With all the model fixing done, it was time to spin the mill again. This is what came out:
Run #3: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-run3-razed.jpg Well, that didn't go too well. The mill almost completely ground away the ceiling of the case. This was caused by the table of my mill flexing in the Z direction and me pushing it down a bit too firmly when setting up the tool position, so it came up by almost 1 mm while milling. Not much to be done here. But what survived of the part looks good. Run #4: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-run4-chiseled.jpg This is the other extreme: about 1 mm of extra material were left at the bottom. I had to use hammer and chisel to get this one out of the acrylic block. Was that me over-compensating for my previous mistake ? The inner structure provides a first hint: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-run4-unfinished.jpg These islands around the rondels and at the window shouldn't be there. Except for the (tall) bezel elements, the ceiling should be completely flat. I eventually found that the laptop controlling the mill had lost network connectivity and thus didn't finish the job. There's a first time for everything ... My milling process now makes a local copy of all files involved and then runs from that copy. Time for another try. Run #5: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-run5-top.jpg Perseverance finally paid off. This one is almost perfect. There are some thin pieces of acrylic left at the top but they can be easily sanded off. They are there because my toolpath didn't include a slight overshoot at the bottom layer, to make sure the cut goes completely through the workpiece. There's still one thing missing, though. Run #6: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-run6.jpg Yup, the bottom shell. This one went so smoothly it was almost boring ;-) Now, putting it all together, we get: http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-beta-top.jpg Everything is at its place - and the OLED will fit even better once I remove the protective cover with the green tab on the side :) http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-beta-bottom.jpg Looking good as well, but the battery connector seems to touch the floor. It shouldn't do that. Hmm ... http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-beta-usb.jpg Now, there are still issues: USB hits the floor, preventing the case from fully closing, and the battery connector may indeed be doing something similar on its side. Measuring the case thickness showed that it's about 1 mm too thin. This is something that happens quite often, as a consequence of my mill's imprecise table height. The battery connector has a nominal clearance of 0.5 mm and the bottom of the USB receptacle has only 0.2-0.3 mm, so if 1 mm is missing, it's no surprise that things won't close. Maybe I'll just make a bottom part that's 1 mm "too deep", to compensate for these problems. http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/anelok/tmp/case-2015/case-2015-beta-switch.jpg Last but not least, the switch. This is exactly how the design says it should be. But the knob is almost impossible to reach, especially on my 2014 board where the switch is recessed by 0.5 mm. Not a concern for now, though. So, the case design looks good now, and only some detail issues and equipment limitations remain. - Werner _______________________________________________ Qi Hardware Discussion List Mail to list (members only): [email protected] Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://lists.en.qi-hardware.com/mailman/listinfo/discussion
