User:Lsun224/enes100/My Work

Link to team page.

Write problem/project Goal
Construct a remote controlled boat that can fire bb's and compete in competitions

My First Task
1. Research boat designs and properties

2. Research motor's and begin researching how to program the arduino to control them

Summary of actual work over first weekend
How is what you did different than what you planned?

Work followed according to the plan.

Week1 Narrative
Tell a detailed story describing what you did for your team over the weekend.

For the most part, researched ways to program the arduino and attach various devices that can be used to control the motor as well as the rotary cannon platform. Since arduino is all open source software and coding, their tutorial was very easy to obtain. It seems the easiest way to control the rotation of a platform would actually just be another motor (stepper motor knob or servo http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/MotorKnob or http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Sweep respectively). Wiring the motors is very easy in and of itself, remote controlling it would be a different story. Still searching for a way to attach say an R/C cars mechanisms to the arduino and set that whole thing up.

My Second Task
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the second weekend.

1. Look into rc hack tutorial

2. Continue searching for the necessary parts for vehicle weapon system

3. Find a way to hook up arduino to pull trigger mechanism (probably an actuator or even still another motor)

Summary of actual work over second weekend
How is what you did different than what you planned?

For the most part, everything followed on plan. Decided for now that a remote controlled firing system is too many steps away

Week2 Narrative
Tell a detailed story describing what you did for your team over the weekend.

So over the weekend, I realized that in order to test out wiring the remote control system to the arduino would probably require an arduino and a remote control chip. Neither of which I brought home with me. So basically I had to just looked into finding parts for the boats weapon system. I contacted the leader of my airsoft team, who told me that he would take a look and see if he had any spare/broken rifles. Waiting for his response. Basically all we would need (if we dont want to just mount the entire rifle on the boat)is the rifles gearbox, possibly the barrel, and some device to hold the bbs. Generally gearboxes in a rifle chassis are spring fed, which means they feed upward. Airsoft Electric Gun (AEG) magazines have a wheel at the bottom which you wind which scoops bbs from the reservoir in the magazine into the lip where the magazine is connected to the gearbox (pictures to come). This can be problematic on a mobile vehicle because we will have no way of winding it so we will most likely rig a gravity fed reservoir like in a paintball gun. Also, for the current moment we have decided that we should go step by step instead of jumping far ahead. I think before we can try to get the arduino to pull the trigger mechanism on command via remote, we should first just get it to fire anything. In this case, we will most likely use a stepper motor and have the device fire in intervals.

My Third task
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the third weekend.

1. Program the stepper motor

2. Hook up the stepper motor to some sort of trigger mechanism

Still waiting on a response from my arms dealer man. If only i had money, then i could just buy my own.

Summary of actual work over third weekend
How is what you did different than what you planned?

Found an excellent graphic on how an AEG gearbox works

Week3 Narrative
Tell a detailed story describing what you did for your team over the weekend.

For the most part drew up a design for the boats weapon system. I will upload a picture later when my computer decides it wants to start working again (right now im on my tablet). Basically if were pressed for space we can just use the internals specifically the gearbox and the barrel. It fill need to be gravity fed so we can find one that is top fed or we can just invert a regular gearbox. Started looking for some potential guns. Links later when i get a real computer

Update: Ideally we would have something like this or this but seriously look at those price tags. Need to find cheaper ones, while not sacrificing power and the needed specs (size, power, gearbox, etc)

My Fourth task
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the final weekend of project work.

1. Work on the servo motor and arduino and program it to rotate

2. Research possible AEG's for purchase

Summary of actual work over fourth weekend
How is what you did different than what you planned?

Servo motor/arduino combo would not function correctly. Believed to be a result of wiring/soldering problems. Will fix on Wednesday when I have access to the lab or find another arduino motor combo

Week4 Narrative
Tell a detailed story describing what you did for your team over the weekend.

Attempted to continue working with the stepper motor. It worked back when we were in the lab but when i tried it again at home it did not work. Before when i plugged in the arduino the motor would turn on. Now it just sits there. It think the problem is with the motor or the wiring because when i tried the blink command it still works. Probably the soldering broke off or something. Im going to try to solder it back on wednesday and see if it helps. So since that had to wait i spent some more time looking into airsoft guns. Found a few good possibilities relatively cheap and compact models (mp5/7 models are preferable but g36c models or commando models are also acceptable. Must have metal gearbox though).

Update: Found 2 that would be nice, and relatively cheap and this and this (this one may be best as it is the most compact, the cheapest, and the same if not higher power)

Update: Didnt know how to upload pictures to wiki so I put them here (check it out sometime, its the frontpage of reddit)

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.