I finished the design and preliminary instal of the autofocus fixture. I designed it in inventor and it features micro adjustability to find and set the optimal distance of the work surface from the focus lense. It is removable and hangs on to the corner of the laser cart with a pair of magnets. I was able to make it work with stuff I had around the house, except for the limit switch. I got that at radio shack.
Here's a view of the inventor model:
- Inventor Model
The top is made of 2, 1/8" plies with round holes that fit the magnets. The bottom hole is sligthly over sized to allow the magnet to slip on and off. The top magnet is glued into the top ply and the bottom is glued to the laser cart. The botom 3 piecws have hexagons cut out to accept threaded nuts which are glued in. The holes on the bottom are sized to accept the screws that hold the switch.
Hre a re a couple views of the assembled fixture:
- View 1
- View 2
The screws are a bit long for this, but they just fit. I could cut them down, but I'm a bit lazy. It works as is. The vertical cap screw is used to micro-adjust the lower part so the exact height can be found. The 2 screws on the sides lock it in place.
Here's the magnet glued in place:
- Magnet in place
Here's the fixture installed on the cart:
- Fixture In place on Cart
The good thing about the magnet is that I can stick the thing in a place that is out of the way but easy to get at. Here's a pic of the placement I chose.
- Put Away
I have yet to attach the wires, but that is the easy part.