I got super depressed and procrastinated. I haven’t opened pre-orders or anything like that because I knew that it’d take me a while to get out of this funk! However, I’m getting ready to push out two kits this week and from there, start ramping up to push out new orders on demand. The first two kits will only be available in black, and with optional acrylic lids.
Almost there
The go-pro chest mounts have finally slipped their way through customs, and the final wait is on the straps and JST connectors (combined package). I expect those to arrive Christmas week, soooo let’s see!
I haven’t got around to any of my prep work yet. My printer’s been idle for a week or so, I haven’t corrected tolerance on any models or made new ones, and my batteries lay unterminated. Probably gonna get around to that this weekend.
Customs
Some of the components are currently trapped in customs! Straps, JST connectors, and go-pro chest mounts have been sitting there for nearly two weeks now. While I can technically assemble trackers without these- I wouldn’t be proud of the final product. Users wouldn’t be able to replace batteries, and they’d have to source their own straps to wear the trackers. My vision of the bwunny kit is an out of the box full body experience. For this reason, I’ll be waiting on packages to continue processing through customs while I further refine cases and prep all the other components. Hopefully by the time they arrive, it’ll take me just a couple days to pack and begin processing orders.
On a side note- I’m glad I didn’t start processing pre-orders. It’d suck to let people down any more 🙁
BMI270 PCBs Arrived!
That happened a lot faster than I thought! I’m still not even done printing the mounting hardware… Anyways, I’ll be updating some of the products soon to include pictures. I believe that the initial 10 batteries have arrived, but I’m hesitant to solder them directly to the boards. I’d rather wait a little bit longer until the JST connectors arrive so as to minimize the soldering I have to do. Besides that, All that’s left is some straps, printing the mounting hardware… and It’s possible I could ship the first set before New Years! I’ll keep posting updates here, so if you’re eager to get your hands on the first set keep your eyes peeled :3
Also the winner of the color vote was pink! So I’ve ordered more. Expect to see this option available in the store later.
Running out of plastic!
In preparation for the electronic components of the BMI270 trackers (which have already shipped), I’ve been running my poor Ender 3 non-stop for about 4 days straight. My spool of black Hatchbox ABS is already about 400g lighter! I need to purchase more plastic and thought that maybe it’d be fun to let everyone decide what color they’d like their trackers in. I’ll still offer black of course <3
Continue reading Running out of plastic!Design Considerations
It occurred to me that even with the QC provided by my PCB supplier and my own testing, it’s still possible for the batteries in the trackers to fail eventually. To be pro-consumer, I’ve revised a small part of the design to feature JST PH2.0 connectors. Production will be slightly slower as this is one more thing I’d have to solder, but I think the effort is worth it. If you notice your tracker’s battery life is shorter/puffing up, it’s simple to order a $10 replacement from Amazon, have it delivered same-day, and just swap out the battery. A few other considerations- I hope to able to install metric hardware into the trackers, using fairly basic heat-set inserts, stand offs, and screws to secure everything together from the case, to the PCB, to case top. Choosing to do so will open the door for custom acrylic, as well as guarantee a stable, durable tracker. Even as I’m typing, I’m thinking about potentially including a “calibration cube” or similar… email me or shoot me a message on discord if have a cute idea for something like that!
Production Run of BMI270 PCBs Ordered!
A quick side note! the initial 3 sets will use pogo-pins to charge in the dock; you can still optionally charge them with a USB C cable. Going forwards after this initial run, I will just use a single USB C port for dock charging. Functionally, there’s no real difference… I just have charging docks with pogo-pins on hand. Going forwards, I plan to change several things about the trackers. More colors, custom designs, better straps (silicon grips & quick buckling instead of a simple loop), acrylic options, and use of BNO085 IMUs. Consider the first 3 sets as “early access” editions.
Yeah!!!!! I ordered a small run of PCBs for BMI270 units. The general consensus is that the BMI270 from Bosch Sensortec is more accurate, cheaper, and offers overall better performance and power management than the BMI160. It’s intended to replace the BMI160 (which is what I’ve been using in projects until now).
I ordered 30 by the way- that’s enough for 3 complete sets of 8 trackers (24 total). To achieve perfect 11-point tracking, you’ll need 10. The extra 6 trackers will be reserved to replace any malfunctioning trackers while under warranty and may be available for purchase after the initial warranty period on original sets. Due to the long delay in shipping batteries, I expect any orders to ship in February 2024.
Following the lead of established reputable sellers, I’ve upgraded my 3D printing setup to manufacture ABS plastic. I’ve swallowed this expense because I simply don’t think PLA+ is strong enough to handle the stress that some of the compliant-mechanism designs require. As mentioned above, the first run will be plain black/red (colors I have in stock already).