mini-artic-loader

h1. Methodology

This will very much be a 'junk yard project'. As much as we can, we will have to scrounge for parts to repurpose for this design. We plan to buy as much of the steel as possible from the scapper. The running gear will be from a production vehicle and used in its stock form as much as possible so maintenance and repair can follow the same path(s) as the donor vehicle(s) would.

We plan to track and share every aspect of this project from the planning stage though completion. The work will be tracked through our typical project planning process here, which will provide all of the niceties of reporting, calendar, activity log, and so on. The work will be divided into sprints, and the output will be documented in this wiki, which has anonymous public read-only access. We will mirror updates on "Machine Builders Network":http://machinebuildersnetwork.com/ and reference the public content here using hyperlinks[1]. That forum will be used to post our progress, ask for and receive feedback, and provide a well-known place for referencing the build.

For 3D design, we are using "SolveSpace":https://solvespace.com/. It is akin to Fusion360 or SolidWorks, but FOSS. There is a limitation in that, while it is parametric, it doesn't (yet) support using variables properly. We hope to "address":https://projects.absolutepowerandcontrol.com/projects/solvespace-contributions that as well as time goes on. The slvs files are text-based and will be under version control (svn). That repository is linked to this project. When referencing SolveSpace assets within this documentation, they will be italicized, have an extension of slvs, and will usually be linked to the source path. However, individual slvs files probably won't be much use since we heavily rely on assemblies.

They will provide a nice way to output g-code for specific parts to be created on a plasma cutter. As part of the fabrication process, we intend to utilize 2D CNC capabilities as much as possible, though this might require an additional side project to be able to do so. This should make the transition from design to reality much easier. Coupled with our typical manual machine shop tools, that addition should give the final product a professional feel.

For workspace, we will use the basement office for planning and documentation and half of the workshop for the build, with an area around behind the shop for storing parts and scrap. Before the actual build can begin there are several smaller shop projects that need to be completed first (see TODO ). Those will be done as time allows, in parallel with the planning phase of this project.

fn1. Many members of that forum use Dropbox or Photobucket to share images that go along with their posts. I plan to fully document this build here, and just link to this updated content from that site.