This week, I started building the scissor lift! I began by organizing my parts in order to keep track of my components, since without access to our robotics lab or toolkits, each part is harder to replace. Then I reviewed the scissor lift CAD model and diagrams to review the overall plan and get a sense of how to start. I decided to begin with the base, since I could later build up from there, and started attaching the structure for the linear motion and sliding components.
Over the last week, I have been working on building my part of the subsystem, the claw! After picking up the necessary parts, I started working on the frame of the claw. However, I did not have the correct sprockets. I actually had every sprocket size except the size that I needed, so I went back to pick up more sprockets. It did take me a little bit of time to figure out how the spacing would work because as we discovered last year, we could not make the claw too bulky. At the same time, the claw has to be steady, so it was necessary to find a good balance. After tinkering around with the spacing, I found a winning combination, and then I added on the motors. Now that the parts of the claw are complete, we can mount the claw on the lift once we finish constructing the lift.