Roller Switch Work

You'd think weekends would leave plenty of time for droid work, but alas, it seems that's usually not the case. As such, I got very little done today.

I worked on locating onto the frame the roller switch that helps detects when the dome is centered. The switch needs to be level with the top of the Rockler bearing, so I cut a small rectangle from 3/4" plywood to boost it up. Incidentally, this piece of plywood was used earlier for the blocks that support the leg struts from underneath.



Next, I traced the curve of the Rocker bearing onto a small rectangle of PVC. This goes on the front-center dome screw on the Rockler bearing, and it is intended to make contact with the roller switch when the dome is centered. (You shall soon see that I botched this.)



I used the miter saw to cut three of the four sides.



The Dremel drum sander finishes the curved side.



I used 3/4" #2 wood screws to attach the switch to the plywood block, and I drilled holes for the drywall screws that will hold the block onto the top of the frame.




I positioned the block onto the frame such that the roller switch closes when it makes contact with the PVC piece. It worked beautifully...



... Until I realized that the roller switch also hits all of the other screws in the Rockler bearing!!! There is only one center position, not six of them.



I need to recut the PVC piece so that it hangs further toward the center of the frame, and I need to relocate the wooden block so that it sits further back, so it won't make contact with the other screws. Why I didn't simply trace and follow the pattern of the PVC on droid #1, I do not know. Oh well.

By the way, today marks exactly six years since this happened.