Quick update... I have the sound part of the AR2 prototype working :D
To give you a quick rundown. Initially I went with a VS1000 based dev-board but soon found that this chipset does not support
polyphonic
playback, as in a sound must finish playing before another can be played.
Well this is where the
WAV Trigger
(a crazy flexible WAV player designed by
Jamie Robertson) comes in, as this STM32 based dev-board allows you to play up to 14
tracks at the same time! Which is perfect for blending the firing/reloading
sounds the AR2 makes
Also with the current prototype I am using a
Class AB amplifier
to drive a 4Ω 3W speaker. I did have a quick play around with a
Class D amplifier, but found that it slightly distorted the firing sound
With all that said, the next step is to fix up the 3D model (note all the
black marker markers...) and start thinking about combining all these
dev-boards into one (as in put my Altium hat on)
In my last update I had figured out the
shell reload movement, so now it was time to 3D print the remaining parts and test how well
everything works together. But before we get to the cool footage I want to
show the functional blocks I plan to implement in the AR2. Currently I have
the basic blocks (in green) up an running, these include things like
servo/solenoid drivers as well as the main controller itself. In the future
I plan to add extra features (in red), these are things like lights, sound,
and safety measures
The Assembled Prototype
With all the "boring" stuff out of the way, here is some footage of the
current AR2 prototype. You might notice that the body has strange
arrows/scribbles, this is me marking what needs to be fixed in the final
model...
Some Advice
Whatever you are working on, don't be afraid of making a rough
prototype!
A personal example is that with my first professional job I was
tasked with making a lead-acid battery charger. I recall spending
many weeks simulating the circuit to make sure it was perfect.
Looking back, I could have easily halved my development time by
making up a crude prototype, and if anything this prototype would
have shown me things that my simulation could not...
So the lesson is, don't be afraid of making mistakes and get that
prototype out there ASAP
