This week I wired up the IMU on the top shelf and helped with testing. We had an issue with a bump on the ramp. I tried sanding and using several methods to fix it. Eventually, a TechSpark employee used a table saw to cut off the edge, and then we smoothed it out with a sander.
During this time, I also wrote some code for the Arduino to control one of the linear actuators. I worked on our final slides, set up testing parameters, and listed what we need to measure. I also made a color-coded guide for our wires in case we forget their purpose.
I think I am on track this week because most of our tasks are finished.
Next week we have a lot of preparation to do for presentations, final demos, posters, and reports. We also need to finish the final touches on the robot. I will be presenting our final presentation, so I plan to practice what I want to say about our project. We also have some testing to gather more data for the presentation and report.
While working on this project, I learned about FPGAs and IMUs through our sensing system. The most important lessons I learned were about time management and wire organization. These have always been hard for me in the past. Setting goals and creating a clear schedule helped. When things went wrong, we were able to handle them because we had planned. One part that took much longer than expected was dealing with tangled wires. Having a good system for organizing them made things much easier.
I learned the most through trying and failing. It cost us a bit, but we learned a lot each time. We replaced parts, tried new approaches, and made improvements based on what we saw. Online forums were also helpful because they are full of shared knowledge. Our problems were sometimes very specific, so it was great to find people who had gone through similar things. Short videos helped too because they get straight to the point. I watched one about capacitors that helped me think more about voltage and current when testing motors. These tools helped me think in new ways and pay more attention to the little details.