The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Category: Machine Shop

Mechanical widgetry

  • Sherline Tooling Plate: Protecting the Tapped Holes

    While I had the tooling plate off, I cleaned the crud out of the tapped holes and ran a handful of 1/4 inch stainless steel 10-32 setscrews just below the surface:

    Sherline tooling plate with setscrews
    Sherline tooling plate with setscrews

    They’re pretty much invisible, of course, but they’re all present. FWIW, you need a 3/32 inch hex wrench for 10-32 setscrews.

    In the event that I gouge the aluminum surface (you can see the odd ding and blind hole) through a setscrew, I’ll regret doing this. Not having to remove the plate to dig swarf out of the last clamping hole after carefully aligning a part seems like a win.

  • Sherline CNC Mill Y Axis Home Switch: To The Front!

    Reassembling the mill provided an opportunity to move the Y axis Home switch from the rear of the axis to the front. The key discovery happened during the teardown: I can get the saddle off the Y axis dovetail by removing the gib, without sliding it off the front, which means a front switch can remain firmly glued in place.

    A few random hunks of steel and a wire nut held the switch in position while the epoxy cured:

    Mounting Y axis home switch
    Mounting Y axis home switch

    The switch actuator bottoms out with the saddle just touching the preload nut, so the saddle can’t dislodge the switch: the switch trips just before the saddle hits the nut, at which point all motion stops and the motor stalls.

    Moving the switch means I can remove all the gimcrackery that poked the rear switch with the tooling plate in place; I was never happy with that setup. I also removed the small block that trapped the rear end of the Y leadscrew, under the assumption that, as I haven’t yet dropped anything on the leadscrew, I probably won’t. That adds about 1/4 inch to the maximum travel and allows the tooling plate to whack into the column.

    The switch wire runs along the stepper cable, a tidy technique that hasn’t introduced any glitches into the shared Home signal from the X axis drivers:

    Sherline mill - X and Y axis home switches
    Sherline mill – X and Y axis home switches

    The Y axis now seeks the Home switch in the positive Y direction, so that stanza in Sherline.ini looks like this:

    [AXIS_1]
    TYPE = LINEAR
    MAX_VELOCITY = 0.400
    MAX_ACCELERATION = 5.0
    STEPGEN_MAXACCEL = 10.0
    SCALE = 16000.0
    FERROR = 0.05
    MIN_FERROR = 0.01
    MIN_LIMIT = -0.5
    MAX_LIMIT = 4.90
    BACKLASH = 0.003
    HOME_IS_SHARED = 1
    HOME_SEQUENCE = 2
    HOME_SEARCH_VEL = 0.3
    HOME_LATCH_VEL = 0.016
    HOME_FINAL_VEL = -0.4
    HOME_OFFSET = 5.125
    HOME = 5.0
    
  • Reworking Sherline Anti-Backlash Nuts

    The new Y axis anti-backlash nuts for the Sherline mill have a countersink on the end that fits into the saddle. The nut on the left is as-delivered (I bought two) and the nut on the right is after cleanup:

    Sherline Y axis anti-backlash nuts - original vs cleared
    Sherline Y axis anti-backlash nuts – original vs cleared

    The thread was munged enough to jam the leadscrew; it started fine from the knurled end, but wouldn’t emerge from the countersink. This being a left-hand thread, I couldn’t just run a tap through the nut, so clearing the thread required:

    • Some tedious handwork to clear enough of a path until …
    • I could force the nut over the old leadscrew, which re-formed the thread enough that …
    • More tedious handwork could remove the debris and bent brass

    After that, the OD of both nuts was slightly oversized: 0.316 inch, which didn’t fit in the 5/16 inch (0.3125) bore. So I mounted the nut on the old leadscrew, took advantage of the fact that a left-hand thread gets tighter with cutting force from the lathe bit [Edit: wrong! See comments], and turned it down just a hair:

    Turning down anti-backlash nut OD
    Turning down anti-backlash nut OD

    Purists will quibble that I should have used the four-jaw chuck. Turns out the three-jaw has under 1 mil of runout, which is as good as one could possibly want in light of the bearings.

    The X axis nuts were fine, so I suspect a recent production run had a bit of a tooling problem.

    [Update: The mail brings replacement nuts that look just fine. Must have been one of those glitches. No hard feelings!]

  • They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To: Hinges

    Door hinge with pin punch hole
    Door hinge with pin punch hole

    A hinge started squeaking, which required nothing more than a long pin punch, a soft hammer, and a dab of oil.

    The unplated steel hinges in our house date back to the middle of the last century and all of them have a convenient hole in the bottom for a pin punch: much fancier than the raw edge of the folded frame and the butt end of the hinge pin. You drive the hinge pin upward with a few taps, lube it, and tap it back in again with a soft hammer (perhaps against a folded rag), and you’re done.

