Lect 30P. 1

1
H193 Project

• Lecture 30

2
ENG H193 Administrative Issues

• Teams should be established March 26th or so
  (Watch your email over spring break)
• Each team member must purchase a coupon
• All four (or three) coupons must be purchased
  before the team gets their starter kit
• The cost of the course materials is 75 per team
  member. Please bring cash or check to purchase
  the coupons (No Buck-ID, no charge cards)
• Coupons will be sold in the office (HI 244) on
  Monday thru Wednesday the first week of class

3
ENG H193 Robot "Starter" Kit

• One completely functional Handy Board with
  charger/interface box, wall adapter, serial
  cable, link cable, and simple documentation
• Basic set of sensors (CdS cell, optosensor,
  microswitches, IR receiver, encoder) plus some
  miscellaneous stuff
• One kit of basic hand tools
• One copy of "Robotic Explorations" by Fred Martin
  (the guy who designed the Handy Board)
• Teams get 150 budget in Company Store

4
Reference Text Supplied
5
Typical Problems from Previous Years

• Building a rigid chassis
• Mounting a motor on the chassis
• Connecting the motors to the drive wheel,
  sprocket, etc.
• Getting the robot to drive straight
• Reducing friction
• Not starting soon enough !

6
Typical Problems from Previous Years

• Mounting sensors avoid hot glue and duct tape
• Mounting minimum no. of sensors to perform
  functions
• Spaghetti wiring Label wiring for each
  component (allows easy reinstallation of all
  wiring when you have to change Handy Board !)
• Pick a color-coded wiring scheme and stick to it
• Protecting the power trace on the Handy Board
  The edge of the board is the 5V supply for the
  processor chip

7
The Handy Board
8
Typical Problems from Previous Years

• Not making good solder joints
• Not having enough sensors wired as spares
• Not taking care of your batteries
• "Zap" charge will zap (i.e., kill) your battery
• First battery replaced at nominal fee
• Second battery replaced at cost (about 20)
• Not starting soon enough !

9
Typical Problems from Previous Years
10
Typical Programming Pitfalls

• Too much code exceed memory of Handy Board
• Failing to use global variables
• Scarcity of comments in code (comments dont take
  any memory space)
• Improper use of functions
• Inappropriate timing to check sensors
• Not using modular approach to building code, not
  checking modules often
• Suggestion -- Write a general "check sensor"
  routine and run it periodically
• Not starting soon enough !

11
Potential Team Problem Areas

• Making decisions that everyone supports
• How to make decisions
• Making work assignments
• What happens when an individual is having trouble
  completing assigned work
• Making a project schedule and keeping it updated
  (this will be a living document and requires
  weekly/daily change)
• What to do if someone doesnt come to meetings
• HAVING ALTERNATIVE PLANS !!!!!! AND KNOWING WHEN
  TO GO TO THEM !!!!!!

12
Pursue Achievable Goals
13
Take Calculated Risks
14
Keeping Up with Daily Work

• Sharing project notebook, updating, team meeting
  agenda, and team meeting notes assignments
• Document meetings and decisions made with
  rationale behind them
• Checking the schedule
• Keeping others up to date on your progress

15
The 2003 FEH Robot Competition

• Final Competition May 29, 2003 from 330 to 530
• Admission is free friends and parents welcome
• There will be some early rounds conducted during
  the middle of the day starting at about 12 noon
• Competition style will likely include three
  rounds of match play followed by a
  single-elimination tournament -- This guarantees
  each team 4 opportunities to run on competition
  day

16
The Venue French Field House
17
The Final Report
18
Celebrating Success End of Year Picnic