Genesis v1.8 Update + 3D Farm Designer Sneak Preview

Genesis v1.8 update

The first batch of FarmBot Genesis and Genesis XL v1.8 kits are now well underway, with the first QA (Quality Assurance) kits set to be finished mid-March. These QA kits are the very first off the production line and allow us to perform final inspections.

QA includes performing a close visual inspection of every single part to ensure subjective quality, followed by numerous objective tests to check that everything falls within spec (cable lengths, hole diameters, corner bracket angles, bending radii, and more).

Finally, we go through a complete assembly and setup of the machines to ensure everything goes together as expected, and all of the functionalities work (photos, lighting, valve control, tools, etc).

The QA process for v1.8 should take only a few days thanks in part to these newest machines being the fastest yet to be assembled out of the box. Below are some of the new design features of v1.8.

New fastener-less cable carrier supports save installation time and provide a hidden track for cable routing. Plus, they provide a nice diffused aesthetic for the LED strip!

The vacuum pump has been relocated to the cross-slide, allowing for a slimmer Z-axis that reduces interference with plants and has better lift performance. This also eliminated one cable from the BOM.

A new custom gantry main beam extrusion profile is 27% lighter weight compared to v1.7 without compromising on area moment of inertia. It is also 100% backwards compatible with the 20x60mm OpenBuilds design.

The v1.8 revision of our track extrusions further reduced kit shipping weight while moving the nut bar that aligns tracks end-to-end from the bottom of the extrusion to the top V-slot, allowing for easier tool access during install.

3D farm designer coming soon!

This week we implemented a few more features to the upcoming 3D farm designer: a watering animation as well as click events to handle opening the corresponding panel view when a plant, weed, point, or tool is clicked in the 3D environment.

The 3D interface stands to make FarmBot much faster, easier, and more intuitive to digitally manipulate and program. And when it comes to new technology, making the core user experience as accessible as possible is of great importance for adoption.

We can't wait to get this big update out to you all, and just in time for our new v1.8 customers no less!