Z-axis mechanical probe

thingiverse

WORK IN PROGRESS!! Last night I stumbled upon a YouTube video about testing micro-switches, and I was blown away by how precise they are. Next thing I was rummaging through my scrap bin to see what hidden gems would surface. First, I found a laptop DVD tray, and the eject shaft caught my eye. That's when the idea struck me. Last night I hastily printed some drafts just to see if it would work, and I had to modify the original spring because it was too tense. The sliders are from the same DVD drive, which will be cut to size. I also had a spare spring lying around, and the micro-switch came from an old Pioneer car cassette player. I've attached the STL file, but I haven't finished printing yet, so I don't know if it'll fit. Still working on designing the lid for the probe because it needs to carry the retraction mechanism. The probe should retract about 4-5mm when completed. To be continued... The fit was a bit too tight, so I shaved off 0.5mm from the slider, and now it works great, with a perfect 5 mm retraction.