⚙ Power Braking vs. Coasting Lab ⚙
Coasting (use brake command)
Pros: Uses less energy because the motor cuts off when the brake command is implemented.
Cons: Coasts 50-60 inches past where the motor cuts off, unreliable on a track that is not level and straight. Potentially inconsistent results due to the nature of the AEV’s coasting.
Starting Inch | Motor Cut-Off Inch | Stop Inch | Coasting Distance
(MCO – Stop Inches) |
200 | 139 | 81 | 58 |
200 | 141 | 81 | 60 |
200 | 145 | 85 | 60 |
Power Braking (use reverse command)
Pros: Deceleration is immediate, coasts much less than when using the brake command, coasting distance can be reduced more easily by changing variables of the reverse command, able to break very quickly.
Cons: Still coasts after the reverse command is implemented, uses more power to stop than coasting does.
Starting Inch | Motor Reverse Inch | Stop Inch | Coasting Distance
(Reverse Inch – Stop Inch) |
200 | 136 | 107 | 29 |
200 | 139.5 | 110 | 29.5 |
200 | 140 | 108 | 32 |
Method Going Forward
Group N is going to utilize the power breaking method going forward. The engineers felt that being more precise with the movement of the AEV would be more important than conserving power, and power breaking will allow them to brake more accurately. With the addition of the wheel as the main method of propulsion, the engineers believe that power breaking with a wheel instead of a propeller will lead to an even more precise method of breaking.