    On the other side of door, however, lies one of our follies. For reasons that made perfect sense at the time, the hallway has five different shades of white paint:

    • Flat walls
    • Eggshell ceiling
    • Gloss trim
    • Semigloss front door
    • Epoxy hinges

    The hallway has three branches, two openings, and ten doors. The white really sets off the hardwood floors and doors, while brightening what would otherwise be a rather dim area, but never, ever again will we make that mistake.

    On the other paw, the hinges came out well. I took them off all those doors and jambs, cleaned the steel, gave ’em two rattle coats of white epoxy, and reinstalled. Much nicer than contemporary “shiny brass” plating or raw steel.

  • Wouxun KG-UV3D Battery Capacity

    After I get the next GPS+voice interface running on the (yet-to-be-bought) Wouxun KG-UV3D radio, a pair of reasonably new 1A17KG-3 7.4 V 1.7 A·h lithium battery packs will be floating around with nothing to do; the GPS interface connects an external battery to the radio, so there’s no need for the OEM battery.

    Before doing anything else, it’d be useful to know the actual capacity. The pack has flush terminals, so I snipped off two lengths of shield braid, jammed a wire into each one, and taped them in place:

    Battery pack - braid contacts
    Battery pack – braid contacts

    That obviously wasn’t going to last, so I added some closed-cell foam:

    Battery pack - foam compression
    Battery pack – foam compression

    And then, ever so gently, crunched a clamp around the whole mess:

    Battery Pack - clamped contacts
    Battery Pack – clamped contacts

    Crude, but workable, although the ragged start to the test showed I was too gentle. Another click of the clamp and everything settled down just fine:

    Wouxun Pack
    Wouxun Pack

    In round numbers, the pack delivers 1.6 A·h down to 7.0 V and then falls off very rapidly to the 6.0 V that ended the test.

    A string of three red / amber LEDs adds up to 3×1.9 = 5.7 V. A dumb DC blinky light running from 7.4 V has 77% efficiency, which isn’t all that bad, and 70% at the start. A current-regulating switcher might give 85% to 90% at the cost of considerable circuit complexity and wouldn’t be feasible for four independent blinky channels.

    The starting voltage, fresh from the charger, is just shy of 8.5 V, which is why I figured I could get away with 9 V from the external pack through the GPS interface. So far, so good.

    Obviously, if those packs are to be useful, I must conjure up a better battery holder. Having already designed a battery-shaped case for the GPS interface, it should be easy enough to build a radio-shaped mount for the pack.

  • Sherline Leadscrew Nut Removal

    The Y axis on my Sherline CNC mill has developed about 8 mils of backlash, a bit more than seems reasonable. Some poking around shows that the anti-backlash nut is loose while in the middle of the leadscrew and snug while at either end, which suggests the leadscrew thread is also worn. That’s no surprise, as I didn’t figure out that having a bellows over the leadscrew was a Good Thing until, let us say, considerably later than I should.

    If I must replace the leadscrew, I may as well take the whole XY assembly apart, clean everything, and replace the consumables. So I ordered a sack o’ parts from Sherline; they’re all cheap and readily available. The overall index has the exploded diagrams and the parts list for my mill boiled down to:

    • 54161 Y axis leadscrew (9 inch)
    • 50140 Y axis anti-backlash nut
    • 50200 Y axis nut
    • 50171 X axis leadscrew
    • 50130 X axis anti-backlash nut
    • 40890 X axis nut
    • 50150 anti-backlash lock

    The only gotcha: nowhere (that I can find, anyway) is it written how to get the leadscrew nuts out of the stage. It turns out that the holes through the stage aren’t uniform: the X narrower on the right and the Y on the front, so you must drive the X axis nut out to the left and the Y axis nut out to the rear. The counterbore is visible just behind the anti-backlash nut if you know what to look for, so you’re driving the axis nut away from the backlash nut.

    On the X axis:

    X axis leadscrew hole counterbore
    X axis leadscrew hole counterbore

    On the Y axis:

    Y axis leadscrew hole counterbore
    Y axis leadscrew hole counterbore

    Trust me on this: you cannot drive a 5/16 inch nut through a 19/64 inch counterbore. If you have a 19/64 inch transfer punch, that’s a dandy way to get the nuts out.

    The easiest way to loosen the socket head cap screw holding the flex coupling to the leadscrew is to grab the coupling in a lathe chuck (with the leadscrew protruding into the headstock) and then apply the hex key:

    Loosening leadscrew bolt
    Loosening leadscrew bolt

    They used red (high-strength) Loctite on all the leadscrew bolts, as well as on the tapered joint between the leadscrew and the flex coupling, and on the bearing preload nut… so I will, too.

  • Wouxun KG-UV3D GPS+Voice Interface: Improved Case

    This case has a few refinements beyond that one, but it’s recognizably a descendant. The main changes:

    • The HT cable port on the side has a nice polygonal roof to reduce overhang
    • The serial connector sits in a recess to allow a thicker top plate
    • Smaller opening for the LEDs; I’ll get a window in this one, fer shure, yeah
    • 4-40 screws hold the base plate on; setscrews may work and look better

    Looks like I’ll be using blue filament for this version, having just discovered the last of the weird colors in the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket serving as a storage bin.

