Week 10: A Retrospective

On Tuesday, June 3, we presented our product to the group. Although we were not ultimately successful in integrating all of the mechanical, electrical, and software systems into a final product, we did design and manufacture almost all separate components to working condition. A video of these processes can be seen below.



Despite this setback, our product was met with positive feedback. The audience appreciated the music, aesthetics, systems, and complexity of the project, and the presentation overall went well. As a team, we were extremely grateful for this whole engineering experience. It was very informative in a number of respects, and all of us will look back on it as we continue into the professional world.

Given another week or so, we believe we could meet our overall goal, and perhaps that will be possible, depending on the living and academic situations of each of the team members in the future. However, if not, we are still pleased with the progress we made, and appreciate the opportunities we had this term.

The team

Week 9: Control Box and Small Modifications

Primarily, this week focused on developing the final report. However, more progress was also made on the project.

Small changes were made, like drilling holes into the frame for speakers and affixing a door to the back of the frame. This door is a simple piece of backboard which can swing open and close on hinges. Featuring a deadbolt, it allows for access to the inner workings of the final product while still keeping all components within the frame. Handles were screwed into the frame to allow for easier transportation of the entire product. Minor tweaks in programming occurred to continue accurate communication with the modified electrical system. Finally, as another jumper mechanism is being printed out, the current mechanism was fine-tuned by sanding down pieces of it for smoother backboard movement, and gluing small metal brackets to help guide the jump movement.

Additionally, a control box was designed and constructed. This was a relatively simple task. Using scrap wood, a small, handheld box was built with slots into which the push buttons were embedded. This allows users a contained and visually-appealing method of controlling the player figure.

As the jumper mechanism was modified, the lift mechanism was changed as well to reflect these modifications. In order for the jumper mechanism to travel along the length of the lift mechanism to move the player figure in the direction of the x-axis, the jumper mechanism must fit inside an upside-down T-shaped slot. Initially, the plan was to route this into the lift mechanism, but it became clear that this would be difficult to physically accomplish with the given tools. In place of this, two L-shaped brackets were glued to the lift mechanism to create the desired T-shape. An image of this can be seen below.

The jumper mechanism will move underneath these brackets

Week 8: Circuitry and Programming

This week focused primarily on circuitry and programming, as electronics and control are the final pieces of the project as it comes together.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the solder job done on the servo driver was faulty; due to some misunderstandings and a lack of experience, the jumper cables did not properly connect to servo driver, and the driver was damaged beyond use. After turning to a more experienced upperclassmen for assistance, a new circuit was built on a larger breadboard.

Through this new circuit, communication with servos was achieved, signifying a large step forward in programming - coding the program is actually the easier step when compared to establishing communication. Through the breadboard circuit that had been set up, some simple code was written to communicate varying frequencies to a servo, which results in a faster or slower servo rotation. A video demonstrating this can be seen below.



In addition to these advances, minor changes were made to the lift system: a groove was cut into the backboard, giving the ball a slot to ride on; the rubber tubing was glued to the PVC column; and a ramp was affixed to behind the backboard, which allows the obstacles to exit the lift shaft and enter the play area again.