Group C – Teressa Pell, Madeline Shaffer, Joe Spinazze, Danny Tomaszewski Progress Report Lab 3
Instructor: Dr. Kecskemety, GTA: Isabel Fernandez 2/10/2017
Lab 3
Situation:
In lab this week the group brainstormed ideas to alter the design of the AEV in some way that they like. Their design could be either for visual appeal or for improvement of the movement of the AEV. The group had to be creative in their design and first brainstorm by themselves. Each group member completed a concept sketch in orthographic view. The alteration could either come from the AEV kit or can be created in SolidWorks and created on a 3D print. The list of design considerations listed in the Lab Manual were considered when the parts were designed. Then the group came together and decided what they want the design to be. Together they created a sketch in the orthographic view that will be created with SolidWorks and a 3D printer. The final drawing that the team decided on is of an attachment to the AEV that will make it look similar to the TIE Fighter ship from Star Wars.
Results and Analysis:
Teressa’s design followed a parallelogram-like structure with attachments towards the back with the propellers. This design was similar to the original design in that it had the arm with wheels extending on the top, the arduino attached to the top, and the battery attached to the bottom. Her design also had a laser to shoot enemy ships endangering the safety of the R2D2 bot. Danny’s design is a cluster of slanted rectangles that holds the arduino and the battery in place. His design was the most creative and abstract out of the four designs. Maddie’s design was a different design for the propellers to use on the AEV. She concluded from the wind tunnel lab last semester that a three-blade design is most efficient. Joe design is the design that was used for a majority of the group design. Joe’s design was inspired by the TIE fighter ship in the Star Wars series. The final design that was decided upon was the body of the TIE fighter from Joe’s design, that includes Maggie’s design for the propellers, and a laser from Teressa’s design. Parts of Danny’s design will also be included when figuring out how to place the battery and Arduino in the center of the TIE fighter. The name of our group design will be the “Scorpion Fighter” due to the extending arm coming out from the top with the wheels resembling a scorpion.
Some of the designs could hinder the ability to complete the scenario in the MCR. Efficiency is an important part of the AEV and the efficiency of the vehicle could be decreased with extra parts such as the TIE octagonal attachments or the weight of a small laser. However, a better designed blade could help the efficiency of the vehicle. Joe’s design can also help with the creativity aspect and theme of the project. The brainstorming session of the lab was structured by silently spending about 20-30 minutes on our individual drawings, and then coming together as a group and discussing how the designs can come together as one. This was done by having one person in the group throwing an idea out and the members of the team verbally discussing the pros and cons of that aspect of the design until one final design was decided upon and drawn.
Teressa’s design involved the original plastic pieces to create a platform and screws and brackets to create a tight basket to hold a laser pointer. Extra brackets and screws and the laser pointer will be purchased in the future from a hobby store. Danny’s concept also needed the original plastic pieces, creating a cage using two 2” x 6” pieces and screws to attach the pieces to the floor of the AEV. The screws should be purchased from a hobby store. As for Maddie’s design, it required the 3D printing of propellers with thin, plastic material based off a rendering in SolidWorks. Due to the availability of a 3D printer in the classroom, this concept should not hinder the construction timeline. Joe’s add-on included hexagon-shaped wings on both sides of the AEV purely for a creative and aesthetic touch. The wings will be created in SolidWorks and be 3D-printed using a lightweight, thin plastic. They will be attached with the small plastic boards given.
Takeaways:
The brainstorming process proved to be largely constructive for the AEV design, both individually and collectively. By challenging every member to draw their own design, they were required to first understand the components of the AEV. This activity equalized the level of understanding with the structure of the AEV among members. When the final design was drawn, compromise and teamwork became essential to a mutual agreement. Where ideas clashed and felt impractical, a quick discussion decided whether or not to keep the specific design. When a concept instantly caught the interest of the entire team, a group spirit drove them to find answers and make it a reality. A future limit of potential was agreed upon in order to prevent an unnecessary workload later in the semester. This lab was an important step for separate knowledge, but also for the cohesiveness and future effectiveness of the group.