    A view from the top:

    Solid Model - Oblique Exploded Top
    Solid Model – Oblique Exploded Top

    And from the base:

    Solid Model - Oblique Exploded Base
    Solid Model – Oblique Exploded Base

    The OpenSCAD source code:

    // Wouxun KB-UV3D Battery Pack Case
    // Ed Nisley KE4ZNU July 2012
    
    include </home/ed/Thing-O-Matic/lib/MCAD/units.scad>
    include </home/ed/Thing-O-Matic/Useful Sizes.scad>
    
    // Layout options
    
    Layout = "Show";
    					// Overall layout: Fit Show
    					// Printing plates: Build1 .. Buildn (see bottom!)
    					// Parts: TT3 Audio DSub Shell Base Top
    					// Shapes: RadioBase Contact
    					// Speaker-mic mount: PlugPlate
    
    ShowGap = 10;		// spacing between parts in Show layout
    
    //- Extrusion parameters must match reality!
    //  Print with +1 shells and 3 solid layers
    
    ThreadThick = 0.25;
    ThreadWidth = 2.0 * ThreadThick;
    
    HoleWindage = 0.2;
    
    function IntegerMultiple(Size,Unit) = Unit * ceil(Size / Unit);
    
    Protrusion = 0.1;			// make holes end cleanly
    
    //----------------------
    // Dimensions
    
    CaseOverallHeight = 31.5;				// from battery surface, must clear PCBs!
    CaseOverallWidth = 56;
    CaseOverallLength = 80.25;				// inside of base to end of compartment
    
    BatteryClearance = 1.5;					// contact seal height = air gap to compartment
    
    // Interface to radio battery contacts
    //	Length = shell length
    //		calculated after everything else, so as to fill the compartment
    
    ContactDia = 6.0;				// use rounded contact for simplicity
    ContactRecess = IntegerMultiple(0.75,ThreadThick);	// recess for contact plate
    ContactGapX = 10.5;				// X space between contacts
    Contact1Y = 52.5;				// offset from base to edge of contact
    Contact2Y = 56.5;
    ContactStudDia = Clear4_40;
    ContactStudHead = IntegerMultiple(Head4_40,ThreadWidth);
    ContactStudHeadThick = Head4_40Thick;
    
    PlateWidthMin = 53.0;
    PlateWidthMax = 54.5;
    PlateThick = IntegerMultiple(ContactRecess + ContactStudHeadThick,ThreadThick);
    PlateAngle = atan(PlateThick/(PlateWidthMax/2 - PlateWidthMin/2));
    
    echo("Battery plate thick: ",PlateThick);
    
    // Offsets from battery surface to PCB centerlines
    //	TT3 must be above HT back shell for DB9 clearance
    //	These must cooperate with the numbers in the case shell module
    
    TT3Offset = 17.5 + PlateThick;
    AudioOffset = 4.0 + PlateThick;
    
    // Plate interface to base alignment holes and notches
    
    BaseWidthInner = PlateWidthMin;
    BaseWidthOuter = CaseOverallWidth;
    BaseLength = CaseOverallHeight;					// perpendicular to battery surface
    BaseThick = IntegerMultiple(1.0,ThreadThick);	// minimum sheet thickness below teeth
    BaseWidthTaper = 5.0;							// ramp across entire width
    
    BaseOpeningMax = 43.0;
    BaseOpeningMin = 33.0;
    BaseOpeningY = 5.3;
    BaseOpeningDepth = IntegerMultiple(2.25,ThreadThick);
    
    BaseTotalThick = BaseThick + BaseOpeningDepth;
    echo("Base min thick: ",BaseThick," total: " ,BaseTotalThick);
    
    BaseTabWidth = 6.0;
    BaseTabThick = 2.0;
    BaseTabGap = 7.0;
    BaseTabOC = BaseTabWidth + BaseTabGap;
    BaseToothSection = 3*BaseTabWidth + 2*BaseTabGap;
    
    BaseToothBase = 5.8;
    BaseToothTip = 2.8;
    BaseToothThick = 2.0;
    BaseToothAngle = atan(BaseOpeningDepth/0.6);
    BaseToothOC = BaseTabOC;
    
    WedgeAngle = atan(BaseWidthTaper/((BaseWidthOuter - BaseWidthInner)/2));
    
    BaseEndLip = ThreadThick;			// should be 0.25 mm or so
    BaseEndWidth = (PlateWidthMin - 3*BaseToothBase - 2*BaseToothTip)/2;
    BaseEndAngle = atan((BaseOpeningDepth - BaseEndLip)/BaseOpeningY);
    
    SwitchBody = [8.6,3.7,3.3];			// mode switch
    
    // Plate interface to HT battery latch, cables, and connectors
    
    TopThick = IntegerMultiple(5.5,ThreadThick);	// plate thickness for stiffness behind latch bar
    echo("Top plate thick: ",TopThick);
    
