Final Project Daily Blog 18

Since the final report is due shortly in a few days, it appears to me that there are still a lot that has to be done. However, the ones that can be done are already done. I talked to Issac today and added a few things on the Cost Breakdown section. Alan said he was going to get the blueprints done but he did not so we have to figure out what to do on that. Other than that, the parts that still has to be done is the Design section, Discussion on how well your device work section, and the last individual reflection section. Design section is broken down into parts so Issac and I will get that done by next class. I worked on my parts in the Design section during class so it is almost done. By next class, I will finish my part in the individual reflection section, and hopefully my other two teammates will also complete their sections. 

Final Project Daily Blog 17

Today in class, I went through the entire final report and finished all the ones I am able to finish, which includes I, II, IV. I spent most of the time completing section II which is the literature review because it entails a lot of stuff and I wrote pretty much a page and a half for it. I also started III which includes the CAD diagrams, instructions for use, and design diagrams, etc. This part will take some time to be done because it is pretty complicated there are a lot things that are entailed. I have already taken pictures of the diagrams we need to put on here, but I need to upload them still so. I have collaborated with Alan and Issac on the questions I have with citations, and the final reports, and I also helped Alan with uploading the CAD files. By next class, I will upload these diagrams and hopefully get also get the blueprints done. 

Final Project Daily Blog 16

I made big progress on the final project report today in class. First, I made modifications on the first question and the fourth section. Then, for the Literature Review Section, I went online and did many research on the projects done by other industries to find out the current need for personal robots in the market these days. I was able to find many examples and had a lot of material to write. Also in this same section but for the part where we need to talk about the research we've done to complete our project. I had to talk to Issac and Alan for the websites they have been looking up for this project, and had to do proper citations. I am almost done with the Literature Review section and will finish before/by next class. 

Final Project Daily Blog 15

In class today, I worked on the final paper, I started doing research on the projects done by other scientists/inventors that are similar to the ones we are doing, and I have found very interesting articles talking about the variety of robots being invented for various uses. I also figured out the proper MLA format to cite sources, which seems to be crucial for getting a good grade in this project. I went over our progress with Issac and Alan, and I also told them to send me the website links they've gone on to research for this project. And all of these will go under the Literature Review section in the final paper. Before next class, I will keep on researching for more material, and start on the citations. 

Final Project Daily Blog 14

I was not in class today due to an AP Computer Science exam in the morning. With that, I haven't really gotten a lot of time dedicated for our project since I was preparing for my two AP on Monday and Tuesday. However, I was able to get some time to go over our final paper, edit some of the things I wrote last class, and complete the introduction paragraph. I also will talk to Issac and Alan about what I missed today in class and make sure I stay on top of things. Before next class, I will keep working on the final paper and hopefully start on part 2, which is the research paragraph. 

Final Project Team Progress Report 5

This week our group has accomplished quite much. I worked on the bluetooth circuit treat on Tuesday, started the final paper and finished the IV section on Wednesday, and I finished the I section, the introduction paragraph today. Issac worked on the coding and bluetooth on Monday and Wednesday, and he is not here today. Alan worked on modifying the wheel in our robot car the whole week. Our group is on schedule because we have modified and printed our parts and they have worked properly. Since we will have many AP exams in the next few weeks, some of our members will be missing a few classes and hopefully this won't affect our progress. Our goals next week are to finish the construction of the base of our robot car with wheels, servos, wiring, and bluetooth connection in place, and we will finish designing and start constructing our robot arm.

Final Project Daily Blog 13

In class today, I worked on the final paper that is due in a few weeks. Our parts are being printed so there weren't a lot of other things to do. I worked on the introduction section of the final paper and I was able to get 95% done by the end of the class. Before next class, I still need to proof read and make sure I have included everything in my writing. I collaborated with Alan on 3D printing and discussed with him on some stuff to include in the introduction paragraph. 

Final Project Daily Blog 12

     I worked on our final paper for this project in class today. Specifically, part four where I needed to record all the parts we used, the costs, and the man-hours required to design, construct, our device. I went online and did research on some parts that we used since the costs of them were unknown. I also discussed with Issac on the bluetooth connection since it still didn't work after constructing it last class. By next class, I will hopefully get all the parts printed and start to assemble the pieces together. 

