Small steps :)

[KubaO]

I've laid out the two pushbutton switches, as well as the dip switch. All pins of the ESP module are used now.

It'd help if you have any videos/photos of mechanical constraints. Just add them to the issue and I can take them into account.

I've managed to get the ground plane looking "reasonable-ish".

https://github.com/KubaO/kugelilift/tree/develop-k

[besi]

Maybe you can infer some of it from those images.
At some point I wanted to have a button at the top to trigger one elevator movement rather than through the sensor.

So a dowel would go through the wooden top piece. Much like I did on the lamp.

[KubaO]

Do you have a CNC mill, or do you subcontract that out? That wooden chassis looks splendid. Wow!

I also see now the constraints on where the parts shouldn't be placed on top of the board, and how it all fits together.

I have been thinking about the "one creation a day" idea for some time now. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet as they say, and do something that's fun.

[KubaO]

Would this be a reasonable location for a dowel-actuated switch?

They make those little metal-cased SMT pushbutton switches that need a relatively high actuation force - perfect for a dowel that might have a little bit of friction. I have recently replaced the thumb switch in the MXMaster 3S mouse with such an upgraded switch. Now my heavy finger doesn't get mistaken for button presses :)

[KubaO]

I also see now that I've got the dip switches and the pushbutton switches exactly on the opposite of the correct board side. The UART pin header also ended up on the wrong side. I'll fix that.

It is very nice of you to publish all this as open hardware. A lot of work went into those projects.

Is it OK if I update this project from KiCad 7 to KiCad 8? I have KiCad versions 5 through 9 installed and I thought that maybe it's time to get rid of one or three.

[besi]

I have access to a CNC in our maker space so thats handy. Yes thats where I thought the button might go. I thought about an RGB Led for status etc. maybe if there is room.

Thank you I think things we like and love should bee shared so that is what I'm doing here!

A creation a day keeps the doctor away they say ;-)

The elevator is made for a Swiss marble track.

I've recently upgraded to KiCad8 so thats fine.

[besi]

Here's a video of the elevator: https://vimeo.com/953187525

[KubaO]

How about a plastic dowel? The top of it, and optionally the circumference, could be sanded with fine sandpaper to diffuse the light and make that button glow. The led would be on the axis of the dowel, and there would be two switches symetrically about it. The bottom of the dowel would need a little 3D-printed piece to act as an interface between the plastic dowel and the buttons/LED.

Of course that's somewhat complicated, so the LED could be separate from the switch dowel and use its own light guide - say a smaller diameter plastic rod. Or just a little hole somewhere.

It all depends on the acceptable level of fanciness :)

[besi]

I like that concept I had not thought about the two button trick :)

Since the dowel will be short anyhow I might be able to drill a hole straight through it and then insert a acrylic rod into it that would preserve some of the wooden aestetic with the pcb part like you described it

[KubaO]

Since the dowel will be short anyhow I might be able to drill a hole straight through it and then insert a acrylic rod into it that would preserve some of the wooden aestetic with the pcb part like you described it

That's a great idea! It will look nicer than just an acrylic rod. Excellent. I will implement that.

[KubaO]

Here's where I got so far:

Does the general placement of components work for your mechanicals etc?

If so, then I can move things around and do the two-button trick and add the led.

The phototransistor can definitely be used as an IR receiver, it'll probably work at short distances as-is with the 10k pull-up. For better reception, a small transistor amplifier can be added.

Another question: would it be ok to switch to surface-mount components for resistors and small discrete parts? That way things would fit easier.

[besi]

Very nice. The PCB started out as a one layer board which I did mill all with a single 0.8mm bit. So there were limitations with regards to placement and THT vs. SMD.

The dowel will come down through a 6.25mm hole and land on the PCB where there is already a hole at the same center for the m3 screw to mount the PCB. So there will be one screw less.

Dowel channel from the side

Viewed from the top:

The hole on the bottom right will feature the buttons and the RGB LED (I would suggest SK6812MINI-HS or something similar.)

The majority of the parts is on the bottom due to space constraints. The sensor of course has to be on the other side and is THT anyhow. So maybe it would be an option to have the LED also on the side of those main components (i.e. "non sensor side") but use a model that can be soldered to the opposite side of the pcb and then shine through a cutout for the light to then hit the acrylic rod....

"Backside LEDs" with dimensions 2.8x3.2mm

The buttons too would have to be on the same side with the sensor.
Please note that there is currently still wooden material in the way. So the model has to be adjusted for the new button feature.

This is the magnetic charger on the bathtubboat. Ideally it would be centric so the cable "flows" nicely out of the housing through one of those groves.

[KubaO]

Would it be possible to use the other of the two holes for the LED? The side with ESP-01M module is also the side where the stepper driver and stepper connector need to be due to routing constraints. So the other hole would work better.

[KubaO]

Below is a proposed layout of components on the layer facing the inside of the box. I located the magnetic charger port on the axis of symmetry. What is the diameter of the head of the M3 screw you are using? I'll probably need to make a bit more room around that screw hole.

[KubaO]

The placement of the LED is a marginal, but it should be OK for hand soldering. I will change the hole to be square instead of round so that there will be more pad left to solder the LED to.