The original implementation of the sensor array lifting arrangement had the lifting lines driven directly from the stepper motors. This implementation, however, did not have the required torque to raise the sensor array. In order to remedy this problem, 9:1 gearboxes were attached to the steppers. This corrected the earlier problem, and allowed the sensor array to lift. This correction came with the cost of slowing down the operation of the whole system, since the sensor array has to come into position before any other aspect of the operation can take place. Lowering and raising the sensor array in the end accounted for 60 seconds of a total run time of approximately 80 seconds. This was a significant limiting factor in the overall performance of the design.
Improving the machine’s performance in this aspect would be best achieved by reducing the gear ratio used, and additionally choosing a higher torque stepper motor. To correct the original problem, for simplicity the original matching gearbox to the stepper motor was simply reattached. This 9:1 gearbox increased the torque more than was necessary, and so reduced the speed below optimal. In order to further improve the time, a higher torque stepper motor could be selected to allow a further reduction in gear ratio.