Final Project Daily Blog 11

Today Issac and I worked on connecting the bluetooth for our project. We had to connect the wiring I did last class with the arduino uno and the computer. We also used Alan's Android phone to help testing out if it works. We did encounter several obstacles during the process but we were able to figure out the problems. Additionally, I helped Alan with the robot cars since he was modifying it. Before next class, I will keep doing researching on the bluetooth and the coding to make sure that what we did in class today was correct. 

Final Project Daily Blog 10

Today I was not in class because I am on a college visit. However, for this project, with the very limited time I have, I did some research on the servos that we should be using for the robot arm and also looked up the wirings and coding for the bluetooth connection that we are building for our robot. I saved the websites and hopefully they will be useful when I start working on the project next week. As part of the project, I will ask Issac and Alan about their progress today and make sure i am on track with our project. 

Final Project Daily Blog 9

In class today, I worked on the bluetooth circuit treat for our projects. I did the basic wirings on the breadboard and I was able to get it done by the end of the class. Although I learned to wire it after watching a Youtube tutorial, it was still kinda difficult since the specific part the person in the video was using was different from the one I have, so I have to do more research so that I understand specifically where each wire goes. As part of the group, Alan helped me several times when I had questions and it made my problems I was having a little bit easier. By next class, I will keep researching on the bluetooth circuit treat and understand more how it works. 

Final Project Daily Blog 8

In class today, I spent quite amount of time modifying my CAD model, this is unexpected because when I actually transform the file into stl and put the file on the printing computer, I began to see problems with my CAD that I didn't think of before. At first, there was a problem with converting units because after converting it it would not fit within the printing range, so I had to modify it. Also, in my CAD, I had things sticking out from both side of a base, but then I realized the printer wouldn't print anything like that so I had to modify it again. Before next class, since I will be printing my CAD model, I will start research on the servos we are using for our robot arms. As part of the team, I discussed with Alan and Issac on possible problems with my CAD and I also made sure that I can help them the best as I can. 

Final Project Daily Blog 7

In class today, I finished my CAD model for the Arduino mount. My plan was to have it print today, but some other print was going on at the time so I was not able to print it. So because, we decided to push it to Friday to print. As part of the group, Issac needed help with modify his CAD model for the motor mount which had dimension problem after he 3D printed it out, so I also started working on this, and I plan to finish modify the CAD on/before Friday.

Final Project Daily Blog 6

         Today in class, after filling out the student survey, I kept working on the CAD file that I was working on last week. The things that are taking the most time on the CAD model are the measurements, since I am working on the Arduino mount and there are many specific measurements required for every small thing. So I needed to double check with each part so that I am sure every small thing on the CAD model is accurate. By the end of the class, I am 95% done and I am certain that I will be able to finish the whole entire thing in class tomorrow so that we can start printing next class. As part of the team, Alan and I started working on our final report that is due in May, we went back to our proposal for the project to get information needed to begin the introduction paragraph. 

Final Project Team Progress Report 2

    This week, our group mainly worked on research and CAD files. Issac worked on the CAD file for the motor mount on the Monday and he finished it before he left for college visit on Friday, that being said, he was not here on Friday. Alan made a CAD model of a circuit board and arduino housing and completed constructing the vehicle portion of the robot. And I worked on two versions of the Arduino mount both Monday and Friday to see which one would fit better. Our group is slightly behind schedule because we should have started printing this week. However, since we experienced difficulty with the CAD modeling and was not able to finish that, we would have to delay our printing for next week. And since we will be printing next week, we might then have to push soldering until later, but that still will depend on our progress next week. Our goal for next week is to finish printing, finish CAD model, and also since our parts are delivered, we can start assembling. 

Final Project Daily Blog 5

In class, I kept working on the CAD model of the Arduino Mount. Even though I did not finish, I think I made quite amount of progress today and I hope that I will get to finish the CAD model in the next two classes so that we can finish our project on time. As part of the team, I made sure that Allen and I are both productive and know what each other is working on so that we can be as efficient as possible. Before next class, I will modify the CAD model as I think there are still some problems with it and keep working on it. And hopefully when Issac gets back, we can move on more quickly and get more things done to stay on task and finish our project.

Final Project Daliy Blog 4

In class today, I worked on the CAD model for the Arduino Uno part that will be secured onto our robot chassis. Since we used the Arduino Uno from our last methane sensor project, I was able to use what we had from last time and modify it to fit our project this time. Since I need to figure out how to secure Arduino Uno onto the chassis, I measured the top surface of the chassis with the distance of the holes in the surface to the edge, and distance between the holes, and diameters of the holes etc. This is quite difficult because without accurate measurement, the CAD model could not then be made properly which might cause some errors when placing our Arduino onto the chassis. As part of the team, I am cooperating with Allen to make other measurements of the chassis that he needed. Before next class, I need to keep working on the CAD model and hopefully get it done as early as possible. 

Project Daily Blog 3

For almost the entire class today, I was finalizing the parts list with Isaac. I went on many websites and did research the parts we needed and where we can get them. I was able to find different types of microcontrollers, motor shields, motors, and arduino uno. It was difficult to identify which ones are compatible with our projects and which ones are not, because I need to go through the data sheet and look at its current, power, voltage, etc to see if they would work. Some websites do not provide any information on the parts so I needed to do further research. Other websites have long delivery time. Ultimately, we were able to get all the parts we needed for the first stage of our projects. As part of the team, I also helped Allen with building his Chassis. 

Before next class, I will starting working on the coding for the robot, and I will hopefully get to research on some other parts that we need for the projects that we will not need until later. Our robot needs to be assembled and all the products need to be ordered by next week, so we can start 3D printing next week.

Final Project Daily Blog 2

In class today, we weighted the weight of the chassis and the diameter of the wheels. With that information, I was able to figure out the stall torque that is required. This helped me to finalize the type of DC motor we will buy. I went on a few different websites to further research on the motors to make sure that the torque, power, size, and voltage level of the motor I selected is all good for our project. I also researched on the h-bridge and gear boxing and decided that we will not use it. As part of the team, Isaac and I communicated on the materials we will be using, and I helped Allen with building/assembling our chassis/robot. Before next class, I will make a spreadsheet with all the parts that we will order online, the quantity, and the website we will order from. The point of this is so that we keep track of what we have, what we need, and how much they cost since we have a budget. 

Final Project Daily Blog 1

During class today, Issac and I went over again the details about our project. I looked over the proposal again to just be sure of every detail that I need to know, and discussed with Issac any confusion I have regarding how this project is going to go. Since the timeline was due by the end of the class, Issac and I discussed on the scheduling and the things we intend to accomplish every week in the next month. Since there are three paths that we can choose to finish our project - each path with a different complexity and difficulty level, it was hard for us to decide when we need to finalize our final choice of which path we want to go. Other than that, the general plan and direction of our project was not hard to figure out. Individually, I had being researching details about this project, especially finding parts and materials we need to use. I specifically was looking at motors, h-bridge, and gear reduction during class and before. I found out ways to figure out what kind of motors we needed (DC) and how to figure which specific type should be chosen (mathematical formulas). This requires knowledge about power, current, and voltage. So before Wednesday's class, Issac will figure out the weight of the chassis (since he has it), and the dimensions, and these information will be useful for me to figure out the final motors we need to use. 

Methane Sensor Build Reflection

In order to successfully completing this project, I believe that the most important thing is to understand what has to be done and understand what you can do to help to get this project done. Although I did what I had to do in the project, such as the coding and reflection parts, but I think it is also crucial to help my teammates with problems they encounter, so I believe that constantly asking each other if they need help with anything or what is the currently progress of the project is important. Since our initial design proposal, we had to change some of the coding in order to make our sensor work. We also had to modify our case since we realized that the dimension we originally planned did not accommodate what can be the most efficient, and we had to keep modifying it many times later because we kept finding problems. This problem could have been solved during the design phase if more time were taken. If we were to arrange the parts in our case in the CAD model a few more different ways, we would then be able to decide what dimension would the case be. 

Overall, for the most part, our group was successful because we took every step seriously and we were very attentive to detail. Especially in the CAD model design part, we took a long time and made sure that every thing is a hundred percent correct. Also we collaborated well and no one complained or anything. The big challenge we faced were that we were not able to finish the project on time. Although it seems like the reason is that we were not able to use the room outside of class since we don't have access to them, but I believe that if we were to manage our time more wisely and did not spend so much time on modifying the case, we could then have finished the project. We did not have the time to print out our case so we were not able assemble them. However, now we know that we need to manage our time efficiently and towards the final project, it is crucial to plan everything ahead of time. 

