Week 13

Blog sheet Week 13

This week’s blog sheet will be both individual and group.

Your blogsheet 13 tasks:

1.       Provide the updated computer drawing for your individual RG setup.

2.       Explain your setup.

3.       Provide photos of the circuit and setup.

4.       Provide at least 2 new videos of your setup in action, one being a failed attempt.

5.       What failures did you have? How did you overcome them?

6.       Group task: Explain your group RG setup.

7.       Group task: Video of a test run of your group RG.

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AJ:

1.       Provide the updated computer drawing for your individual RG setup.

Image: Computer drawing setup

2.       Explain your setup.

A solar panel will start the circuit when a cover is lifted from it from Andrew’s machine. Once the solar panel is revealed to a light source (room lighting), the voltage will transfer to an op amp and will then trigger a relay. Once the relay switches, the motor will turn on. A string will be attached to the motor and a toy car; when spinning, the toy car will charge at a balloon with a needle attached at a slight angle. The balloon will pop, starting a domino effect. I plan on adding a second motor to my circuit to help stop it after I start Vince’s machine. The idea is to pull a component out of the breadboard (i.e. one of the resistors), so that way it becomes an open circuit and stops my motors from running.

3.       Provide photos of the circuit and setup.

Image: Part of setup

4.       Provide at least 2 new videos of your setup in action, one being a failed attempt.

Video: Relay was going crazy when I used a new motor (3V) 

Video: Plan B motor

Video: Mini test run (sorta failed)

I was able to obtain a smaller motor as shown in last week, however my motor went missing. So over the weekend I decided to go buy two motors, that way I have my own. However, when I tried connecting either of them to my original layout, the relay went crazy. I'm going to be figuring out this problem this week.

5.       What failures did you have? How did you overcome them?

My current issue is having my new motor spin. Not sure why, but the relay was just buzzing and my motor didn't spin at all. I've adjusted the voltage input, but was either getting nothing or the same buzzing sound. I haven't figured out a way to solve this yet due to lack of time. I'll be looking over it this week.

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Andrew:

1.       Provide the updated computer drawing for your individual RG setup.

Image: Andrew's computer pic

2.       Explain your setup.

Initially the solar panel will be covered that way the circuit will not be functioning. Once the solar panel becomes uncovered it will transform the light into a small voltage, which will be amplified by the OpAmp enough to trigger the relay to switch. Once the relay switches, the +5VDC will be applied to the motor, which will turn it on and raise the flag (and hopefully trigger the next circuit to activate.) Once the flag has been raised to the top the motor will lift an object (a chunk of cement) off the limit switch that will turn off the motor. Also, the +5VDC applied to the motor might need to be calibrated (changed) slightly. It will probably be more like +3VDC this way the motor doesn’t run too fast and mess something up. We want a slow and controlled motion. 

3.       Provide photos of the circuit and setup.

Image: Circuit set up

Image: Whole set up

4.       Provide at least 2 new videos of your setup in action, one being a failed attempt.

Video: Test Run 

Video: Test run 2

5.       What failures did you have? How did you overcome them?

The one thing that had to be adjusted was the voltage being applied to the motor, at first it was too low and the motor wouldn’t even spin. This is a simple problem to fix, you just have to increase the voltage slowly until you get to a voltage that comfortably starts and keeps the motor spinning. Other then that, I didn’t have too many problems

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Vincent

1.       Provide the updated computer drawing for your individual RG setup.

2.       Explain your setup.

The setup is pretty much the same with only a few changes

The first change I made was the addition of a solar panel to power the circuit instead of a force sensor. This change occurred after I was still having trouble providing enough power to the relay. Instead of providing power the force sensor was shorting the entire circuit. The second change I made was changing my mechanics a little bit I added a plastic cup attached to a string at the end of the ramp setup. The string is attached on two different ends when the ball falls in the cup it will do two things at once. On one end the sudden drop will pull the cover that is placed over the solar panel starting the next machine. The other end of the string will be attached to a small cardboard piece that when pulled will block the light source on my solar panel turning off my motor.

3.       Provide photos of the circuit and setup.

Image: Motor/cardboard trigger

Image: Solar panel as new power source

Image; Full setup

4.       Provide at least 2 new videos of your setup in action, one being a failed attempt.

Video: Success run

Video: Failed run

5.       What failures did you have? How did you overcome them?

the big failure I had was getting the force sensor to power my circuit. After several different setups and getting the same result of shorting my circuit I decided to change to a solar panel as my power source. This new power source worked perfectly and provided the power I needed.

The second issue I faced was how to turn off my circuit when complete I also tried to incorporate my force sensor but again ran in to the issue of shorting out my circuit to early. I solved this issue by changing my mechanics and rigging a cup to a string that will pull down a small cardboard piece over my light source turning off my circuit. 

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Group:

1.       Group task: Explain your group RG setup.

Starting with Andrews:

A solar panel will become uncovered and the signal amplified by an opamp, which will then trigger a relay to switch. Once the relay switches, power will be delivered to a motor which will raise the flag. Then, as the flag reaches the top, the motor will do two things. First, it will lift a small piece of cement off a switch which will cause the motor to stop. Secondly, it will remove the covering on AJ's solar panel and trigger her circuit. This signal will be amplified as well by an opamp which will trigger a relay delivering power to a motor. The motor will spin pulling a car across and end up popping a balloon, which will then cause a chain reaction of dominos to fall and  eventually uncover the light source that will activate Vince's circuit. The light source will be absorbed by another solar panel which will, again, be amplified by an opamp and trigger a relay. This will then provide power to a motor pulling a stopper releasing a ball. The ball will then roll down a ramp and into a cup, which will then fall of the table, pulling a piece of paper off the next solar panel and it will then trigger the next circuit.

2.       Group task: Video of a test run of your group RG.

Video: Test run of group RG (failed)

We have a lot of tweaking to do for our group RG. We're currently working on fixing our own RG and making sure ours starts the next RG.