Colin Ilas, Jr.

This week, we were able to get the bogie running with the completed track from the track team. Below is a video showing the control system working in the new bogie, podcar, and track. I recommend watching with CC/subtitles on to see an explanation of the control system working. As you can see in the video, our podcar is able to read the RFID cards and is able to switch between the outer and inner loops. Through this, we can say that our control system has been successful and is ready for Maker Faire. We will be making fine adjustments throughout the week to ensure that each pod works fine and will begin creating our second and third podcars.

This week, we were able to assemble a working podcar using pod car's new print, a prototype of bogie team's new bogie, and a turning section from the track team. Through this, we found that our electronics were up to the task of being able to run using the new 1:1 gear ratio. I believe that the added 7.4V from the battery also helps give us more torque and speed for the bogie and we are very happy with the results. From this point, we can start integrating parts from the controls such as the RFID tags to ensure that the control system will work as a complete system.

This week, we presented our second presentation. We went through how the GUI works and cleared up with other groups what work needs to be done for us to create a working bogie. We plan to have a working prototype in the next few weeks once a track is built, a bogie is made, and a pod is printed. This week, we started working on collision detection by attaching the ultrasonic sensor to the Arduino. We were able to get the control system to stop when an object is detected and resume once there is nothing blocking the sensor. From this, we can start working on different ways to implement it, such as matching the speed of the pod in front.

For this week, we will be preparing our second presentation highlighting the work that he have done the past few weeks. As a highlight, we were able to get our miniature model running with the GUI. From this point, we started working with the bogie team to figure out how each component will be mounted and how they will be adjusted. We found that the motors will be running a 1:1 gear ratio as the bogie has been slimmed down and the motor will be extending past the wheel. We will need to do further testing to ensure that we have not lost much torque that the bogie will no longer move.

Coming back from spring break, we were successfully able to combine our GUI, Raspberry Pi, and Xbee modules to create a mobile device that can send directions to the podcars. Using Raspbian Limux, we were able to open the GUI and implement the COM port of the Xbee into the script. Through this, the commands selected in the GUI are successfully sent to our miniature model. From this point on, we will be waiting on both the track team and the bogie team to create a working prototype that we can test our electronics on. Once successfully tested, we can go ahead and order the rest of the parts and begin assembly of the three pods. A video of the control system can be seen below:

This week, I was able to pick up a Raspberry Pi along with a 7" touchscreen. This setup is better than using a monitor as it will be handheld and can be passed around. In addition, it allows us to program the GUI such that it should be used on a mobile device rather than a computer screen. We will work on getting the GUI to work on the Raspberry Pi, which can be seen below.

This week, we began working on multi-pod capability in the GUI. To do this, we implemented another section that allows us to pick between pods 1, 2, or 3, then select which destination station the user wants. Once the command is sent, each pod will obtain the direction and the specific pod will be sent to that specific station. In addition, I began looking into different ways we may be able to use the GUI. Because we ran into problems with the current server-mobile configuration, I believe using a secondary device dedicated to running the GUI would work the best. We would be able to use a Raspberry Pi running Linux to run our Python script and plug in a monitor so that the whole GUI can be seen when we present our project.

This week, we shared our current progress during our team presentations. Overall, we were able to get a simple GUI working with basic commands such as selecting which station the pod should go to. After this, we will look into selecting different pods to give different commands and retrieve status of the podcars as it progresses throughout each station. A copy of our presentation can be seen below:

This week, we spent the first half of class in the auditorium to view a presentation on the Assertion-Evidence method of presenting given by Dr. Furman. This was not as relevant to us as we have used this method all semester, however it was good to review the main goals that AE strives for. During class, we programming using Python for our GUI. We will be using TKinter as it will allow us to create a simple graphical interface using Python. Once we have all our commands set, we will be able to use another program to create a cleaner GUI, as TKinter has a Windows 98 feel to it.

This week, we met together and discussed the different programs that we can use. We looked into Python and Processing, both programs that will allow us to create what we need. The language used in Processing is C++, so it is very similar to how we program the Arduinos. However, we believe that Python will be the better route to go with, as it the programming language appears to be easier and is a more widely used program. In terms of the pods, I was able to create a program that will allow the podcar to read RFID tags and let the motors run back and forth. I set up the section of track with two RFID tags that will signal the podcar to switch directions. Through this, I will be able to run the pod for long amounts of time and see how the motors and battery hold up.

