Battery Testing was the first thing Team A wanted to research due to how important the battery is to the AEV and the company as a whole. After completing the Concept Screening and Scoring tests a prototype was made, and if it is unclear go back to Guided Research and read through the process the team used. For Battery Testing though, a simple code was made to get the AEV to move across the complete length of the test track and stop. To get more accurate data distance was also recorded by measuring from the end of the track and where the AEV stops. Ten tests were done back to back starting with a fully charged battery, and to keep consistency neither the AEV or code were changed during the testing. This code was made to use as much energy as possible so there would be a noticeable decline in the battery’s power. The battery’s power is recorded in unit volts for this lab, and this value shows how much power the battery is able to put out. This means that from the data seen below, the higher values are better. The voltage is recorded by using a multimeter, which is a tool that can plug into the battery and read the voltage the battery is producing. When the tests were done, voltage and distance were used to make two graphs to better represent the data collected.
Voltage vs number of runs graph
This graph clearly shows that the voltage drops every time a test was run. When the battery was fully charged it was putting out 8.36V, but after all the tests were done the battery was only putting out 8.23V. This does not seem like much, but with the battery putting out less power that means the AEV would not be running at it’s max potential.
Voltage vs Distance traveled graph
The voltage vs distance graph above shows that with the battery putting out less volts it travels less distance. This proves that the AEV was not running at it’s full potential, and it shows how the battery can limit the vehicle if not properly charged. With the data collected, Team A advises before any major test with the AEV the battery is fully charged, because it can cause inaccurate results or a failed test. For each performance test dealing with the Mission Control Review (MCR), Team A will have the battery fully charged to insure the battery voltage isn’t affecting the AEV’s performance.
Code used:
Refer here for information on command functions.
| Code | Explanation |
| celerate(2,0,35,3); | Accelerate motor 2 from 0% to 35% power in 3 seconds. |
| motorSpeed(2,35);
goFor(5.5); brake(2); |
Set motor 2 to 35% power for the next 5.5 seconds before stopping all power to the motor. |
| celerate(1,0,35,2); | Accelerate motor 1 from 0% to 35% power in 2 seconds. |
| motorSpeed(1,35);
goFor(2); brake(1); |
Set motor 1 to 35% power for 2 seconds before stopping all power to that motor. |