Assignment

Project Development

This week assignment, I should answer the following questions:

What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?

What has worked? what hasn't?

What questions need to be resolved?

What will happen when?

What have you learned?

So, I will start answering the questions based on the current status

what tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?

Reference to the project timeline that I did before I start working, I did the following:

First milestone which is: Designing and fabricating the parts:

I designed the robot chassis as the second version after I checked the first version which was done by laser cutter. The second version is 3D designed and fabricated. But the chassis is damaged when I tried to fix the motors

I edited the design as version 3, with new holes and right dimensions

I designed the LCD screen with push buttons holder, to be as simple control panel and user interface

I designed the first version of push button cases to be used and look nice instead of small one. The first design did not work, it was not user friendly. I tried to edit the design as it should be look nice and user friendly

I designed the arm robot, which can pick the material (boxes) from different paths

Second milestone which is: Electronics and microcontroller:

My plan was to test the system using Arduino at first until I develop my own microcontroller board. I prepared the code step by step starting by simple program to test the shield and run the motors. Then I moved to the next step which includes the IR sensor modules to follow the line. I did it, the robot followed the black line perfectly. I tested the LCD screen with push buttons as well

On the other hand, I started developing the Microcontroller board (Atmega328P based) using Eagle program. I finished designing and milling the circuit

Tasks remaining:

Design and print the microcontroller board holder (base)

Design and print the signs using vinyl cutter

Bend the LCD and push button holder using heat bender

Solder the components and test the microcontroller circuit

Test the code that was tested using Arduino

Finishing milestone

Documenting the work

what has worked? what hasn't?

Everything has worked, except the following:

- Robot chassis, as the measurements that I took were not accurate. I had to do it 3 times with adding new holes to fix the LCD holder and microcontroller board

- The robot arm that I did for the first time was not fine, as the material was not picked up in a good way. I edited the design by adding edges in the arm to hold the material while picked up

- The push button case was very tight and difficult to use. I customized the design once again to be much easier to use

- I was confused in terms of adding external 16MHz crystal to my Atmega328p circuit or not. After searching and reading such subject, I decided to not adding it as the microcontroller chip has 8MHz internal one

what questions need to be resolved?

How can I initiate the communication between my board and Adafruit motor shield?

What type of motor should I use in the picking mechanism?

How will I attache the push buttons to the control panel?

What is the best way to arrange the wires within the robot?

Where the batteries should be fixed?

How can I divide the paths when the user select?

How can I make the presentation slide and video in excellent way

what will happen when?

I was planning from the beginning what I should do and when. Now, the tasks that will be done in the next days as follows:

- Finalizing and printing all the designs as last versions, 9-12 June

- Soldering and testing the board, 12-13 June

- Customizing the code and testing it, 13-14 June

- Finishing and fixing the final version of the project, finalizing the video and presentation silde, 13-16 June

- Presenting the project, 17 June

what have you learned?

- Dealing with new microcontroller chip which is Atmega328p

- Getting new designing techniques using Onshape

- Testing the motor shield with different motors and power sources

- New soldering techniques

- Printing parts using PETG filament with new printer and filament settings

- Programming LCD screen and IR sensor module

- Bending Acrylic parts using heat bender