Weekly Goals (10/28 - 11/1): New Cube Challenge

It's possible that some more people may be joining our team soon, or at least volunteering part time. Myself included, our team only has three people, and the other two teams have either 6 or 7 each.

Anyway, as for our new challenge...

 

 

Details are still coming in, but the basic objective is to use the robot's end effector to place those orange cubes in the plastic boxes while the boxes are perched atop that plank. Seems easy enough, but the plank is actually a balance beam, so delicacy on our part is required. Nick will adjust the SolidWorks accordingly.

 

Weekly Accomplishments (10/24): Challenge Failed, moving on...

Our challenge was to use the wooden end effector to lift our robot off the ground using a bar - basically a robot pull-up. Unfortunately, our robot has failed at that task. The robot didn't have enough torque, enough strength. Here's a picture:

 
 
 

















As for now, we're moving on to the next challenge, which I will explain in further detail next week. We're changing the end effector to a claw...

...and adding more torque (gears) to our tower.

Weekly Goal 10/21 - 10/24: Arm and SolidWorks Completion

Our base has been completed, but our arm is still missing an end effector. As soon as he can, Chris is going to carve it out of a block of wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Nick is still working on the SolidWorks model for the robot.

Weekly Accomplishments (10/18): Arm Stabilization, SolidWorks Progress



On Wednesday, Nick completed the basic chassis on SolidWorks. We don't know how far he is beyond that, as he isn't here today.

 



 

 

On Thursday, after we attached the main part of the arm to the rest of the chassis, we realized that the base was very unstable and wobbly. This was the result of us not having any axles long enough to reach from side to side. One axle started on the right side and went about 2/3 of the way across, and another axle below that one went 2/3 of the way from the left side to the right. In the center, where to the two coincided, a brace connected them, and the arm was attached there. We had to take the entire arm base off and relocate it because it didn't provide stability.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, Chris has mostly completed work on the new arm base. We'll be cutting out a wooden end effector today that will allow the robot to hang from the metal bar in the arena.

 

 



 

 

 



 

Weekly Goal 10/14-10/18: Arm and Base Completion

As of yesterday, our battery has been replaced and we have successfully operated our chassis. The base for the arm has been completed, and the arm itself is currently being built. The arm must be completed by the end of the week. And finally, Nick has begun the SolidWorks model for our robot.

P.S.: Our previous blogger, Jacob Irons, has been transferred out of our class, so I (Daniel Cohen) will be assuming blogging responsibilities from here on out. 



Motor Adjustments and Arm Base

While Chris began to program our brain, we added some spacers to our motors to reduce unwanted wobbling, and began to put together a base to mount our arm.

(Pictures to be resized shortly)

Chassis Completion

Today, in spite of two days spent away from the classroom, we've completed our chassis. However, our battery proved to be faulty, so we are unable to test it until it is replaced.

(BLOG UPDATE) Introduced page list

Quick navigational update; the sidebar now displays links to the main page, as well as work-in-progress pages for each team member.

Brain Mount

While Daniel continued work on the chassis, Chris made up a quick mount for our brain, which serves as a cage of sorts. The brain is shield from all sides and allows for easy access to ports and switches.

In addition, Nick drilled a hole into the back of our cart to allow for easy charger access, protecting our batteries in the process.

(BLOG UPDATE) Resized Images, New Features Added

Just a quick update; I have resized the images posted on the blog so that they will no longer interfere with the sidebar features. You can still view them full-size, simply click on the image and it will expand.

In addition, I have also added a post archive, search bar, and hit counter.

COMING SOON: Remaining team bios, team pictures

We've finished our cart!

Today, we put the finishing touches onto our cart, namely the ropes that prevent the door from falling down once it's opened. All there is left to do is affixing a lot to the latch, to keep unwanted classmates away from our parts.

Door Installation and Claw Brainstorming

As we install the door onto our cart, we continue with the process of adding wheels to our chassis.
We have also discovered a pair of claw mechanisms while searching through scrap, and we are considering using them to latch onto the bar for the hanging challenge.