Progress Report Lab 7
During lab 7 each team gave a presentation to the TA’s about what the groups have done during lab so far. This included the concept design process, so efficiency in the motors and design including screening and scoring for the each design the group put forward. Looking further back to lab 6 Team K worked on the program for the AEV that would take it to the gate, stop, and then go on to the cargo area. The team used the design used in the previous labs to test the code which can be found in the Appendix.
Results and Analysis
The result from lab 6 was an AEV that could perform half of what is needed in the MCR. The code uses marks on the straight sections to keep the distance the AEV travels constant. If time were used even slight variations in the track could cause it to go further or shorter than desired. An airbrake was then used, which runs the propellers on reverse at high power for a very short time in order to stop the AEV. This is used to stop the AEV in front of the gate where it can wait for seven seconds. When the gate opens once the timer finishes, the AEV moves the appropriate distance according to marks, then coasts to the cargo so it does not slam into it.
Takeaways
General
- Making time to rehearse presentations is important to its success
AEV
- Airbrakes are a great way of keeping consistency between runs
- Coasting for large parts of the run can be very inconsistent
Forward Looking To Lab 8
Situation
For the following labs, Group K will be creating Ron’s design to compare against Wesley’s design. They will then be testing each one to compare their energy sustainability. The team will create a code for each design to complete the full track. With multiple runs, they will compare the consistency of each vehicle to complete the scenario stated in the MCR. The final, functioning test will go into the CDR. From here the team will compare all aspects of the vehicles and choose the design that is most energy efficient and consistent throughout all runs. The team may also decide to improve one vehicle based of characteristics that worked well on the other AEV design. These trials, comparisons, and improvements are essential to refining a final AEV design and making sure that it is most energy efficient and most consistent. The team will also continue to work towards their goals stated in their PDR: efficient air break, programs based on marks, and finding the most efficient power percentage.
Weekly Goals
- Update Portfolio
- Construct Ron’s design
- Create Project schedule
Weekly Schedule
Table 1: Weekly Schedule
| Task | Teammate(s) | Start Date | Due Date | Time Needed |
| Update Portfolio | Ron | 03/06/17 | 03/11/17 | 30 mins |
| Construct Ron’s Design | Yumeng and Wesley | 03/06/17 | 03/09/17 | 15 mins |
| Create Project Schedule | Melissa | 03/06/17 | 03/09/17 | 20 mins |
Table 2: Concept Screening and Scoring
