Division F’s motor configuration testing consisted of dynamic motor orientations with consistent programs of code. Our intentions of this research topic were to find optimal motor positioning on our AEV models without completely altering the design; the Arduino program remained constant throughout testing to ensure results were valid and comparable to one another. When changing our motor positioning, we needed to account for alterations of the weight and center of mass; on top of this, the team also noted that some design changes were to be rendered inconclusive because of excess weight. Our research findings, data, and test code are displayed below.
Motor Configuration Test Code
reverse(4)
celerate(4,0,40,3)
celerate(4,40,5,3)
brake(4)
reverse(4)
celerate(4,0,40,3)
celerate(4,40,5,3)
brake(4)
Motor Configuration Tests 1 and 2
Test 1 was conducted on a sloped track while test 2 was conducted on a straight track. The motors were in the same orientation as displayed in the basic AEV design above. Although the Power vs. Time graph on the figure below is identical in both tests, there are visible discrepancies between the Power vs Distance graphs of each run. The test performed on the sloped track traveled significantly less than that of the straight track; the cause of this difference is understandable due to the fact that some power was allocated toward battling gravity for elevation in Test 1.
Motor Configuration Test 3
Test 3 was conducted on a straight track. Motors were parallel on the rear end of the model. This motor configuration resulted in a slight increase in total weight, which had a visible affect on the results. In comparing the straight track tests, this configuration traveled a much shorter distance under the same program conditions.
Conclusions of Motor Configuration Testing
We have concluded that the new design was too heavy so its performance was less optimal than our original design. For improvement of our AEV design, we will follow up with weight alterations to accommodate motor configurations. Maintaining a defined center of mass is also an important goal to increase AEV stability on the track.