Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Log 18
Today, I typed up all of my mentor contacts. I am looking ahead to the future seeing the log sheets are due on the 24th. Yesterday, I went to an interview at Stevens Institute of Technology, and I did very well. My answers were complete, thorough, and impressive. On the way there, I met the head of admissions for Monmouth County and befriended her. I think I have a good chance of being admitted, but Stevens is my second choice; I have already been accepted into Drexel University, my top choice.
Mentor Contacts MP2
Mentor Name: Michael John Badger
Contact 1: July 15, 2011
Phone meeting with Michael John Badger. This meeting was a 3 way call that lasted about 30 minutes. CJ’s mother introduced Mr. Badger to CJ and me and we further introduced ourselves later in the meeting. We discussed our expectations for the class and upcoming project. Christopher Brzozowski and Dustin Brandl
Contact 2: July 20, 2011
Sent:
Good afternoon,
Attached is our systems engineering project/presentation. We look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
CJ and Dustin
Contact 2: July 20, 2011
Recieved
CJ and Dustin,
You were very active during the last school year. Your newsletter was informative and interesting. Based on evidence of your creativity, enthusiasm, and introduction to the engineering disciplines, you appear poised for a memorable and productive senior year.
Request your thoughts on what value to a customer your robotics project will provide. Does the robot help her in some way? Does it retreive items underwater and bring them to the surface? Does it clean pools? Does it retrieve lost items which have a Bluetooth or other unique transmitting device enabled (e.g., lost cell in the house, car keys, or garage door opener)?
Mike
Contact 3: September 9, 2011
Sent:
Contact 1: July 15, 2011
Phone meeting with Michael John Badger. This meeting was a 3 way call that lasted about 30 minutes. CJ’s mother introduced Mr. Badger to CJ and me and we further introduced ourselves later in the meeting. We discussed our expectations for the class and upcoming project. Christopher Brzozowski and Dustin Brandl
Contact 2: July 20, 2011
Sent:
Good afternoon,
Attached is our systems engineering project/presentation. We look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
CJ and Dustin
Contact 2: July 20, 2011
Recieved
CJ and Dustin,
You were very active during the last school year. Your newsletter was informative and interesting. Based on evidence of your creativity, enthusiasm, and introduction to the engineering disciplines, you appear poised for a memorable and productive senior year.
Request your thoughts on what value to a customer your robotics project will provide. Does the robot help her in some way? Does it retreive items underwater and bring them to the surface? Does it clean pools? Does it retrieve lost items which have a Bluetooth or other unique transmitting device enabled (e.g., lost cell in the house, car keys, or garage door opener)?
Mike
Contact 3: September 9, 2011
Sent:
Hello Mr. Badger, I hope you had a great summer. We just got back into school and we are required to have your phone number, email, employer, position and job description for our mentor fact sheet. The sooner you can send me these the better, hope to hear back from you soon. Thank you for your time. - CJ and Dustin |
Contact 3: September 9, 2011
Recieved:
CJ and Dustin,
Name: Michael J. Badger, P.E., MBA
Phone: 732-737-4414
email: michael.john.badger@verizon.net
Employer: Program Executive Office Integration (PEO I), US Army
Position: Deputy, Executive Director, System of Systems Engineering and Integration
Job description: The lead for overall execution of the combined engineering, business management, acquisition and pricing approach to development and acquisition of PEO Integration systems under development. Supervisor of personnel to meet program priorities and ensure those efforts are properly integrated. Overseer of reviews and approver of the associated execution plans and schedules, ensuring the optimal mix of in-house and contract work, and ensure appropriate collaboration with external organizations (Office of the SECDEF/Department of the Army, user requirements community, testing community, Army laboratories) to meet or exceed all goals.
Regards,
MJB
Contact 4: September 29, 2011
Recieved:
CJ and Dustin,
Name: Michael J. Badger, P.E., MBA
Phone: 732-737-4414
email: michael.john.badger@verizon.net
Employer: Program Executive Office Integration (PEO I), US Army
Position: Deputy, Executive Director, System of Systems Engineering and Integration
Job description: The lead for overall execution of the combined engineering, business management, acquisition and pricing approach to development and acquisition of PEO Integration systems under development. Supervisor of personnel to meet program priorities and ensure those efforts are properly integrated. Overseer of reviews and approver of the associated execution plans and schedules, ensuring the optimal mix of in-house and contract work, and ensure appropriate collaboration with external organizations (Office of the SECDEF/Department of the Army, user requirements community, testing community, Army laboratories) to meet or exceed all goals.
Regards,
MJB
Contact 4: September 29, 2011
michael.john.badger@verizon.net writes: >Chris and Dustin, > > What is the status of your project? Have you developed the inital >concept and specifications? > > Regards, > Mike Badger > > |
Contact 4: September 30, 2011Sent:
Hello Mr. Badger,
So far we have taken inventory of our VEX robotics sets and have been working on our project blogs. The Blogs contain information on the Specifications, Limitations, project status, Background Information, and much more on the project. We will send you the links to these blogs as soon as we get approval from our instructor. Our project now is to design an aquatic vehicle that accomplishes certain challenges and a terrestrial vehicle that will gather endangered Piping Plover eggs without breaking them or disturbing the surrounding environment. We will keep you updated as we move along. Thank you very much for your time.
- CJ and Dustin
Contact 5: Contact: October 19, 2011
SentHello,
Here is the link for the blogs we have been working on in class http://brzozowskivex.blogspot.com/
Right now we are working on our alternative solutions and will have images of what we want the product to look like up soon.
Thank you for your time
- CJ and Dustin
Contact: October 19, 2011
Recieved:CJ and Dustin,
I looked through the postings on your blogspot. Interesting. It will be good to see which design you settle upon.
Mike Badger
Mentor Name: Naga Kunduru
Contact 6: September 11, 2011Sent:
>On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 2:01 PM, Christopher Brzozowski <[
>mailto:christopher_brzozowski@mast.mcvsd.org
>]christopher_brzozowski@mast.mcvsd.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>Hello Mr. Naga,
>
>Thank you very much for volunteering to mentor us during this school
>year.
>We would like to speak to you soon about our project. Please let us
>know
>when we can reach you. In the meantime, our school requires your email,
>phone number, employer, position, and job description for our mentor
>fact
>sheet. We look forward to hearing back from you. Thank you for your
>time.
>
>- CJ and Dustin
Contact 6: September 13, 2011Recieved:
Naga Kunduru <nkunduru@gmail.com> writes:
>Hi CJ, you can call me on my cell (848-702-7021) between 6-9pm in the
>evenings.
>Here is my info for your school's mentor fact sheet:
>[ mailto:nkunduru@us.ibm.com ]nkunduru@us.ibm.com
>201-266-7658
>IBM
>Technical Business Analyst
>Job Description:
>Identify and define requirements for the use of technology to improve
>Mortgage processes and systems. Analyze and document technical
>requirements of client’s unique lending/servicing enterprise and map
>those requirements within the context of IBM's Impact Lending Suite
>software solution. Act as the liaison between the business and
>development and provide a business and systems analysis service to
>clients. Balance technology and business issues as well as communicate
>appropriately with both technology and business experts.
>
>- Naga
Contact 7: September 29, 2011
Sent:Hello Mr. Naga,
Thank you very much for sending us the information for our mentor fact sheet. Please note, any phone calls or personal contact must be approved by our teacher ahead of time. We will be in touch with you soon. Thank you very much for your time.
-CJ and Dustin
Email :
Contact 9: November 1, 2011
BarBaros@aim.com
Discussed the background of the project, sent our blog information, and the mechanical and electrical aspects of the project.
Contact 1: November 14, 2011 Face to Face for about half of an hour
Discussed the mechanical and electrical aspects of our project with Mr. Barrall. We also went over the basic idea of our project, and the tasks we hope to accomplish in the near future. We discussed what we have finished already and what we will soon be working on. He described what he did before he was retired and expressed his intrest in robotics.
Discussed the mechanical and electrical aspects of our project with Mr. Barrall. We also went over the basic idea of our project, and the tasks we hope to accomplish in the near future. We discussed what we have finished already and what we will soon be working on. He described what he did before he was retired and expressed his intrest in robotics.
Contact 11: November 22, 2011 Face to Face for the class period
Mr. Rubiano, an alumni from this school, returned here to this class. He discused with my partner and me different techniques he used to construct his VEX robot last year. He mainly focused on the hull aspect of the VEX robot. He instructed us on how to make the hull as light as possible. We tossed around ideas of how to
Contact 12: November 30, 2011 Face to Face for the class period
He showed us how exactly the different motors and servos connected to not only the framework but also to the drive shafts which then in turn spin each different apparatus. He discussed with us different ideas on how we could create propellers out of pieces of the VEX kit.
Contact 13: December 3, 2011 Face to Face with Mr. Heller (from Hobby Masters in Red Bank)
He showed us differenet propellers, which he had in his shop, but none of them seemed large enough to move the VEX robot. We bought one propeller in order that we may test it on our VEX robot, and see how well it performs. He suggested a propeller with a radius of three inches, but they did not have any in stock. We will return when they do.
Mr. Rubiano, an alumni from this school, returned here to this class. He discused with my partner and me different techniques he used to construct his VEX robot last year. He mainly focused on the hull aspect of the VEX robot. He instructed us on how to make the hull as light as possible. We tossed around ideas of how to
Contact 12: November 30, 2011 Face to Face for the class period
He showed us how exactly the different motors and servos connected to not only the framework but also to the drive shafts which then in turn spin each different apparatus. He discussed with us different ideas on how we could create propellers out of pieces of the VEX kit.
Contact 13: December 3, 2011 Face to Face with Mr. Heller (from Hobby Masters in Red Bank)
He showed us differenet propellers, which he had in his shop, but none of them seemed large enough to move the VEX robot. We bought one propeller in order that we may test it on our VEX robot, and see how well it performs. He suggested a propeller with a radius of three inches, but they did not have any in stock. We will return when they do.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Log 17
Last class, I started to write the letter to my mentor. DA promised an extra marking period point if we completed the letter over the weekend. After I witnessed the New York Giants victory over the Atlanta falcons (24-2), I finished the letter. I basically recapitulated everything that I have done thus far in Systems and Engineering II. In class today, I printed the letter and handed it into CMcD, and then I uploaded it to the blogg. The only problem was the images did not successfully transfer from the Microsoft Word document in to the blog. I had to delete the white boxes that replaced my pictures; I then re-uploaded the pictures of my drawings which I had saved on this computer. My partner is absent today, and I do not know where he is. I hope he is well and he returns soon.
Mentor Letter
Dustin Brandl
Team Mr. Alfonse Ms. McDonald
Systems and Engineering II
09 January 2012
Report to Mentor
Introduction
Here is a recapitulation of the first two marking periods. Each student at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology is assigned at the end of his junior year a project to complete throughout the senior year. With my partner, we are designing and constructing a VEX robot capable of completing both terrestrial and aquatic challenges. My personal design brief is to design and construct all of the electrical components of a small, remote controlled vehicle that will traverse its specified environment in order to relocate the eggs of the endangered piping plover.
Now, my partner and I have completed everything in the design process and have made decent progress in the construction portion. Thus far, we have completed a hull framework, mechanical arm, and all of the wiring. We are now working on the claw and its arm that will move it up and down; also we are constructing a piece that will rotate the claw itself on the end of the arm. In the following document, the processes that led us to this point are discussed. Also, AutoCAD drawings are included.
Body
Developmental Work
Plan of Procedures
The plan of procedures for the electrical engineer begins while the plan of procedures for the mechanical engineer is being completed.
1. Attach the PIC Microcontroller to the center of the structural hull with a screw at each corner.
2. Attach the receiver module to the left of the PIC Microcontroller with a screw in each corner.
3. Connect the receiver module and the PIC Microcontroller by plugging in the receiver module’s wire into the port labeled “R1.”
4. Connect the power pack into the appropriate port on the PIC Microcontroller.
5. Attach a servo to the inside, forward, starboard side of the hull with two screws in order to attach to the mechanical arm.
6. Connect the servo wire to the motor port on the PIC Microcontroller.
7. Attach a motor to the port, aft, projection of structure and connect it to the shaft. This shaft connects to the claw.