    DB9Recess = TopThick - 4.0;			// recess to max TT3 PCB clearance behind DB9 plate
    
    TabEngageLength = 1.6;				// tab engaging surface length
    TabWidth = 3.0;						//  ... width
    TabEngageHeight = 4.5;				//  ... above battery compartment floor
    TabHeight = 7.5;					// tab ramp top above battery compartment floor
    TabOC = 40.0;
    
    LatchBarWidth = 3.4;				// sliding latch mechanism (brass L stock)
    LatchBarDepth = 3.4;
    LatchBarThick = 0.35;
    
    echo(" ... minimum: ",TopThick - LatchBarDepth);
    
    SplitOffset = TT3Offset - 3.5;
    
    TopBevel = 1.0;						// bevel at top of battery compartment
    TopBevelAngle = 45;
    
    PinOffsetWidth = 2.5;				// choose to center in sides of case shell
    PinOffsetHeight = 13.5;				// above baseplate bottom
    PinDepth = 7.0;						// into case shell
    PinDia = 1.2;
    
    ShellLength = CaseOverallLength - BaseThick - TopThick;
    
    echo("Shell length: ",ShellLength);
    
    // Speaker-mic plug plate
    
    PlugBaseThick = 2.5;				// recess depth
    PlugFillThick = 3.0;				// outer plate thickness
    
    //----------------------
    // Useful routines
    
    module PolyCyl(Dia,Height,ForceSides=0) {			// based on nophead's polyholes
    
    Sides = (ForceSides != 0) ? ForceSides : (ceil(Dia) + 2);
    
    FixDia = Dia / cos(180/Sides);
    
    cylinder(r=(FixDia + HoleWindage)/2,
    h=Height,
    	   $fn=Sides);
    }
    
    module ShowPegGrid(Space = 10.0,Size = 1.0) {
    
    Range = floor(50 / Space);
    
    	for (x=[-Range:Range])
    	  for (y=[-Range:Range])
    		translate([x*Space,y*Space,Size/2])
    		  %cube(Size,center=true);
    
    }
    
    //-------------------
    // Component parts
    
    //-----
    // TinyTrak3+ PCB and component envelope
    //	Some dimensions should feed into the case shell, but don't
    
    module TinyTrak3(Length = 1.0) {
    
    PCBThick = 1.6;
    PCBWide = 36.5;
    TopHigh = 9.5;
    TopWide = PCBWide - 1.5;
    BotHigh = 2.5;
    BotWide = 35.0;
    
    PCBx = PCBWide/2;
    PCBy = (PCBThick + HoleWindage)/2;
    URx = TopWide/2;
    URy = PCBy + TopHigh;
    LRx = BotWide/2;
    LRy = PCBy + BotHigh;
    
    linear_extrude(height=Length,center=false,convexity=2) {
    	polygon(points=[[URx,URy],[URx,PCBy],[PCBx,PCBy],[PCBx,-PCBy],[LRx,-PCBy],[LRx,-LRy],
    					[-LRx,-LRy],[-LRx,-PCBy],[-PCBx,-PCBy],[-PCBx,PCBy],[-URx,PCBy],[-URx,URy]
    				   ]);
    }
    }
    
    //-----
    // Interface PCB and component envelope
    //	Some dimensions should feed into the case shell, but don't
    
    module AudioInterface(Length = 1.0) {
    
    PCBThick = 2.0;
    PCBWide = 49.5;
    TopHigh = 9.0 + Protrusion;
    TopWide = 46.0;
    BotHigh = 3.0;
    BotWide = 44.0;
    
    PCBx = PCBWide/2;
    PCBy = (PCBThick + HoleWindage)/2;
    URx = TopWide/2;
    URy = PCBy + TopHigh;
    LRx = BotWide/2;
    LRy = PCBy + BotHigh;
    
    linear_extrude(height=Length,center=false,convexity=2) {
    	polygon(points=[[URx,URy],[URx,PCBy],[PCBx,PCBy],[PCBx,-PCBy],[LRx,-PCBy],[LRx,-LRy],
    					[-LRx,-LRy],[-LRx,-PCBy],[-PCBx,-PCBy],[-PCBx,PCBy],[-URx,PCBy],[-URx,URy]
    				   ]);
    }
    }
    
    //-----
    // DB-9 (DE-9) panel opening
    // http://www.interfacebus.com/Connector_D-Sub_Mechanical_Dimensions.html
    //  DB-9 shell mounts on outside surface of case
    // This is for the solder terminal side
    
    module DSubMin9(Length = 1.0) {
    
    Holex = 0.984/2 * inch;
    HoleDia = Tap4_40;
    
    URx = 0.769/2 * inch;
    URy = 0.432/2 * inch;
    
    	linear_extrude(height=Length,center=false,convexity=3) {
    	  polygon(points=[[URx,URy],[URx,-URy],[-URx,-URy],[-URx,URy]]);
    	  for (x = [-1,1]) {
    		translate([x*Holex,0,0])
    		  rotate(45) circle(r=(HoleDia + HoleWindage)/2,$fn=4);
    	  }
    	}
    