For the first week of the Spring semester, we met up with our groups to discuss the current progress of the project and future goals. Through our lighting talk, we explained the current state of the podcars and the control design. We showed our miniature prototype which allowed us to create a control system for the Arduino so that it can show all the electronic's purpose without the need for a track or bogie. We also showed our collaborative rapid prototype which allowed us to run the motors back and forth on a section of track. Our future goals are to test the electronics and make sure they are what we need for each podcar. Once all testing is done, we can go ahead and order the rest of the components needed. We will also be working on our GUI setup which will control the podcars. Last semester, we had problems getting the server and mobile app working, so we will be building a new system from the ground up. We will begin research on what the best programs and coding language ...

With the final weeks of the Fall semester coming to an end, we started creating our final presentations to show our rapid prototype to the other teams. Overall, we were very successful this semester in creating our prime design, resulting in a working prototype that we are able to test using the motors, RFID tags, and Xbee modules. We acknowledged that our control system works as predicted and the components run as expected. We were able to combine our work with the mechanical bogie team and test everything on a section of the new track and found that everything worked perfectly together. For next semester, we plan to spend more time on the mobile application, Firebase, and the node.js server in order to get a ticket purchase to activate a bogie.

For this week, we worked to create a working rapid prototype in order for us to have a good presentation for next week. Once we had all the electronics working, we worked with the 1/12th scale mechanical bogie team and the track team to combine all of our work and ultimately ended up with a working rapid prototype. Overall I am really proud of the work that we have put in this semester and am looking forward to continuing this work once we have a full track and multiple bogies working.

This week, I had all the motors and drivers soldered and began testing them. Since we were no longer using the old motors, I decided to also take one of the encoder boards from the rear and soldered it to the new motors. Once this was done, I wired everything up the Arduino and began testing it using a fade function being applied to the input. As you can see in the video below, the motors and drivers work perfectly and are ready to be used in the new bogie design. For next week, I will have both these motors in the previous pod car design so we can see if the extra torque helps with the longevity of the motors. 

This week, all of our components arrived and we began programming with what components we could. I started by soldering all the components and making sure that the motors and servos are functioning. Our new motors feature a 100:1 geartrain compared to the 76:1 gear ratio of the previous design. Through this, our pods will run a little bit slower but will have much more torque. We hope that this will help with the problem of motors dying very quickly. Next week, I plan to have all the motors and drivers working so I can begin calculations on the motor speeds, specifically during turns.

This week, we began working with the previous pod designs to try to get the Xbee communications working. We were able to put together a working pod and ran in on the track. We noticed that the pod would loop around the full track but then stay in a loop between station 3 and 4. Unfortunately purchasing a ticket did not show to be working with the pod, as no purple LED came on. Through this, we will need to take a deeper look into the communication between the Android app, server, and Firebase. Once we are able to solve this problem, we will be able to continue along with the programming of how the new pods will act depending on the ticket they receive.

During this week, we began planning our initial concepts and rapid prototypes. We created a bill of materials for all the components that we will be needing for our prototype. Through this, we found that we will be buying a new Arduino Mega 2560 to ensure that our final prototype code works perfectly with a new board. We decided to order two new Xbee modules to isolate any communication problems we might be having due to faulty Xbees. I also found a servo that is metal geared and has more speed and torque than the current motors. While torque isn’t much of a dependency, the faster speed will help make the switching mechanism work much faster. Lastly, we ordered some breadboards and other small items so that by next week we can begin building our rapid prototype.

This week, we presented our current information for Presentation 2. To help smoothen my delivery of information and keep it interesting, I broke up our control system into it’s different parts and introduced them all separately while using animations to help tell what their purpose is. Through this, I believe it helped with my presentation material and significantly improved the overall impactness of it compared to our first presentation. I will continue to learn how to improve my presentation skills and hopefully by next presentation be able to perfectly present my information in a good manner. The 2nd presentation can be found on our team blog.

During our 7th week, we began looking into the Xbee communication between the server and the Arduino. We were able to decode the packet that is sent to the Arduino however cannot figure out why the Arduino is not receiving the ticket. We will begin taking the code apart a bit more to try to understand. I will also try creating a new script for the Arduino and see if we can get it to react with a simpler code. Lastly, I will begin doing calculations for our 2nd presentation. I will look into the speed that the car will be travelling, as well as the current draw of the whole system. This will help me plan out how we will need to wire the Arduino as well as where any improvements can be made with the components. 

For this week, we wanted to work with the code a bit more to understand how the previous system was program. Since we got the RFID working, we started working with the wireless XBee modules and how they communicated with the main server. We found that the Arduino makes a packet that is sent to the app, including data about the pod's position and other statuses. This week will be trying to all get the app working on our laptops, as we could not open the serial monitor from one computer. We hope that we can get this running by next week so that we can begin making changes.