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20. Project development

Complete your final project, tracking your progress

What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?

To follow my task, I made a ToDo list below. It’s update every time a task is done :

Conception :

  • First drawing concept - week 01
  • Presentation of the project - week 01
  • State of the art - project
  • Search and test on components / parts - project
  • 3D modeling of the different parts - project
  • Conception of the PCB - week 14

Fabrication :

Programming :

Testing :

  • Test the interface and communication - week 16
  • Test the speed regulation - test
  • Test the orientation - test
  • Test the distance sensing - test

The distance sensing is not quite very good but it’s functional. As I will said below, I can change the sensor to improve it.

What has worked? what hasn’t?

All of the project works. I just need to accelerate the speed by changing the motor and all could be very fine. The distance need to be improved but, as it’s a modular conception, the sensor can be easily changed. I would like to try with a version of my sensor but in laser way, and Neil give me a very good reference of a TOF laser sensor : the vl53l0x. It could be a great replacement sensor and a different way to sense the distance.

What questions need to be resolved?

I’m still thinking that, maybe, the choice I’ve made of a spinning mirror may not be as easy as I thought. Maybe, I would had to keep the sensor turning and make ( or buy ) a spinning collector for the cable.

In fact, spinning mirror is very great for the mechanical design point of view because it’s very simple and easy to build. But, on a software and calibration side, it’s a really nightmare 😄 !

What will happen when?

At this time, to finish the project, I need to do the following things with due dates for each :

  • 05/06 - Print the shell
  • 05/06 - Order new motor
  • 12/06 - Finish all my testing on the project
  • 14/06 - Film the rushs for the video
  • 15/06 - Finalized the video and the slide
  • 16/06 - Push them on the server
  • 18/06 - Push the last commit for documentation
  • 19/06 - Final presentation

Due to the server problem, I didn’t manage to push the last commit of my documentation. So, it was shifted a few days.

What have you learned?

This project learn me a lot on the communication network between systems ( PCB <-> PCB and PCB <-> PC ) and also on the interface programming. I didn’t code a “software” before and I’m very proud of the result. I will definitively use this process more often in the future for my project.

Testing the interface

Concerning the communication part, I work with I2C on robotic side. Working on serial and on how exchanges complexes datas with computer for this project put me into situations that I didn’t have with network between PCB. It’s very interessting because some solutions I found for this project can be used in other project my other kind of communications.

First network test

And last, but not least, the issue I got with the sensor learn me a lot on the detection cone and sensing range. In fact, traditionally, I make the sensor turn on my robots. So I didn’t have this kind of problems. But with a spinning mirror, issue happened that I never think it will ( like deformation of the detection cone ). Finding how to solve this issue, mecanically and by code was very rewarding.

Testing the distance