The team came together for the first part of this lab in order to create objectives for the week and divide several tasks between tam members (found in the Test Readiness Review).
During the first lab, the team ran several test in order to create an initial program that would perform the correct AEV functions. These functions included staring from the initial point and moving 16ft along the outside track. At 16ft the device needed to stop so that a sensor could detect the AEV and open a gate. Once the gate was opened, the AEV would travel another 16ft in order to connect to the R2D2 caboose. Once the caboose was in tow, the AEV was required to travel the 32ft back to the starting point (stopping at the gate once more).
The team struggled to find the correct distance in which cutting the power would allow the vehicle to coast in front of the sensor. After several test runs the team determined these two quantities. That being said, the reverse direction generates different thrust and required different calibration.
After the final code was created for the original AEV design, a second design option was tested. This test would create a comparison between two different data sets in order to determine which design was more efficient. Upon initial observation, it was apparent that the second design traveled farther with the same code, making it the more efficient of the two. This inference was later backed up by the efficiency data. This data can be found in the Preliminary Design Review that was completed for this lab.
Compared Designs:
First Design:
Second Design:
