Alternative Design Ideas

[bdring]

It has been noted that other countries use different coaster sizes. There is a not a lot of flexibility in the current design, especially going to a larger diameter coaster.

The firmware can handle any size and probably accommodate other changes. If you are looking at a redesign, here are some thoughts.

1. The board does not need to be part of the design. A simpler existing board could be used remotely or packaged within the base. I sell some on Tindie.

2. The geared rotational bed is complex to model. Someone suggested a direct drive. That is probably doable without affecting quality. I would probably suggest a metal hub, rather that direct mounting of the 3D printed part. It is more likely to be concentric and could buffer the heat from the motor.

[fastriker]

I actually thought about a parameterized OpenSCAD model. Maybe also the gears can keep their size and an extra plate on top for the coaster lead to a constant gear transmission ratio. Then the board can also work for machines with different diameter.

[bdring]

@fastriker You would need to increase the travel of the linear axis too. Maybe just move it out and increase the rod length.

[dereulenspiegel]

I am actually currently trying to solve this. I increased the height of the "big gear" and added inserts for magnets. Further I modeled a platform which can hold 107mm coasters (pretty standard in Germany) which also has inserts for 3 magnets. This would allow for swappable platforms. The height of the "arm tower" is also increased by 10mm, but I probably need to increase it more.
I am currently waiting for the PCBs and other parts to try a real world assembly. If this works as expected I will publish the changes.
You can see a picture of the updates assembly here

[fastriker]

@fastriker You would need to increase the travel of the linear axis too. Maybe just move it out and increase the rod length.

You are right - I didn't thought about that. But maybe it is also not always necessary to use the full space of the coaster.

I am actually currently trying to solve this. I increased the height of the "big gear" and added inserts for magnets. Further I modeled a platform which can hold 107mm coasters (pretty standard in Germany) which also has inserts for 3 magnets. This would allow for swappable platforms. The height of the "arm tower" is also increased by 10mm, but I probably need to increase it more.

That is also a nice quick solution - and also interesting for me.