A Wild Goose Chase - Week 1

Keith Marange
Feb 2, 2019
2 min read

Updated: Feb 18, 2019

For our first ever lab session, it was both successful and eventful. The joy and headaches of this project came from unsuspecting angles. Allow me to summarise.

On the Friday, Matthew and Miguel brilliantly devised and planned the entire code for the arm. Carrying on this momentum, they tested an individual servo module, first using code to test if the actuator will rotate 180 degrees. Then the second iteration of this code was to move it by a given angle. The plan from here now is to assign keys as its input have the servo move by a given angle. This third iteration will have the servo move depending on how long the key is pressed for.

In the morning, we took our time to understand how 3D modelling and printing works. We opted for the software AutoCad as well as TinkerCad. TinkerCad is basically the kids version of the hefty AutoCad software. We used TinkerCad to design the base of the module for the entire arm, starting small to understand the software itself. Milly cracked the software and was away busily sketching up the first prototype. After the lunch break, she transposed the Cad design of the base to AutoCad, adding even more features. To progress in future, we will simplify the dimensions of the base and the frame. Attempting to design the base perfectly lead to too many issues like designating screws and the position for the servos. Next week, we will go through several 3D prints of the base, so by hand ourselves we decide how everything fits in. Abstract problem solving on AutoCad initially led to little progress.

By next week, our tasks will be to; completely code a function for one servo (key inputs), hand sketch with dimensions the frame of the arm, create a cloud based project management tracker for our own individual tasks, create a Gantt chart. All will be revealed on Monday. So by either Wednesday at sensor city or our labs on Friday, we can code for all of the functions for the servos, 3D print our base and designed the rest of the robot arm on AutoCad.

From the title of this blog the wild goose chase in question was basically me running around BOTH the school of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and school of Engineering looking for a working vernier caliper… For a solid hour.

I’d rather end on a positive note, so FYI our frame will be (fingers crossed) pink and navy. #hype