This Is Where We Are Now
Apr 22, 2025
Design and planning
At this point, I already had a working hobby-grade prototype made from improvised materials — enough to prove the idea was viable. It could sort cards into two output slots and one discard slot for unrecognized cards.
Two slots were a good start, but six plus one would be much closer to what was really needed.
A few months later, the CAD design was completed, and the missing tools and components were gradually acquired: an LCD, servo motors, power supplies, sensors, motor drivers, LEDs, wires — and various other small essentials.
3D Printer
To start prototyping, it was clear that I needed a 3D printer of my own — and one was promptly purchased.
I chose the Snapmaker J1s (this could have been an ad, but it's not). The end of December 2024 was approaching, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best gifts under the tree. :)
It took a bit of time to find the optimal print settings, but overall, this model works great straight out of the box — no weird rituals required.
3D Printing the Housing
I decided to print all parts using white filament.
One of the key components — the lightbox — specifically requires pure white, with no color tint, to avoid issues with the camera’s white balance calibration.
Colored versions might be considered later, but for now, white is just right.
As parts came off the printer, design flaws and awkward engineering choices inevitably surfaced.
That meant tweaking the CAD model, reprinting the part, and disassembling/reassembling whatever had already been built.
It’s a tedious process for me — but hey, this is the way. :)
Where Things Stand
Now the device is fully assembled — and it looks just like I envisioned it.
The first power-up went almost smoothly. A few things needed fixing, but thankfully nothing caught fire. :)
Using a small test script, I was able to move the servo motors and toggle the LEDs and fans.
So far, so good — and as my father used to say, “step by step, the mountains are behind you”.
What's Next
With this post and the previous one, I’ve tried to briefly share the story of how this project has taken shape.
The next steps are calibrating the servo motors, tuning the camera’s white balance — and possibly iterating on a few mechanical components, if needed.
I’ll publish the next update as soon as there’s something new to show.
Thank you for your interest and support!
To be continued...
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