Preliminary Design Sketches

 

Anthony’s Sketch (Estimated Cost: $149.44)

The main idea of this design is to minimize the weight and surface area of the AEV in order to maximize speed. It was decided that, for this design, the Arduino would be placed on the bottom and the battery will be placed on the top where both the propellors are located. This was decided because the Arduino takes a large amount of space compared to the battery so placing it on the bottom will keep plenty of space on the top of the AEV for any further design additions.

 

Joseph’s Sketch (Estimated Cost: $160.94)

The purpose of this design is minimum weight with even weight distribution. The battery and Arduino are placed to counter-act each other’s weight. Furthermore this design take into account aerodynamics to ensure the AEV can move efficiently and quickly along the rails.

 

Maxim’s Sketch (Estimated Cost: $156.94)

 

The key to this design is the efficiency of the placement of each component. The battery is mounted on the bottom of the main body, and the Arduino is mounted directly above the battery. This setup saves more space on the top of the AEV, allowing for a smaller body. With a smaller body, weight is minimized and efficiency is increased. Another feature of this design is the placement of the two motors. The motors are placed far from the center which is meant to increase the stability of the AEV.

 

 

 

Trent’s Sketch (Estimated Cost: $163.30)

The purpose of this design was to focus on minimizing the weight of the AEV and also minimizing the amount of air resistance that would occur when in use. This would then maximize the speed when traversing the rail. There are two motors to increase the speed and they are spread to increase the stability. Efficiency is key.

 

Combined Sketch (Estimated Cost: $157.94)

This final sketch focused more on the concepts from Maxim and Trent’s sketches, focusing on lowering the amount of weight and minimizing the possible air resistance that could occur. The difference in this concept compared to the other two is that the Arduino is now on the bottom of the AEV while the battery is on the top, this makes the placements of the components efficient in that everything can fit on the AEV while also helping to minimize the weight.