Changes to the project

Since my project wasn't eligible for funding, I decided to pay for it myself. I changed some parts and 3D prints to make things easier, and I'll also buy a different PLC.

Final Touches and Hoping for Approval

Final Touches and Hoping for Approval

Last tweaks, adding the BOM, and praying for the project to be accepted.

I’ve been working on the final adjustments, prepared the Bill of Materials, and below I’m adding a small FAQ explaining a few things.

Overall, I consider this project very good.

It might look simple at first glance, but it actually took me a lot of time — I didn’t want to rely on expensive, ready-made solutions.

This project will really help me at school, because as I mentioned before in earlier posts, I’m still a student who’s really interested in industrial automation.

A project like this is a perfect example of that passion.

FAQ

Why did you spend so much money, and why use such an expensive PLC controller?

I really want to learn about PLC controllers and automation, and this project felt like the perfect opportunity to do that.

I’m very grateful to the whole Blueprint project for giving me this chance and for letting people see my work.

I tried to keep the costs as low as possible — I even bought used parts, like a second-hand PLC from eBay.

Still, I wanted stability and reliability, and the Siemens LOGO! controller will definitely help me enter the world of industrial automation, which I’m eager to keep learning about.

Why did you spend so little time on it?

Actually, I was thinking about the project all the time — even while at school.

In total, I estimate around 50–60 hours of work.

My teachers were probably getting tired of me sketching circuits, mechanisms, and doing all the calculations needed to make sure everything would work properly.

I’m really thankful for this experience.

It was a lot of work, but I’m proud of it. 😉🔥

Making 3D view of the Conveyor

Today I worked on the overall look of the entire conveyor — basically the 3D model of the whole machine (without the belt) (no AI usage) 🔥.

It turned out really well — I’m proud of myself, and I can feel that the project is almost finished.

What’s left is optionally adding a 3D model of my electrical cabinet, which will include the PLC, relays, power supply, and all the necessary components and fuses.

I’d say the work went great — it took me about 10 hours, and I’m genuinely happy with the progress I’m making.

Still, I can’t help but worry a bit that my project might not get accepted.

Not sure why I feel that way... ;/

designing support for pulleys

Working on the Linear Pulleys

I’m now working on the linear pulleys and their brackets.

The brackets will be mounted on my 2020 aluminum profiles, which will serve as the frame.

It didn’t take long — after about an hour, everything was set up pretty smoothly.

Quick and easy, just the way I like it.

Programming PLC in LAD

A Productive Day with PLC Programming

Today I spent some time working on a PLC controller in CODESYS using the LAD (Ladder Diagram) language.

It was actually pretty fun.

I’m learning automation right now — I’m studying to become an automation technician — so this kind of stuff is part of what I do.

It turned out to be quite easy for a 16-year-old. The whole thing, including debugging, took me about an hour.

Now I'm moving on to creating an interesting structure.

Contact diagram

Contact diagram

Honestly, this was the easiest part — and I really enjoyed it.

It took me about half an hour, as I wanted to make sure to avoid any short circuits.

In the next step, I’ll move on to programming the PLC controller using LAD (Ladder Logic).

Making Drives

The hardest part

Honestly, that was the worst part.

I really wanted to do it right — respecting both the material and the money.

Considering the options

I even thought about buying a set of these shafts on AliExpress, but it was just too expensive.

Figuring out the power

The real challenge was figuring out how the shaft should be powered.

All the online listings showed shafts with bearings that weren’t suitable for this setup.

Time and effort

It took me over two days, spending about four hours every day, just to understand what was going on, even my dad helped me

BTW, let me know how you like my new post format. I decided to use the features and play around with them.

Looking for cheap components

That's the part I don't like. Surprisingly, I managed to find a controller with extensions on eBay for $130, which is a good deal. Finding the rest of the devices and checking if they would work wasn't so easy. Finally, I managed to find the right setup