    }
    
    //-----
    // Central case shape
    //	This *should* depend directly on the circuit board sizes, but doesn't
    //	The "Offset" parameters attempt to bottle up all the board sizes
    //	Support in LED window must be hand-fit to work correctly... and isn't needed!
    
    module CaseShell(Length=(ShellLength),Holes="true") {
    
    // Polygon coordinates are in XY plane
    
    URx = 40.0/2;
    URy = CaseOverallHeight;
    
    MRx = CaseOverallWidth/2;
    MRy = 15.0;
    
    LRx = CaseOverallWidth/2;
    LRy = (LRx - PlateWidthMin/2)*tan(PlateAngle);
    
    BRx = PlateWidthMax/2;
    BRy = PlateThick - 0*Protrusion;
    
    PRx = PlateWidthMin/2;				// combined battery plate
    PRy = 0;
    
    ScrewOffset = 20.0;					// from top end of case
    
    LEDWindow = [26.0,5.0,6];			// with case aligned vertically
    LEDOffset = [15,URy,(Length + TopThick - 25.0)];
    
    TrimPot1 = [-14,TT3Offset,(Length + TopThick - 30)];
    TrimPot2 = [-14,TT3Offset,(Length + TopThick - 37.5)];
    
    HTCableDia = 3.5;
    HTCableOffset = AudioOffset + HTCableDia/2 + 1.0;
    
    rotate([90,0,180])
    	union() {
    	  difference() {
    
    		  linear_extrude(height=Length,center=false,convexity=5)
    			polygon(points=[[URx,URy],[MRx,MRy],[LRx,LRy],[BRx,BRy],[PRx,PRy],
    							[-PRx,PRy],[-BRx,BRy],[-LRx,LRy],[-MRx,MRy],[-URx,URy]]);
    
    		if (Holes) {
    		  translate([0,AudioOffset,-Protrusion])
    			AudioInterface(Length + 2*Protrusion);
    
    		  translate([0,TT3Offset,-Protrusion])
    			TinyTrak3(Length + 2*Protrusion);
    
    		  for (y = [TT3Offset,AudioOffset])
    			translate([-CaseOverallWidth,y,(Length - ScrewOffset)])
    			  rotate([0,90,0])
    				rotate(0)					// Z rotation puts point upward for printing
    				PolyCyl(Tap4_40,CaseOverallWidth);
    
    		  translate(LEDOffset)
    			rotate([90,90,0])
    			  translate([-LEDWindow[0]/2,-LEDWindow[1]/2,-Protrusion])
    			  cube(LEDWindow,center=false);
    
    		  for (p = [TrimPot1,TrimPot2])
    			translate(p)
    			  rotate([-90,90,0])				// Y rotation puts point upward for printing
    				PolyCyl(3.0,URy);
    
    		  for (x=[-1,1]) {
    			translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - PinOffsetWidth),
    					  PinOffsetHeight,
    					  (Length - PinDepth)])
    			  rotate(45)						// align hole sides with case sides
    				  PolyCyl(PinDia,2*TopThick);
    			translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - PinOffsetWidth),
    					  PinOffsetHeight,
    					  -PlateThick])
    			  rotate(45)						// align hole sides with case sides
    				  PolyCyl(PinDia,(PlateThick + PinDepth));
    		  }
    
    		  for (x=[-1,1])						// setscrews to secure base plate
    			translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - 3*Tap4_40),
    					  TT3Offset,-Protrusion])
    			  rotate(360/(5*4))
    				PolyCyl(Tap4_40,2*TopThick);
    
    		  translate([-(ContactGapX/2 + ContactDia/2),0,(Contact1Y + ContactDia/2)])
    			rotate([90,0,0])
    			  Contact();
    		  translate([+(ContactGapX/2 + ContactDia/2),0,(Contact2Y + ContactDia/2)])
    			rotate([90,0,0])
    			  Contact();
    
    		  translate([CaseOverallWidth/2,HTCableOffset,(Length - HTCableDia/4)])
    			rotate([0,90,0])
    			  cube([(HTCableDia/2 + Protrusion),HTCableDia,CaseOverallWidth],center=true);
    		  translate([0,HTCableOffset,(Length - HTCableDia/2)])
    			rotate([0,90,0])
    			  cylinder(r=(1/cos(30))*HTCableDia/2,h=CaseOverallWidth,$fn=6);
    		}
    	  }
    
    if (false)
    	  if (Holes)
    		translate(LEDOffset)						// support plug in LED window
    		  rotate([90,90,0])
    			translate([-0.95*LEDWindow[0]/2,-0.80*LEDWindow[1]/2,ThreadWidth/2])
    			  cube([0.95*LEDWindow[0],0.80*LEDWindow[1],2*ThreadWidth],center=false);
    
