Colin Ilas, Jr.

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.