Mark II Update: Prototyping and 3D printing

Originally published at: http://mycroft.ai/blog/mark-ii-update-prototyping-and-3d-printing/

We are steadily making progress on the Mark II, and getting closer and closer to being production-ready. We were in the prototype stage when we launched on Kickstarter (btw, we’re still on Indiegogo), and now we are refining and tweaking every aspect to make sure Mark II is even better. Here are a couple of aspects we are focusing on:

  1. Acoustic Design: Making sure that Mark II has good sound is a high priority, so we have been trying various different shapes and methods to improve the performance. Getting great sound out of a small enclosure is tricky, but we have arrived at a good setup. We are using a sealed and isolated acoustic chamber within our main enclosure just for sound (think Matryoshka doll). The acoustic enclosure is also ported to improve performance on the low end.
  2. Design for Manufacture (DFM): Some of the decisions we made in the prototype stage weren't the best for manufacturing. We have gone back to the drawing board on some of the parts. We are reducing the complexity of some of the parts to make sure they can be molded more easily, and we are reducing the part count by combing parts when possible.
[caption id="attachment_37308" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Acoustic enclosure[/caption]

At this stage, our parts selection is complete, and once we finalize some aspects of the design, we will be getting quotes from contract manufacturers. Designing and producing hardware is a slow and steady race, but we’re feeling good about our pace.

Excited to see Mark II? Comment and tell us why! And watch for more hardware updates coming soon!

 

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Will the files to print be available for download?

Hi there @Octavio_Pupo_Nogueir, yes when the design of the Mark II is finalized we will be releasing the CAD files.

In the meantime you might want to have a look at our Mark I files;

Based on the comment above about the Mark II files being released when the design is finalized, I presume it hasn’t been yet. I guess things must be getting pretty tight to meet Joshua’s estimate of shipping by 5:00pm December 4th :disappointed:. Anyway, I need a bit more time yet to get my 3d printer put back together :grinning:

@KathyReid I just wanted to check and see if there were any updates on the prototyping/hardware build. Its really cool to see the renderings above and hear about how design changes were made to simplify the build process.

Hi there @jjohnston7 - my colleague @derick-mycroft is our hardware guru, however I know he’s also heads-down on some fairly major milestones at the moment. I’ll touch base with him and get you an update in the next couple of days :+1:

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How’s the CAD files coming for hungry 3D printers?

Have a read of the great update from @derick-mycroft;
https://community.openconversational.ai/t/mark-ii-update-cm-selection-design-updates-gui-progress/5101/2