Lab 4
Situation:
By the end of lab 4a, the group will be able to download data from the control system, they will be able to convert EEPROM Arduino data to physical parameters, and be able to calculate performance characteristics using physical parameters. In lab 4a, the group will allow the AEV to travel to the gate, then stop. The group will download data to the automatic control system. They will learn the command aevDataRecorder, and its function.
In lab 04b, the group will familiarize itself with the MATLAB base design analysis tool. By the end of the lab, they will be able to upload wind tunnel data, upload Arduino data, conduct performance analysis of the AEV, and they will be able to export these graphs for the reports. In the lab, the group will download the AEV design analysis tool, and install it on the computers. The group will then be able to download the data received, and save the EEPROM data into a MATLAB file. The group will use tools in MATLAB to analyze the data recorded in lab 4a. The data will then inform the group about the position of obstacles along the track, and how the AEV should behave when encountering these obstacles.
Weekly Goals:
- Start creating parts that are being added to the final AEV
- Develop a program for AEV to run
- Performance analysis for program
- Install and set-up design analysis tool
- Work on meeting times and getting work done on time
Weekly Schedule:
| Task | Teammates | Start Date | Due Date | Time Needed |
| Team Meeting | All | 2/13/2017 | 2/13/2017 | 30 min |
| Second Team Meeting | All | 2/16/2017 | 2/16/2017 | 2 hrs |
| Develop Program | All | 2/10/2017 | 2/10/2017 | 30 min |
| Performance Analysis | All | 2/10/2017 | 2/10/2017 | 50 min |
| Design Analysis Tool | All | 2/10/2017 | 2/10/2017 | 10 min |
| Lab 4-5 Progress Report | All | 2/13/2017 | 2/17/2017 | 3 hrs |
Appendix A
Figure 1: Teressa’s Drawing
Figure 2: Joe’s Drawing
Figure 3: Maddie’s Drawing
Figure 4: Danny’s Drawing
Figure 5: Group Drawing
Appendix B
Date: 2/7/17
Time: 9:30 pm
Members Present: Teressa Pell, Madeline Shaffer, Joe Spinazze, Danny Tomaszewski
Topics Discussed: Progress Report
Objective:
Today’s main focus was on meeting to assign jobs and agree upon having our individual drawings done by Thursday’s meeting.
Tasks Completed:
- Jobs assigned
- Next meeting decided to be Thursday at 4 pm
Tasks To Do:
- Finish progress report
- Finish group drawing
- Prepare for lab 4
Timeline:
- 2/3/2017 – lab 3 completed
- 2/7/2017 (9:30 pm) – agreed upon jobs
- 2/9/2017 (4:00 pm) – finish group drawing and progress report
- 2/10/2017 (morning) – progress report completed and turned in
- 2/10/2017 – lab 4
Decisions:
We decided we are going to finish our individual portions by Thursday and finish the progress report and the group drawing together during our next meeting.
Reflections:
Working on the individual portions apart and setting aside time to work on the group portion together will get the work done more efficiently.
Date: 2/9/17
Time: 4:00 pm
Members Present: Teressa Pell, Madeline Shaffer, Joe Spinazze, Danny Tomaszewski
Topics Discussed: Progress Report and Group Drawing
Objective:
Today’s main focus was on meeting to work on the progress report and finish the group drawing.
Tasks Completed:
- Group drawing decided upon and finished
- Majority of progress report completed
Tasks To Do:
- Finish progress report
- Prepare for lab 4
Timeline:
- 2/9/2017 (4:00 pm) – finish group drawing and progress report
- 2/10/2017 (morning) – progress report completed and turned in
- 2/10/2017 – lab 4
Decisions:
We decided we are going to finish our progress report by Friday morning and turn it in.
Reflections:
We decided we are going to use Joe’s drawing for our group drawing and add a few other ideas to it. We also think we should start on the next progress report earlier in the week because there is a lot of data associated with it.