R&D 1: MOTOR CONFIGURATION

Be able to determine the best motor configuration using two motors for the AEV design.

AEV with updated design

Battery

Track

1. Run a test with both motors forward (pull) with the following code:

// Accelerate all motors from 0% to 25% power in 2 seconds

celerate(4, 0, 25, 2);

// Run both motors at 25% power for 4ft (99 marks)

motorSpeed(4, 25);

goToRelativePosition(99);

// Brake both motors

brake(4);

2. Run a test with both motors backward (push) with the following code

// Reverse the motors

reverse(4);

// Accelerate all motors from 0% to 25% power in 2 seconds

celerate(4, 0, 25, 2);

// Run both motors at 25% power for 4ft (99 marks)

motorSpeed(4, 25);

goToRelativePosition(-99);

// Brake both motors

brake(4);

3. Run a test with one motor in each direction (one push, one pull) with the following code

// Reverse motor 1

reverse(1);

// Accelerate all motors from 0% to 25% power in 2 seconds

celerate(4, 0, 25, 2);

// Run both motors at 25% power for 4ft (99 marks)

motorSpeed(4, 25);

goToAbsolutePosition(99);

// Brake both motors

brake(4);

4. Run a “control” and see if there is a difference between if the left is the puller while the right is pusher, and vise versa

//Reverse motor 2

reverse(2);

// Accelerate all motors from 0% to 25% power in 2 seconds

celerate(4, 0, 25, 2);

// Run both motors at 25% power for 4ft (99 marks)

motorSpeed(4, 25);

goToAbsolutePosition(99);

// Brake both motors

brake(4);

Speed cannot exceed 50%

5-10 trails for each configuration

We expect the pusher method to be the most efficient due to the angle of our wings and the fact that both motors will be working together to propel the AEV. We will create Distance v. Time charts to compare each propulsion method based on the time it takes each method to traverse the same distance. We will also create a Power v. Time chart to determine if any method is more efficient than the others.

Number of Runs (both motors pulling)	Time to complete course (secs)	Max Power Usage (Watts)
1	11.1	5.98
2	11.101	6.19

The AEV was the fastest when both motors are pushing. The AEV was the slowest when one motor pulled and one motor pushed; it did not move at all.

Having the motors push is the most efficient because it moves the fastest and it did not use much more power than the pulling method.

There is no benefit in having a pusher and a puller motor if they are oriented the same way. In this case, the motors will go against each other and not move. However, if the motors are oriented in opposite directions, the puller and pusher motors will work together.