Exercise 1:
Comment on the performance of the electric motors.
There was no resistance observed at the beginning when rotating the motors.
How will the commands used in this lab limit the success of the AEV in completing the scenario?
Braking the motors won’t stop it, it will keep moving a little once they are cut off.
Exercise 2:
The purpose of the reflective sensors is to calculate how far the AEV has traveled along the track. When the wheel turns, the sensor detects when the reflective part of the wheel passes in front of it. There are eight reflective parts on the wheel corresponding to eight marks. Once eight marks have passed by, the wheel has undergone a full rotation, knowing this and the circumference of the wheel, the distance traveled can be accurately calculated. An image of the sensors is shown below.
Excercise 3:
Power vs. Time
Power vs. Distance
Energy vs. Time
Energy vs. Distance
The large spikes in the power graphs are usually when the motors were accelerating (or reversing which is essentially the same), the relatively flat parts are when the motors are running at a constant speed, and the drops to 0 are when the motors are braked.
Exercise 4:
Mike Belair’s Design:
Megan Norcom’s Design:
Ryan Socha’s Design:
We liked the idea of the motors being closer to the center in Mike’s design, though we are unsure about whether the vertical alignment would be best. We also liked the aerodynamic nose on Ryan’s design. We think Megan’s design is the best aesthetically speaking.