mounted by looking at the two tube parts

the arm_motor_cap is a cap but also a decorative part, what should look like a motor.
The functionalilty of the cap is the hole at the widest side. The hole is cylindric (5.1 diameter and 4 mm deep)
- the pin has a collar and the pin itself is about 11,5 mm and goes through the two rings into the hole of the cap). 
That gives a clearance of 11,5 - 4 is about 7, 55 mm
The ring of the both tubes are placed on top of eachother. The rings are 3.6 mm, so two rings = 7.2 mm
that gives a small clearance between rings, collar of pin, and bottom of hole on the cap. 

Maybe just print a cap + pin and try to get it to fit. Maybe print the pin at 99% in X-Y axis, so it fits better. 

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

PS. There is no part called pin_cap in the construction of the arm. All subparts have a name starting with arm_  

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Ok. Thank you. Something strange going on here then. When I print the motor cap, the wide end is solid with no whole. I did have someone rotate these parts for me, so the cap is printing with the wide end on the print bed. I'm almost positive I printed these with no supports, so I'll try printing with supports to see if that makes a difference.

I'm attaching my motor cap stl just in case something is odd.

RE: help printing Mars perseverance rover for a blind user

Hello again,

No one said this doesn't require patience, especially with barely accessible software like Prusa Slicer!

Turns out I did have supports turned on for this part. Just printed it again and indeed it does have a whole. Sorry for the confusion.