3D Printed Parts and Files
In all of the balloons, 3d printed parts and models have been integral to the success of the balloon. For example, in the first and second balloons, 3d printed components were heavily used for both primary and secondary tracking systems. In the third balloon and future balloons, 3d printed parts will be used to ensure the antenna array can turn and be powered safely. Below are some of the components which have been printed along with a short description of their purpose. Gcode is available for all components and some components also include .obj and .stl files.
Balloons Version 1 and 2
To ensure that the ground station antennas were able to receive the greatest signal at all times these antennas needed to remain outside of the car, being used to track the balloon. Initially, I was unsure of how this could be accomplished but received inspiration once I found the GoPro suction cup holder seen below. Using the 3d printer and AutoDesk fusion I was able to develop a radio modem/antenna holder that used the GoPro suction cup. This component made it possible to position the antennas outside the car. Both the GoPro holder and the modem/antenna holder can be seen below.
For the second balloon, I also used a 3d printed for the secondary tracking system. The part I created was used to hold a servo next to an Iphone's on and off switch. The servo was used to turn the phone on and off as can be seen in the video below. I used this part to ensure the phone was only on at low altitudes as dictated by the FAA. The part can be seen working in the video below
Balloons Version 3 and beyond
Because the majority of my main work on the third balloon has been in writing script for the various microcontrollers, I have not had time to design all of the 3d prints for the antenna array holder. I have finished most of the designs on paper but have not had the chance to create 3d models from them. Below is one of the components which I have completed.
​
The component I have printed is a gear/ball bearing assembly which will be used to turn the antenna array to point in different azimuthal directions. The component which is seen below has periodic voids in it which are used to hold ball bearings. The idea is that eventually this gear will be inserted into a socket component which will hold it in place. The ball bearings will allow the gear to turn freely while in this socket. In the image, one of the ball bearings has been installed but the other 7 have not. The hold in the center of the part is to accommodate a 1 inch PVC pipe. This pipe will eventually connect to the antenna array.
In addition to the gear components, I have also designed a cover for the stepper motor power supply. This cover is designed to prevent contact with the terminals on the power supply. A switch is also attached to this 3d print which allows the power supply to easily be turned on and off. The switch and wire used to turn the supply on and off can be found from Digikey in the links below
