Last Date.

My father once told me Floyd Cramer's song "Last Date" was playing at the time he asked my mother to marry him on their "last date" and, well, she said yes!

This model, "Last Date", is in remembrance of their "last date" and their forever marriage until their passing. We love and miss you both and wouldn't be here if not for your "Last Date"!

As usual I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to comment as I do make plenty of mistakes.

Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Ultimaker Cura 4.7.0, and 3D printed in PLA on Ultimaker S5s.

• Soldering iron and solder.
• Thick cyanoacrylate glue.
• Sandpaper or emory cloth.
• Lite machine oil.
• AWG28 stranded wire.
• Indelible ink pens (blue, red).
• Double sided tape.

I acquired the following parts:

• One N20 100RPM 6VDC gear motor.
• One 2AAA battery holder with on/off switch.
• Two AAA batteries.
• One normally open momentary pushbutton switch (must fit a 13.00mm hole).
• One micro lever switch (search for "CYT1073")
• Thirty six inches of 1.15mm (3/64") diameter music wire.
• Two 3mm (diameter) by 1.5mm (thick) neodymium magnets.
• Two 6mm (diameter) by 1.5mm (thick) neodymium magnets.
• Four M2.5 by 16mm cap screws.
• Four M2.5 nuts.

The attached file "Parts.pdf" contains the name, quantity, infill, layer height and support of all 3D printed parts I printed for this mechanism. Note parts with a ".3MF" extension are dual extrusion prints.

This mechanism is a high precision print and assembly using at times very small precision 3D printed parts in confined spaces with highly precise alignment. I printed the gears, levers, arms, cams and wheels using the Ultimaker Cura 4.7.0 "Engineering Profile" on my Ultimaker S5s, which provides a highly accurate tolerance requiring minimal if any trimming, filing, drilling or sanding. However, prior to assembly, I still test fitted and trimmed, filed, drilled, sanded, etc. all parts as necessary for smooth movement of moving surfaces, and tight fit for non moving surfaces. Depending on your slicer, printer, printer settings and the colors you chose, more or less trimming, filing, drilling and/or sanding may be required to successfully recreate this model. I carefully filed all edges that contacted the build plate to make absolutely certain that all build plate "ooze" is removed and that all edges are smooth using small jewelers files and plenty of patience to perform this step.

This mechanism also uses threaded assembly, so I used a tap and die set (6mm by 1, 8mm by 1.25) if required for thread cleaning.

To create His pushrods, I performed the following tasks:

• Cut a 160mm length of music wire.
• Created a 90 degree bend, 15mm long, in one end of the cut length of music wire.
• Placed the 15mm bend into the hole in "Jig, His, Pushrod.stl".
• Created a 90 degree bend in the remaining end of the cut length of music wire.
• Cut the last 90 degree bend to 5.5mm in length.
• Removed the wire from the jig.
• Sanded the cut ends smooth.

To create Her pushrod, I performed the following tasks:

• Cut a 150mm length of music wire.
• Created a 90 degree bend, 10mm long, in one end of the cut length of music wire.
• Slid the straight end of this wire into the slot in "Jig, Hers, Pushrod.stl", then placed the 10mm bend in the hole in the jig.
• Bent the straight end up 90 degrees.
• Cut this bend to 3mm in length.
• Removed the wire from the jig.
• Sanded the cut ends smooth.

To assemble the base, I performed the following steps:

• Attached the two micro lever switches to the base using the 2.5mm bolts and nuts.
• Placed "Arm, His, Pushrods.stl" into the base assembly.
• Slid "Yoke, Arm.stl" into the base assembly.
• Slid one of his pushrods into the base base assembly, then positioned the long bend into the arm yoke.
• Repeated this step with the remaining his pushrod.
• Slid "Yoke, Arm, Magnet, With Dwell.stl" into the base assembly.
• Positioned "Gear, Yoke, Arm, Magnet (2m 20t).stl" and secured in place with "Axle For Gears (2m 20t).stl".
• Positioned the pin on the arm gear into the slot in the magnet arm.
• Threaded "Pin, Yoke, Arm.stl" into the yoke arm such that the pin was positioned in the arm, his, pushrods slot.
• Glued "Boot, Left.slt" into the left leg of "Legs.stl", and "Boot, Right.stl" into the right leg.
• Slid the leg assembly (right leg) over the pushrods (pushrods in the slots in the right leg) and yoke, arm, magnet, with dwell, place small dots of glue in the right shoe slot in the base, then pressed the leg assembly into position making certain it was perpendicular to the base.
• Positioned "Gear, Yoke, Arm (2m 20t).stl" on the base assembly and secured in place with "Gear, Axle, Gear, Yoke, Arm (2m 10t).stl".
• Positioned "Gear, Idler (2m 20t).stl" on the base assembly, made certain the pins on "Gear, Yoke, Arm, Magnet (2m 20t).stl" and "Gear, Axle, Gear, Yoke, Arm (2m 10t).stl" and "Gear, Idler (2m 20t).stl" cam lobes were aligned as shown, then secured in place using "Axle For Gear Idler (2m 20t).stl".
• Positioned "Arm, Hers, Head.stl" on the base assembly and secured in place using "Axle, Hers, Arm, Head.stl".