Methane Sensor Design Reflection

Generally, I believed that our grouped has worked pretty well together throughout this project. In the beginning, when we were brainstorming the design of this project, we got together and talked about our ideas. We went through the design process and we did many research on the internet to give us inspirations. Members in my group were very engaged and we were able to find a general direction of our design in a very short time. After identifying what we needed to do. We split up our work. I made a good document and wrote down a list of things needed to be accomplished. We had Casey working on the explanation, me working on the parts list and codes, Issac and Allen working on the CAD, and Buck working on the schematic. We worked at a steady pace and asked each other questions when we encounter a problem. However, since it took us a long time in the first class to understand how the methane sensor work and how to do this project, Buck suggested that he will just do more research at home and instead worked on painting the robotic project stuff in class. Then in the next class he said that we can just keep on working and he will just finish what we don't finish by himself. While I am grateful that he is very responsible in this project, I think that some other members and I can do this project with more thoughts and skills so that our work loads can be more evenly spread out. In insuring that our grou pis successful in completing the build portion of this project, I believe that every single one of us need to be more engaged during class time and be more productive so that we can get things done on time. 

Inventor Kit Blog Post

From constructing the 16 circuits, I believe that I have gained a better understanding of how circuits work and how computer programming is able to manage the flow of the circuits. Since there were a wide variety of circuits that we built, I was able to explore and learn many things a circuit can do like making a noise, controlling different colors in an LED, and adjusting the brightness according to the lighting. It is similar to the Arduino project because these two projects all used the Arduino program to program and control the circuits. However, it is different because the Arduino Tutorial was when we first got to learn about Arduino and how programming works in terms of building circuits, and for some people it was their first to even learn how to program. In the Arduino project, we mainly focused on the coding: what each code does and how to code so that the circuit does what we want. But for this Inventor Kit, we focused on the construction of the circuits. The coding were already made for you, and you just have to construct your circuits in a way that does what the codes tell.

From building these circuits, I got to experience with building circuits a little bit more. Because the Digital Circuit project was the first time that I had ever build a circuit and I felt like I was very confused and not sure what I was doing. So I really like this project because I got to be more skilled at building a circuit and really had the opportunity to learn why certain things go in certain locations. And I always became more attentive at my problems because throughout the project many things didn't work out and I had to take the time and figure out what the problem is. I believe that this has trained me to be more careful and thoughtful before I start doing anything. In the future, I hope that what I learned in the project will help me to be more knowledgable at approaching problems so that I can have an easier time to do my future projects. And I believe that these projects had really taught me the basics of circuits and programming and I hope that these will be beneficial to me for any future engineering, computer science, or physics related projects I will be doing. 

Digital Circuit Construction Reflection

From designing the circuit last semester until completing the entire project last week, I am grateful for this experience and I have definitely learned many things. In the beginning of this project, I definitely felt hopeless and was uncertain about whether I was able to finish the project. With no previous knowledge about circuit boards, soldering, 3D Printing, etc, I always found myself trying to make sense of what is happening and what really should be done. Every single step of this project was a challenge for me. I did not understand how to design my circuit case, and how circuits work. But I was able to learn a bit more every single day as I constantly researched about the topics and ask people around me for help. Through 3D printing, I was able to observe how the cases I designed can turn out, explore the possibilities within the design, and modify my cases from my mistakes. From getting my parts list together, I got to see what things like capacitors and resistors really look like, and the role they play in the circuit board.  From building the circuit, I learned to use many tools and became more skilled at soldering. 

Even though I became better at soldering, soldering was a big part of the failure on my project. When I was using the breadboard to simulate my circuit, the circuit seems to work fine with my LED flashing and speaker making noise. However, after soldering my circuit on the circuit board, it didn't appear to work. It was because some of my solder went together and this connected some of my pins that should have been connected and messed up my circuit. I should have been more careful with soldering by practicing more. For my circuit case, my circuit case was totally fine, everything went perfectly together. However, when I was trying to print my case from the big printer, I, in a hurry, tried to add some depth to the case of my cap, which somehow made the cap bigger than it should. I should have used the cap from the previous prints. In the future, I needed to be more careful and plan my project more thoroughly and make sure that I understand everything before I proceed to work.