    	}
    
    }
    
    //-----
    // Battery contact recess
    //  This gets subtracted from the bottom plate in two places
    // 	Align points to print upward
    
    module Contact() {
    
    if (true)
    union() {													// vertical printing with case
    	translate([0,0,-(ContactRecess + Protrusion)/2])
    	  PolyCyl(ContactDia,(ContactRecess + Protrusion),8);
    	translate([0,0,-(PlateThick + Protrusion)])
    	  rotate(60/2)
    	  PolyCyl(ContactStudDia,PlateThick,6);
    	translate([0,0,-(ContactRecess + ContactStudHeadThick/3)])
    	  PolyCyl(ContactStudHead,ContactStudHeadThick,8);				// allow for solder blob
    }
    else
    union() {												// horizontal printing alone
    	translate([0,0,-(ContactRecess - Protrusion)/2])
    	  PolyCyl(ContactDia,(ContactRecess + Protrusion),8);
    	translate([0,0,-(PlateThick + Protrusion)])
    	  PolyCyl(ContactStudDia,(PlateThick + 2*Protrusion));
    	translate([0,0,-(ContactRecess + ContactStudHeadThick/3)])
    	  PolyCyl(ContactStudHead,ContactStudHeadThick,8);				// allow for solder blob
    }
    
    }
    
    //-----
    // Radio bottom locating feature
    //  This polygon gets subtracted from the battery pack base
    
    module RadioBase() {
    
    linear_extrude(height=(BaseOpeningDepth + Protrusion),center=false,convexity=5)
    polygon(points=[
    			[-BaseOpeningMax/2,-Protrusion],
    
    			[-BaseOpeningMin/2,BaseOpeningY],
    			[-(BaseToothOC/2 + BaseToothBase/2),BaseOpeningY],
    
    			[-(BaseToothOC/2 + BaseToothTip/2),(BaseOpeningY - BaseToothThick)],
    			[-(BaseToothOC/2 - BaseToothTip/2),(BaseOpeningY - BaseToothThick)],
    			[-(BaseToothOC/2 - BaseToothBase/2),BaseOpeningY],
    
    			[ (BaseToothOC/2 - BaseToothBase/2),BaseOpeningY],
    			[ (BaseToothOC/2 - BaseToothTip/2),(BaseOpeningY - BaseToothThick)],
    			[ (BaseToothOC/2 + BaseToothTip/2),(BaseOpeningY - BaseToothThick)],
    			[ (BaseToothOC/2 + BaseToothBase/2),BaseOpeningY],
    			[ BaseOpeningMin/2,BaseOpeningY],
    
    			[ BaseOpeningMax/2,-Protrusion],
    
    			[ (BaseTabOC + BaseTabWidth/2),-Protrusion],
    			[ (BaseTabOC + BaseTabWidth/2),BaseTabThick],
    			[ (BaseTabOC - BaseTabWidth/2),BaseTabThick],
    			[ (BaseTabOC - BaseTabWidth/2),-Protrusion],
    
    			[ BaseTabWidth/2,-Protrusion],
    			[ BaseTabWidth/2,BaseTabThick],
    			[-BaseTabWidth/2,BaseTabThick],
    			[-BaseTabWidth/2,-Protrusion],
    
    			[-(BaseTabOC + BaseTabWidth/2),-Protrusion],
    			[-(BaseTabOC + BaseTabWidth/2),BaseTabThick],
    			[-(BaseTabOC - BaseTabWidth/2),BaseTabThick],
    			[-(BaseTabOC - BaseTabWidth/2),-Protrusion],
    		  ],
    		  convexity=5
    );
    }
    
    //-----
    // Battery pack base
    
    module Base() {
    
    difference() {
    
    	rotate([-90,180,0])						// main case shape
    	  CaseShell(BaseTotalThick,false);
    
    	translate([0,0,BaseThick])				// radio base interface
    	  RadioBase();
    
    	translate([0,0,BaseThick])				// tooth bevel
    	  rotate([(-90 + BaseToothAngle),0,0])
    		translate([0,-0.5,0])
    		  cube([(BaseToothSection + 2*Protrusion),1.0,10],center=true);
    
    	translate([-BaseWidthOuter,				// surface slope
    			  -(BaseThick + BaseEndLip)/tan(BaseEndAngle),0])
    	  rotate([BaseEndAngle,0,0])
    		difference() {
    		  cube([2*BaseWidthOuter,3*BaseOpeningY,BaseOpeningDepth],center=false);
    		  translate([(BaseWidthOuter - (BaseToothSection + 2*Protrusion)/2),0,0])
    			cube([(BaseToothSection + 2*Protrusion),1.2*BaseOpeningY,BaseOpeningDepth],center=false);
    		}
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])							// alignment pin holes
    	  translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - PinOffsetWidth),PinOffsetHeight,-Protrusion])
    		rotate(45)							// align hole side with plate side
    		  PolyCyl(PinDia,2*TopThick);
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])							// mounting setscews
    	  translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - 3*Tap4_40),
    				TT3Offset,-Protrusion])
    		rotate(-360/(-5*4))
    		  PolyCyl(Tap4_40,2*TopThick);
    
    	translate([(-SwitchBody[0]/2),TT3Offset,-SwitchBody[2]/2])	// mode switch
    	  scale([1,1,2])
    		cube(SwitchBody);
    
