Time to unveil "Project Blackstone"

[KevinB]

Among my other projects such as 3d printing new tail lights, a gauge panel and dashboard, BMW seats, etc...I've been working on something I'm calling Project Blackstone.

Goal: to be able to present either an "old school" radio, or a modern touchscreen, at any given moment in my 66 Dart.

Method: An in dash module that can pivot brackets holding an old school radio face and a touchscreen, to show one or the other

This will be based partially on ignition state (acc or ignition on = touchscreen, acc or ignition off = old radio), but will also involve a switch to change on command.

I am using a Pioneer head unit with 6.8" touchscreen that is modular, meaning the screen is connected to the "guts" via a data cable. The old school radio is a Retrosound faceplate and knobs.

As I said the intention is for this to be a drop in complete module, meaning I just cut a hole in the dashboard and attach it. Loss of vent controls is expected (I'm shaving the cowl vent anyway).
I'm over halfway there in the design department, with the bracketry created for holding the two radio faces in register with each other and having a pivot point. Still to do: Settle on the servo motor to be used, design brackets to support it and connect to the radio brackets, and design the overall housing that keeps it together. Next month the Dart comes home, and summer is a great time to work on this project, so I'm hoping to complete the module (except for control) by September. The first of the brackets has been printed, and I believe came out as usable parts, but I'm not printing anything else until I'm done designing and can verify measurements when the car gets here.

I also modeled the retrosound radio face as a fun exercise. If I can figure out the pinology of the retrosound face, I'll give it voltage so that if the car is on and I switch to old school radio mode, the radio face is backlit. The face has an overlay sticker of radio stations, so it might look cool.

 

[Kendog 170]

 

[KevinB]

I acquired the servo motor and have ordered the linkage components, which allows me to design around the physical parts. Once I have the linkage stuff I can set the servo position and brackets within the housing. Also ordered the servo controller, 5v dc converter, a micro switch for testing, and some automotive wiring

It can be hard to tell from this model, but in case you're wondering the overall height of the enclosure is at about 6.5" right now

 

[Yunick13]

 

[KevinB]

brackets for controller and servo

 

[KevinB]

Did a test print that failed due to a support error that’s now corrected. Still got a useable test piece out of it though. Pivot rod, servo and linkages are all in. Controller arriving today. Made further model refinements and just started a new test print. If it’s good enough I will use it, we will see in 24 hours.

 

[abdywgn]

WOW!

 

[KevinB]

WOW!

Yep....it's gonna happen lol

 

[mopar head]

I think it was Icon that did something similar a few years back, but I believe it was just a pivoting touch screen that supported blue tooth for the tunes, they did a nice job.

 

[KevinB]

I think it was Icon that did something similar a few years back, but I believe it was just a pivoting touch screen that supported blue tooth for the tunes, they did a nice job.

I'd love more info or a video if you know of something...I wasn't able to find anything

 

[mopar head]

I'd love more info or a video if you know of something...I wasn't able to find anything

He` done a few, I found 1 but it doesn`t go into great detail like I remember 1 of his other builds. You`d have to search all the old chevy truck builds to find it.
Starts @ 5:00

 

[KevinB]

He` done a few, I found 1 but it doesn`t go into great detail like I remember 1 of his other builds. You`d have to search all the old chevy truck builds to find it.
Starts @ 5:00

Very slick

 

[KevinB]

Kind of hard to see the progress from today, but it's there...modeling attachment points for the panels today, setting the servo placement, and cutting in the holes for mounting the voltage buck and general wiring exit. 6 hours into the test print and here's where its at. The boogered up vertical streak on the support outer wall should resolve itself in the next hour. My software did something weird for the bottom layers on that edge for some reason, but it looks like it changes and corrects that later.

 

[Sublime one]

Just honking amazing, I love this forum. The creativity and determination is just amazing. Can’t wait to see how this turns out.

 

[KevinB]

Two more hours until my print for the bracket for the old school radio is done, looking good so far. I'll update tonight after I get all the supports off it. In the meantime I've been working on the mounting tabs for the enclosure. The mounting tabs have m5 nut shapes removed from the backside, so I can just press fit in a nut for blind mounting it through the dash.

Also ordered a DC on/off timer relay. Trying to prevent the following scenarios:

1) Turn car on, acc power hits servo, servo moves for a split second, car starts, servo completes move...I'll put a 2 second or so delay on it so that the servo doesn't move until after the the car has started, or if you leave it in acc mode long enough.

