Dropping Eggs From Drones for Science and Fun UPGRADED

thingiverse

I was invited to participate in Fort Worth Academy's Egg-Drop event again this year, and I jumped at the chance. Last year's design had a major flaw - eggs kept getting stuck in the cups. I knew I had to revisit the design and make some significant improvements. With last year's rig as a solid foundation, I didn't feel pressured by time constraints. This was an opportunity to experiment with OpenSCAD on a complex project, so I dove right in. In the end, I created one main file with all my parameters and definitions, then imported several .scad files for pins (thanks to emmett!) and the servo arm fitting (shoutout to hugokernel!). The only component that wasn't generated natively in SCAD was the Iris mounting bracket - I downloaded a beautifully finished STL from Ferdinand128, tweaked it to fit my needs in SCAD, and then exported the modified version. Due to complexity and OpenSCAD's limitations, I had to create several separate .scad files for individual components. After exporting all the STL files, I combined them into a single SCAD file to visualize the final assembly before printing. While I was at it, I decided to animate the final assembly just for kicks (who doesn't love animated GIFs?). Unfortunately, Thingiverse isn't too fond of this format. Stay tuned for more pictures and videos from the event! Post-Printing I printed several test models in PLA using my scrap-built Prusa i3. However, the final print was done in ABS at the Dallas Maker Space (@dallasmakers). We ran into warping issues last year when the PLA rig sat in a hot car for too long, causing the bolts and screws to warp the entire structure. This time around, I made sure to use pins to snap all parts into place. The only screws required are to hold the servo arm to the servo, the servo to the top frame, and the mounting bracket to the Iris Plus. Despite expecting to need some sort of bonding agent or friction welding to secure everything, I was surprised to find that it felt solid enough without them. If anything does come loose during testing, it's an easy fix - just snap it back together and weld it later.