    }
    }
    
    //-----
    // Top plate with latch
    //	Split around TinyTrak3 serial connector
    //	 ... which must be at the same height as in the shell!
    //	The cable hole sizes & locations are entirely ad-hoc
    
    module TopPlate() {
    
    Cable1Dia = 5.0;
    Cable2Dia = 5.0;
    CableHoleLength = TopThick + 2*Protrusion;
    CableHoleZ = -Protrusion;
    
    DB9Plate = [32.0,13.5,1.25];					// plate surrounding connector body
    
    difference() {
    
    	rotate([-90,180,180])
    	  CaseShell(TopThick,false);
    
    	translate([0,-TT3Offset,-Protrusion])
    	  DSubMin9(TopThick + 2*Protrusion);
    
    	translate([0,-TT3Offset,(TopThick - DB9Plate[2]/2)])
    	  cube([DB9Plate[0],DB9Plate[1],(DB9Plate[2] + Protrusion)],center=true);
    
    	translate([-CaseOverallWidth,-SplitOffset,-2*Protrusion])		// split the plate
    	  cube([2*CaseOverallWidth,4*Protrusion,(TopThick + 2*Protrusion)]);
    
    	translate([0,0,(TopThick - TopBevel)])
    	  rotate([-TopBevelAngle,0,0])
    		translate([-CaseOverallWidth,-TopThick,0])
    		  cube([2*CaseOverallWidth,2*TopThick,2*TopThick],center=false);
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])
    	  translate([(x*TabOC/2),
    				(-TabHeight/2 + Protrusion),
    				(TopThick - TabEngageLength/2 + Protrusion/2)])
    		rotate([90,0,0])
    		  cube([TabWidth,
    				(TabEngageLength + Protrusion),
    				(TabHeight + Protrusion)],center=true);
    
    	translate([-CaseOverallWidth,
    			  -(TabEngageHeight + LatchBarWidth - BatteryClearance),
    			  (TopThick - LatchBarDepth)])
    	  cube([2*CaseOverallWidth,(LatchBarWidth + LatchBarThick),(LatchBarDepth + Protrusion)]);
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])
    	  translate([(x*CaseOverallWidth/4),
    				-(TabEngageHeight + LatchBarWidth + Clear2_56/2 - BatteryClearance + Protrusion),
    				0]) {
    		translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
    		  rotate(45)						// align sides with slot
    			PolyCyl(Tap2_56,(TopThick + 2*Protrusion));
    		translate([0,0,(TopThick - LatchBarDepth)])
    		  rotate(60)						// align sides with slot
    			PolyCyl((Head2_56 + Protrusion),TopThick,6);		// extra extra clearance
    	  }
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])
    	  translate([x*(CaseOverallWidth/2 - PinOffsetWidth),-PinOffsetHeight,-Protrusion])
    		rotate(45)						// align hole side with plate side
    		  PolyCyl(PinDia,2*TopThick);
    
    	for (x=[-1,1])						// coincidentally line up with latch tabs
    	  translate([(x*TabOC/2),-(SplitOffset - 3.0),-Protrusion])
    		scale([1,1.7,1])
    		  PolyCyl(Cable1Dia,CableHoleLength,6);
    }
    
    }
    
    //-----
    // Speaker-Mic plug mounting plate
    
    module PlugPlate() {
    
    JackOC = 11.20;						// 14.25 OD - (3.58 + 2.58)/2
    
    JackScrewDia = 4.6;
    JackScrewOffsetX = 1.00;
    JackScrewOffsetY = 5.25;			//  mounting screw to edge of lower recess
    
    PlugBaseWidth = 9.25;				// lower section of plate
    PlugBaseLength = 22.0;
    PlugBaseRadius = 1.75;
    
    Plug3Offset = 5.25;					// edge of base recess to 3.5 mm jack
    
    Plug2BezelDia = 7.1;				// 2.5 mm plug
    Plug2BezelThick = 1.04;
    Plug2ScrewDia = 6.0;
    Plug3ScrewLength = 3.0;
    
    Plug3BezelDia = 8.13;				// 3.5 mm plug
    Plug3BezelThick = 1.6;
    Plug3ScrewDia = 7.95;
    Plug3ScrewLength = 4.0;
    
    PlugFillOffsetX = JackScrewOffsetX - 0.5;		// base recess CL to fill CL
    PlugFillOffsetY = -10.5;				//  ... to edge of fill plate
    PlugFillWidth = 11.0;
    PlugFillLength = 34.00;
    PlugFillRadius1 = 1.5;
    PlugFillRadius2 = 4.5;
    