2). Turn car off, servo moves and hides new radio, but the controller drains the battery over time as its sitting there listening for signal from ignition again. So the delay off will let the servo complete the move then kill power to the controller

I should have all electrical components I need by sunday, so its just a matter of printing things in the meantime.

 

[KevinB]

Test print was mostly a success! I have some corner curling which is hard to prevent with ABS, and I need to get my supports right. These were very difficult to take off safely. Also the interface between the support material and the part is not set right. It's basically impossible to tell where the support ends and the part begins...very challenging when dealing with a part that is printing like the shape of a table.

This is a usable piece though I already know of a tweak I want to make, so I will definately print another one...probably a few small test pieces before I do to figure out the supports. I had to cut off the ends of the knob stems, so there was nothing holding them in anymore, so I just used CA glue...the knobs won't turn but who cares.

Anyway, pics!

 

[TurboGLH]

Not sure what printer you're using, but if there's a multi-material option (either a system for one extruder with different materials or two extruders) consider printing with dissolvable support material. We have a stratasys at work that's just for lab use, and finish with the high chamber temps (90c) and the fact that you don't need to break the supports off is a game changer. Drop them into the tank, come back in a few hours.

 

[KevinB]

Not sure what printer you're using, but if there's a multi-material option (either a system for one extruder with different materials or two extruders) consider printing with dissolvable support material. We have a stratasys at work that's just for lab use, and finish with the high chamber temps (90c) and the fact that you don't need to break the supports off is a game changer. Drop them into the tank, come back in a few hours.

That's my long term goal. I was trying to get by without it for now, I have no MMS and a single extruder Ender 6. BUUUUT in August I should be getting my fancy Bambu X1 Carbon with 4 filament MMS, which they call AMS. But I'm really not patient enough to wait until then lol. I might just print the enclosure on this machine and roll with the test print for setup and dry fit. Then when the X1 comes in use that for the final print of the radio bracket

 

[TurboGLH]

That's my long term goal. I was trying to get by without it for now, I have no MMS and a single extruder Ender 6. BUUUUT in August I should be getting my fancy Bambu X1 Carbon with 4 filament MMS, which they call AMS. But I'm really not patient enough to wait until then lol. I might just print the enclosure on this machine and roll with the test print for setup and dry fit. Then when the X1 comes in use that for the final print of the radio bracket

I haven't ordered one yet. But I watched a few review videos and have been seriously considering it. The features on the X1 are amazing for the $$, plus the speed is even higher than the FLsun SR I'm using now (which seems like it's flying at 150mm/s.)

My biggest thing right now is finishing my 70-76 cluster project and getting it printed, but it's almost 18in long. I'm torn between printing it in two pieces (which I can do at work, so I don't really NEED to buy another printer) or buying a large format printer. Kinda leaning towards the former, I don't have a lot of uses for a 500x500x500 printer, especially one that only prints in PLA.

 

[KevinB]

Had to get a new servo as I didn’t realize the digital servo I got wouldn’t work with the controller, oh well. But that meant I had to go back to my model and change some things. I decided to model the movement as well to make sure everything was going to line up correctly

The new servo works great and is much quieter. The delay timer I got isn’t going to work, so I have two other delays coming to me, one for the power on sequence and one for power off

 

[KevinB]

Spent some time diagramming the electrical including the new delay switches

 

[KevinB]

Updates: Almost all hardware is in...the wiring for testing the servo is complete. The models are finished (I think lol), the bottom/back panel is printed with the servo mounted, currently printing the Right panel, which is also connected to the top panel as all one piece. Almost done with that one, then the left panel will be printed. I ran a print of the radio bracket again, this time at an angle to minimize the amount of supports used, but that cause other issues. I have a useable test piece from it, but it's not pretty in a couple of spots. Will reprint that after all the other printing is done. More updates tomorrow or monday, hopefully a video of it in action.

 

[KevinB]

Forgot to scale up the right panel by 1.5% before I printed to account for the ABS shrinking when it cools...I'll have to reprint that piece after the left panel finishes. But dry fitting it together as is is promising. I'll update when it's all together

 

[KevinB]

guts wired up

 

[KevinB]

Most of the printing is done, just need to reprint the radio bracket. There are two issues I’m going to try to address…the slight jerkiness when the radio flips forward is due to the arms holding the servo flexing. I’m going to stiffen that up with some aluminum bar stock, and the buzzing noise. The noise is inherent to servos apparently and can’t really be fixed, but I can use some thin rubber to isolate the servo from the chassis so that the noise doesn’t transmit so easily. I suspect with the car running you won’t be able to hear it anyway, but it’s worth doing what I can to reduce it.