To assemble Him, I performed the following steps:

• Glued "Belt, His.stl", to "Torso.stl".
• Glued "Buckle.stl" to the belt.
• Pressed "Hand, His, Right.stl" into "Arm, His, Right.stl".
• Pressed one 3mm magnet into the hand.
• Pressed on 6mm magnet into "Holder, Magnet.stl".
• Attached the magnet holder to "Yoke, Arm, Magnet, With Dwell.stl" using "Axle, Holder, Magnet.stl".
• Placed "Axle, Arm, Right.stl" onto the his pushrod ends.
• Slid the torso assembly onto the legs assembly and glued in position.
• Rotated the gears until the magnet holder was at its lowest position, then using a flat punch to hold the right arm axle in position, glued the right arm assembly onto the right arm axle, making certain it was pressed completely in position on the axle.
• Slid "Head, His.3mf" into the torso and glued in place.
• Pressed one 3mm magnet into "Hat, His.stl" such that it will attract to the hand.
• Pressed one 6mm magnet into the hat assembly such that it will attract to the magnet holder.
• Placed the hat assembly on the head.

I wired the model using the following steps:

• Installed the momentary push button switch in the base assembly using the included nuts and washers.
• Installed the motor into the base.
• Pressed "Gear, Motor.stl (2m 10t).stl" onto the motor shaft, aligning the motor gear with "Gear, Yoke, Arm (2m 20t).stl".
• Soldered one wire between the side limit switch common ("C") terminal to the front limit switch common ("C") terminal.
• Soldered one wire between the side limit switch normally closed ("NC") terminal to the front limit switch normally closed ("NC") terminal.
• Soldered one wire between the front limit switch common ("C") terminal to one terminal of the momentary pushbutton switch.
• Soldered one wire between the front limit switch normally closed ("NC") terminal to the remaining terminal of the momentary pushbutton switch.
• Soldered the red wire from the battery holder to the motor "+" terminal.
• Soldered the black wire from the battery holder to one terminal of the momentary pushbutton switch.
• Soldered one wire between the other terminal of the momentary pushbutton switch to the motor "-" terminal.

To assemble, Her, I performed the following steps:

• Glued "Dress, Belt.stl" to "Dress, Skirt.stl".
• Glued the dress assembly to the base assembly.
• Using needle nosed pliers, positioned "Cam, Hers, Head.stl" into "Dress, Torso.stl" such that the small hole was positioned rearward.
• Slid "Axle, Hers, Cam.stl" through the left arm opening, cam hole, then out the right side arm opening.
• Glued "Head, Hers, Hair.stl" to "Head, Hers, Head.stl".
• Used indelible ink pens, added color to her eyes, lips.
• Glued the head assembly to the cam arm making certain the head pivoted easily.
• Inserted the 90 degree 10mm bend through the right side of the hole in the cam.
• Slid the pushrod into the guide in the dress, slid the torso assembly fully downward and glued the assembly to the dress assembly.
• Inserted the 90 degree 3mm bend into the hole in "Arm, Hers, Head.stl".
• Glued "Arm, Hers, Right.stl" to the right end of the cam axle.
• Glued "Hand, Hers.stl" to the end of her right arm.
• Repeated the previous two steps for the left arm.

For final assembly, I performed the following steps:

• Attached the battery pack to "Base, Skirt.stl" using double sided tape.
• Slid the base skirt assembly over the legs on the base assembly, then secured the skirt to the base using four "Bolt, Base, Skirt.stl".
• Attached "Fence, Left.stl" and "Fence, Right.stl" to the base using four "Bolt, Fence.stl".
• Positioned three "Fence, Rail.stl" in the slots between the left and right fence ends and glued in place.
• Pressed "Hand, His, Left.stl" onto "Arm, His, Left.stl" and glued in place.
• Glued the left arm assembly to the his left shoulder.

The location and orientation of His right hand in His right arm, and the timing of His head magnet and right hand magnet are important to the successful operation of this model. Make certain that the right hand enters the brim gap centered (adjust both the pitch and roll of the hand in the arm prior to gluing). Also make certain the head magnet is timed (by synchronizing "Gear, Yoke, Arm, Magnet (2m 20t).stl" +- one tooth at a time) such that the hand to head and head to hand hat transition is successful. I placed a lamp behind His head such that the head magnet rise and fall could be monitored during this adjustment process.

And that is how I 3D printed and assembled "Last Date".

I hope you enjoyed it!

And to my Mother and Father, thank you for being you.