    PlugFillOffsetYTotal = 0;
    
    BaseX = PlugBaseWidth/2 - PlugBaseRadius;
    BaseY = PlugBaseLength/2 - PlugBaseRadius;
    
    difference() {
    	union() {
    	  linear_extrude(height=PlugBaseThick,center=false,convexity=3)
    		hull() {
    		  translate([-BaseX,-BaseY,0])
    			circle(r=PlugBaseRadius,$fn=8);
    		  translate([-BaseX, BaseY,0])
    			circle(r=PlugBaseRadius,$fn=8);
    		  translate([ BaseX, BaseY,0])
    			circle(r=PlugBaseRadius,$fn=8);
    		  translate([ BaseX,-BaseY,0])
    			circle(r=PlugBaseRadius,$fn=8);
    		}
    
    	  translate([PlugFillOffsetX,
    				(PlugFillLength/2 - PlugBaseLength/2 + PlugFillOffsetY),
    				PlugBaseThick])
    		linear_extrude(height=PlugFillThick,center=false,convexity=5)
    		  hull() {
    			translate([0,-(PlugFillLength/2 - PlugFillRadius2),0])
    			  circle(r=PlugFillRadius2,$fn=10);
    			translate([-(PlugFillWidth/2 - PlugFillRadius1),-PlugBaseLength/2,0])
    			  circle(r=PlugFillRadius1,$fn=8);
    			translate([-(PlugFillWidth/2 - PlugFillRadius1),
    					  (PlugFillLength/2 - PlugFillRadius1),0])
    			  circle(r=PlugFillRadius1,$fn=8);
    			translate([(PlugFillWidth/2 - PlugFillRadius1),
    					  (PlugFillLength/2 - PlugFillRadius1),0])
    			  circle(r=PlugFillRadius1,$fn=8);
    			translate([(PlugFillWidth/2 - PlugFillRadius1),-PlugBaseLength/2,0])
    			  circle(r=PlugFillRadius1,$fn=8);
    		  }
    	}
    
    	translate([0,-JackOC/2,-Protrusion])
    	  rotate(360/16) {
    		PolyCyl(Plug3BezelDia,(Plug3BezelThick + Protrusion),8);
    		PolyCyl(Plug3ScrewDia,(PlugBaseThick + PlugFillThick + 2*Protrusion),8);
    	  }
    
    	translate([0,+JackOC/2,-Protrusion])
    	  rotate(360/16) {
    		PolyCyl(Plug2BezelDia,(Plug2BezelThick + Protrusion),8);
    		PolyCyl(Plug2ScrewDia,(PlugBaseThick + PlugFillThick + 2*Protrusion),8);
    	  }
    
    	translate([JackScrewOffsetX,-(PlugBaseLength/2 + JackScrewOffsetY),0])
    	  PolyCyl(JackScrewDia,(PlugBaseThick + PlugFillThick + Protrusion));
    }
    
    }
    
    //-------------------
    // Build things...
    
    ShowPegGrid();
    
    if (Layout == "TT3")
    TinyTrak3();
    
    if (Layout == "Audio")
    AudioInterface();
    
    if (Layout == "DSub")
    DSubMin9();
    
    if (Layout == "Shell")
    CaseShell(CaseOverallLength);
    
    if (Layout == "Top")
    TopPlate();
    
    if (Layout == "Base")
    Base();
    
    if (Layout == "RadioBase")
    RadioBase();
    
    if (Layout == "PlugPlate")
    PlugPlate();
    
    if (Layout == "Contact")
    rotate([180,0,0])
    	Contact();
    
    if (Layout == "Show" || Layout == "Fit") {
    
    translate([0,-ShellLength/2,0]) {
    
    	translate([0,(Layout == "Show")?-ShowGap:0,0])
    	  rotate([90,0,0])
    		color("SandyBrown") Base();
    
    	translate([0,0,0])
    	    color("LightGreen") render() CaseShell();
    
    	translate([-(CaseOverallWidth/2 + 10),50,CaseOverallHeight/2])
    	  rotate([0,-90,0])
    		color("Gold") PlugPlate();
    
    	translate([0,((Layout == "Show")?(ShellLength + ShowGap):ShellLength),0])
    	  rotate([-90,0,0])
    		color("BurlyWood") TopPlate();
    }
    }
    
    if (Layout == "Build1") {
    
    translate([5 + CaseOverallHeight,0,0])
    	rotate([0,0,90])
    	  Base();
    
    translate([-(5 + CaseOverallHeight),0,0])
    	rotate(90)
    	  TopPlate();
    
    }
    
    if (Layout == "Build2") {
    
    translate([0,-CaseOverallHeight/2,ShellLength])
    	rotate([-90,0,0])
    		CaseShell();
    
    }
    
    if (Layout == "Build3") {
    
    translate([0,0,(PlugBaseThick + PlugFillThick)])
    	rotate([180,0,0])
    	  PlugPlate();
    
    }