8. Connect the motor to the 29-motor controller and connect that to the PIC Microcontroller.
9. Connect a servo to the claw.
10. Connect the servo wire to the servo extension wires.
11. Connect the end of the servo extension wire to the PIC Microcontroller.
12. Connect a motor to each side of the aft end of the hull with two screws each.
13. Attach the shafts to the propellers to these motors.
14. Connect the wires of the motors to the 29 motor controllers.
15. Connect the 29 motor controller wires to the PIC Microcontroller.
16. Charge the battery to the remote controller and the power pack.
Lists of All Components
Supply List | ||||
Item | Description | QTY | Size | Remarks |
1 | balloon | 8 | 1.5"x2.25"x1.25" | protects motors and servos from water damage |
2 | super glue | 1 | Tube | seal the balloon |
Tools and Equipment List
Item | Description | Use |
1 | Allan Key | attach the screws to hold the motor or servo into place |
Materials list
1 | PIC Microcontroller | 1 | 4.5"x3.9"x1.1" | receives the commands from the remote controller |
2 | 7.2 V Power Pack | 1 | 1.2"x1.7"x2" | delivers power to the microcontroller |
3 | Remote Controller | 1 | 8"x8"x2.5" | Controls the VEX robot |
4 | Screws | 462 | 8-32x1/4" | holds everything into place |
Parts List
Item | Description | QTY | Size | Remarks |
1 | 2-wire motor | 5 | 1.5"x2.25"x1.25" | move the parts of the robot with unlimited rotation |
2 | Servo Modules | 4 | 1.5"x2.25"x1.25" | move the parts of the robot with restricted rotation |
3 | motor controller 29 | 4 | 1.25"x.75"x.25" | acts as an extension cord |
4 | Transmitter Unit | 1 | receives the signals transmitted from the controller |
Below are all of the drawings of each electrical component for which I am responsible. These include the items listed above.
Figure 1a
This is a 3-D view of the PIC Microcontroller. This is the "brain box of the entire VEX robot. All motors plug in to the ports on top. The power pack and the receiver plugs into the ports show on the front.
Figure 1b (top view)
Figure 2a
The Receiver module accepts the signals transmitted from the remote controller and delivers them to the PIC Microcontroller.
Figure 2b (top view)
Figure 3a
The Power pack holds an electrical charge that feeds the PIC Microcontroller. This is re-chargeable and will be charged prior to the use.
Figure 3b (top view)
Figure 4a
The 29 Motor controller is an adapter to make the motors compatible with the PIC microcontroller. With out this the motors will spin without control.
Figure 4b (top view)
Figure 5a
Servo delivers rotation to the different parts of this robot. The rotation delivered by the servo is limited and cannot make a full 360 degree rotation.
Figure 5b (top view)
Figure 6a
Motor is connected to the PIC microcontroller and moves the objects connected to its rotational piece. This rotates with 360 degrees.
Figure 6b (top view)
Summary
As stated before, my partner and I have completed all of the work concerning the design elements. The plan of procedures greatly helped me in the construction process. It allowed my partner and me to easily map out what we are going to do each day. The lists also allowed me to see what components we had at our disposal.
During construction, we are testing each component to ensure its plausibility in the final testing. We found that motors must first be plugged into the motor controller before it is plugged into the PIC microcontroller. If it is plugged directly into the PIC microcontroller, then the motor spins without any control. Also, the motors and servos cannot lift everything. The first arm we had for the claw could not be lifted; therefore we changed the arm to a smaller and lighter one.
Conclusion
Now, we must trim the drive shafts connecting the claw’s arm to the hull and the drive shaft connecting the claw to its arm. We must also construct the entire propulsion system at the aft end of the robot. We must create the most important part, the foam hull. We are leaving this part until the last because then we will be able to place the mechanical framework upon the foam hull. This way when it comes time to do the land challenge, we simply remove the mechanical framework and attach the land propulsion system which also needs to be constructed.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Log 16
I am typing this log today (a day after I have completed these tasks because I had no time yesterday). Yesterday, my partner and I found some flaws in our design. The claw was bumping into the arm and the claw's arm had too much weight. We disassembled the claw and its arm. The claw was also missing a an unidentifiable pin; therefore we replaced it with a screw of appropriate length, and it is now functionable. We are now on the right track and moving quickly; nothing will slow us down.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Log 15
Again, logs have caughten up on me. My partner and I have made great progress in the construction of our VEX robot. We have completed each apparatus, and the only thing we have left to do is complete the propulsion system and create the foam hull. We will work on our construction today and complete the foam another time.
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