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Week 30 (May 8, 2019): Prototype Evaluation Day, Final Circuit, Incorporating 3D printed parts, Final Presentation, Posters, & Maker Faire

Today, we held Prototype Evaluation Day. Like the rest of the senior project classes, the advisor walks around the classroom, evaluating the senior project apparatuses, asking the student teams to demonstrate their devices, and explain their design, though processes, and results. Dr. Furman and Ron examined and inspected the Full-Scale model, then the Half-Scale model, and lastly, us, the Small-Scale Team.

We had completed our circuit to power one pod car and one of the two induction charging stations prior to Evaluation Day, so we were able to successfully demonstrate the pod car driving around the track as well as the induction charging. While we were still troubleshooting issues with the tablet’s Raspberry Pi communicating with the Arduino, the Arduino is still capable of operating on its own, so we could at least demonstrate the motor driving the pod car around the track and through the offline stations.

Depicted below is our final circuit that powers the pod car:


Depicted in the images below are one of our completed induction charging stations; also featured is the new pod car door with the induction receiver coil pressed into place:


Later in the week, on Friday, May 10, 2019, we presented our final presentations. Please find our presentation slides embedded below. Ultimately, we presented everything we had to show and all of our efforts, and despite the fact that we still had some troubleshoot issues, we believed we were on our way of achieving 100% completion.  


The following week, we will have our on-site Maker Faire, where we will demonstrate our operating model. Please find portrayed, below, our Small-Scale Controls Team poster:


One final note: Although we are different divisions of the overall Small-Scale model, all three Small-Scale sub-teams – Bogie, Controls, and Track, we all worked together well since the beginning and were all able to come together as one in the second half of ME 195B to put everything together, and I couldn’t be more happy to be working with the teammates I’ve been working with: 


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