Week 4/19 to 4/26

This week, the team was focusing on testing the position sensing system with the mobile app team. We tested our sensing. However, the sensor bracket was too far away from the corrugated metal strip at some place around the track, the team decided to design sensor brackets with different gaps between the sensor and the corrugated metal strips. The team will test the sensor brackets in this rest of this week.

Week 4/12 to 4/19

The team mainly focused on the presentation. On the other hand, we were informed by the Mobile app team before the Paseo that our sensor did not work properly with digital pins. Thus, we have to switch to analog pins and convert the analog signal into digital signal in our program. And the program has to be retested in next week.

Week 4/5 to 4/12

This week was the Paseo Public Prototyping Challenge. Even though the position sensing system was not ready in the Paseo event, the position sensing team still participated in the whole Paseo event. We help assemble, dissemble and transporting the model. We also introduce the Spartan Superway project to the publics on the event.

Week 3/29 to 4/5

This is the week before the Paseo Public Prototyping Challenge. The team was informed that the track was completed. The team started to attach the corrugated metal strip on the tack. The adhesive we use to attach corrugated strip on the track is super glue. The team had tried hot glue, Epoxy and High-Strength spray adhesive. None of these adhesives work with our design. Thus, the team decided to use super glue instead. The corrugated metal strips were attached on the track. There was another new problem found. The corrugated metal strips have to leave space for the screws for assemble and dissemble the track, there no quick solution for the problem right now.

The mobile application team informed us that the communication system between the podcars was not ready yet, thus, the position sensing system will not be ready for the Paseo event.

3/22 to 3/29

It was spring break, all team members were out of town during the break. However, the sensor bracket for the Hall Effect sensors and the magnets were redesigned before the break. The drawing was sent to the 3D printing shop, and the 3D print was in process. The sensor should be ready at the end of the break, and the team will start wiring up the encoder after the break.

Week 3/15 to 3/22

This week, the team spend time on manufacturing the corrugated metal strip for the whole track. The team first cut out metal strips with the sheet metal shear in the shop, then use our device to create the corrugated metal strips. Because of random error made by human during cutting out the metal strips, the width of the metal strip cannot be exactly 5 mm as designed. Our team tried to control the cutting process in order to keep the width of the metal strip to be 5.5 ± 0.5 mm. A few strips was measured to be out of the tolerance level because of the improper manufacture process, and we replaced them with new strips. The strips were successfully cut and corrugated, the team is waiting for the completion of the track.