• Development Team Report / June 2015

    by  • July 5, 2015 • Development Team Report, Handibot App HQ, Handibot Labs, News • 7 Comments

    In our first development team report, we laid out our projected timing for our major initiatives. After 6 months, we have hit some of our targets and others have slid a bit. Below you will find a revised timeline — much of which is organized around the September release date for Handibot 2.0 and the new FabMo digital fab platform.

    Of course, everyone would like things to move a little faster, but for our relatively small Handibot team that is continuously integrating input from users about Handibots in the field — we feel like we are managing to push things along while remaining realistic about how much can be done in a given period of time with resources available.

    We’ve recently added several new developers to the Handibot team and we look forward to reporting soon on their progress. Meanwhile, here’s where we are on those major items:

     

    Evolving Timelines for Tools and Accessories (UPDATED 6/25/15)

    Targeted Completion & Store/Doc Release

    Hardware

    • Version 1.1 Handibot  ………………….……. COMPLETED
    • Acc: Enclosure V1.0 & 1.1 …….…………… COMPLETED
    • Acc: Rotary 4th Axis  ………………………….. COMPLETED
    • Acc: Crawler (auto tile indexing)  ……… Mid July 2015
    • Version 2.0 Handibot  …………………..…… Mid Sept 2015 (previewed @ MakerFaire 2015)
    • Acc: Manual 4th Axis  ……………………..…. Mid Sept 2015
    • Acc: Gripper Head for robotics …………. Fall 2015
    • Acc: Laser Marking Head …………………… Fall 2015
    • Acc: Manual 5 and Motorized 5 Axis  … Fall 2015
    • Acc: 3D Print Head  ………………………..….. Fall 2015
    • Acc: End-work/Dovetail Jig …………………. Fall 2015

    Controls, Software, Web Ecosystem

    • V30x Control Cards (FabMo) w/SBC  …… COMPLETED previewed @MakerFaire
    • First Beta Release Version of FabMo ….. COMPLETED (on Github; though not user friendly yet)
    • Show First Version FabMo  …………………. YES, @ MakerFaire 2015 & DIY-CNC Detroit
    • Beta & EXAMPLE Utility Apps  …..………… COMPLETED (on Github; though not user friendly yet)
    • Utility Apps for FabMo Handibots  ……… Mid Sept; small selection for Handibot 2.0
    • Developer Contributed Utility Apps …….. Mid Sept; small selection for Handibot 2.0; see Github example                 ?
    • Handibot HQ Gallery & Project Areas ….. COMPLETED
    • Handibot HQ Project Delivery (free) ……. Aug 2015
    • Handibot HQ Project delivery (paid) ……. Oct 2015

    About

    7 Responses to Development Team Report / June 2015

    1. Mark Evans
      July 5, 2015 at 2:54 pm

      As always it is good to get an update on where we are at on all the little and not so little handibot projects. As you know I try to keep up with everything that allowed outside your buildings walls.

      I really look forward to seeing what some of these that had not made the blog before. Laser marker? Yes!
      End on jig, so needed.

      Maybe, just maybe I’ll have the fourth axis down by the time the next big thing comes out.

    2. Charles
      September 21, 2015 at 10:46 am

      Is there an update on the release of the 2.0?

      Thanks,

    3. Robin
      October 13, 2015 at 3:21 pm

      When will the crawler be available? Anxiously awaiting to create my bigger projects accurately!

    4. October 16, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Not long now … I know, I’m sorry it get’s so hard to be specific when getting down to the final production details … and we are always a little over-excited and optimistic. In this case, we’ve been showing the final prototype at venues like Maker Faires … but every time we fuss with a little detail, it sets us back several weeks (usually because of needing to wait for something new from someone else).

      Most recently we have been struggling with the best routing for the flexible part of the router power cord and whether or not to put it in an e-chain for best management.

      We’re shooting for the end of October … but let’s just say to be safe a few weeks into November. It will be wireless and shipping with the new FabMo control platform.

      =Ted

    5. Ted Hall
      October 16, 2015 at 1:18 pm

      And the CRAWLER …

      We put a couple betas in the field and continued to work with one at Handibot. While we like the basic concept, we have been struggling with this particular implementation. The problem is not in moving the Handibot along the work … the crawler has lots of power. Rather, good enough dust control for the automation to actually be very effective is problematic. We find, that after each re-positioning move of the crawler, we spend a lot of time clearing the dust and debris out from below the crawler in order to get a good flat (height) seating on the work. This is maybe not such a big deal for just cutting through parts, but on anything for which Z height matters, it has been very problematic because you want to be able to use the crawler automatically and efficiently.

      So … we’re in the process of a bit of a re-think on this one. Hope to have something to show in a few weeks. But we are happy for any suggestions!

      =Ted

    6. Ted Hall
      October 16, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      And, yes … we’ll get V2 out and then update our plans and schedule here.

      =Ted

    7. William Dash
      April 23, 2017 at 8:22 am

      This is an exciting project. Have any schools in Oregon or Washington got a Handibot? Or a pay per month maker space have one?

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