This week I redesigned and reprinted both the smaller and bigger gear after discovering the clearance and tightness issue from last week. The updated design fits properly now, and both gears screw in securely and spin well together.I also worked on integrating the mechanical components with the motor and the rest of the system. This included attaching the gears, pulleys, and clamps, and making sure everything is aligned and stable. After assembly, everything spins well, and we’re not seeing any fit or mounting issues with the pulleys or clamps right now. Next week, I’ll focus on any small adjustments if needed and continue supporting integration as other components come together.
Andrew’s Status Report for 3/28
I focused a lot on integration this week. For all of the software, I was able to get pretty much the entire pipeline running. The hand detection model is able to be used to generate content on the Jetson. It sends successfully over UDP to the Raspberry Pi, which is able to output data to the LED panels. However, it isn’t super clear whether the data being outputted is correct, as the panel isn’t spinning yet so you only see a single slice of information. I feel like this amount of integration is pretty decent to show for the interim demo.
We also put together a lot of components this week, and some of the integration didn’t go super smoothly. Next week I want to focus on thinking through some of these interactions and possibly redesigning them so that integration feels better/sturdier.
Team Status Report 3/28
Successfully integrated everything (except the display) this week.
One big issue we ran into this week was losing both of our displays. We realized that one of our displays was bricked, and shortly after, we proceeded to short our only remaining working display, so we’re currently working blind. We got the Pi working, so we can write the code, but we can’t verify if anything we’re writing is correct. We’ve since ordered express shipping on four new LED panels (we learned our lesson on redundancy), so that we can begin testing asap.
Other than the LED Display roadblock, we haven’t faced any additional significant challenges. One small component we may be redesigning in the near future is the chassis of the box. The individual components are currently a bit cramped inside our box, so we might redesign the box with a bit more room, as well as laser-cut a precision hole for the spinning metal rod to go through so it’s no longer rubbing against the plywood box.
As an update for our interim demo, here are some of our relevant figures and our updated schedule, which haven’t changed much since we began: Interim Demo Slides.
Steven’s Status Report 3/28
This week, my main focus was getting the motor running predictably. After digging through the ESC documentation, I figured out it’s controlled by a 50 Hz PWM signal (1ms for minimum power, 2ms for maximum). With that in mind, I wrote an Arduino program that lets us customize the motor speed using a simple percentage input. I also wired up a two-button setup on a breadboard: one to turn the motor on, and one to turn it off, which safely lets the motor coast to a slow stop at any point during operation.
Hardware-wise, I think we are finally back on track. Andrew and Kendric did some great work on the CAD side this week. The 3D-printed clamps are working surprisingly well and have pretty much solved the mechanical fit issues we were stressing about last week. We also finally got our microSD card, so the Pi is fully functional. But, ironically, we hit a massive new roadblock: both of our displays are dead (one is bricked, the other shorted out). So even though the Pi is ready to go, we can’t actually test any of our display code. We’ve express-ordered new 64×128 LED panels from China, but they definitely won’t be here in time for the interim demo.
Even without the physical screens, my goal for next week is to keep pushing forward on the software side. I’ll be writing the display code blind and working on integrating the Jetson Nano output so we’re completely ready to display real images the second those new panels arrive.
Kendric’s Status Report for 3/21
This week I printed both gears, which allowed us to begin testing there fit. Though, during testing, I found that the smaller gear was slightly undersized. Specifically, the clearance for the screw head used to attach it to the motor was too tight, so I updated the design to increase the clearance by 1 mm. The updated print should be ready on Monday.
Overall, progress is on track now that the initial prints are done and design issues have been identified. Next week, I plan to test the updated gear once it is printed and finalize the Raspberry Pi mount.
Andrew’s Status Report for 3/21
This week I shifted a bit away from software and laser cut the enclosure. I ended up forgetting a hole so there needed to be some manual drilling to make things work, but we’re much closer to fully assembling things now. We also got a microSD card for the Raspberry Pi, which allowed me to load the code on the device and start testing it out a bit. I mainly worked on getting dependencies downloaded and ensuring our OS was configured correctly (ssh, some cpu optimizations for the led, disabling excess features).
I think we might need to speed up progress a bit for the interim demo, so I will try to focus on integrating things more. Next week I want to focus on how to integrate parts such that we can have some form of demoable content.
Team Status Report 3/21
We didn’t hit any major new roadblocks this week. We spent a good chunk of time doing some preliminary testing on our 3D-printed clamp design, and the results were actually pretty encouraging. It feels sturdy enough to handle what we need. The biggest “problem” continues to be the overall mechanical fit. Now that we have the physical components, it’s clear that a lot of the parts we ordered don’t work great together. We also lost some testing time this week because we were missing a microSD card for the Pi, which kept us from really diving into the display and sensor integration.
Because the mechanical side is more complex than we originally thought, we’re making some adjustments to the chassis. We also realized the current mechanical connectors weren’t going to work, so we’ve ordered some new clamps and connectors to replace them. Moving forward, our plan is to pivot toward 3D printing a lot more of our own custom components rather than forcing the original parts to work. It’s a bit of a shift, but it’s the best way to make sure everything actually fits together securely.
Steven’s Status Report 3/21
This week, I spent most of my time digging through the electrical schematics for our Raspberry Pi port adapter. Since the adapter hub takes up all the GPIO pins, I had to trace everything back to figure out which ports we can actually use for our Hall effect sensor. It took a bit of research to find where those pins lead, but I needed to be sure we could read the sensor data properly. We also hit a small snag because we didn’t have a microSD card for most of the week, which meant I couldn’t actually get the Pi and display up and running for testing.
To be honest, we’re running a little behind. When we first made the schedule, we didn’t really account for how soon the first product demo was coming up. Most of the electrical stuff is in good shape, but the mechanical side is way more complicated than we thought it would be. Now that we have the parts, we’ve realized a lot of them aren’t going to work the way we planned, so we’re pivoting to 3D print more of the components ourselves. That mechanical design is definitely our biggest hurdle right now.
Now that we have the microSD card, my main goal for next week is to finally get the Pi connected and try to drive the LED display. I’m also going to start testing the Hall effect sensor to make sure we’re actually getting the data we need.
Team Status Report for 3/14
With all our components finally delivered, we spent the week transitioning from planning to active integration. Steven focused on the electrical subsystem, successfully verifying the power path from the rocker switch and PSU through to the motor control. Having the physical parts in hand has been important for Kendric, as he can now finalize the mechanical layout with exact dimensions, while Andrew has been balancing software development on the Jetson and Pi with the physical design. Our most significant risk currently involves several mechanical parts that don’t fit perfectly within our original chassis design. We are managing this by 3D printing custom adapters and using high-strength adhesives. If these adjustments don’t address our issues, we plan to find alternative mounting hardware locally to keep us on track.
There have been no changes to our system design, requirements, or block diagrams this week. While we are officially back on schedule, the “mid-semester” reality is setting in, and the final deadline feels much closer than it did before Spring Break. Although we haven’t needed to alter our technical specs, there is definitely a shared sense of urgency within the team to maintain this momentum. Now that the hardware is stable and being assembled, we’re in a good position to move into the final stages of integration without further delays.
Steven’s Status Report for 3/14
This week, following the return from Spring Break, my primary focus shifted from documentation to hardware integration and assembly. With the arrival of our remaining components, I was able to begin the end-to-end assembly of our power system. I started by validating the rocker switch’s functionality directly with AC power before integrating it with the PSU. After verifying the PSU’s output voltage via multimeter, I successfully tuned and tested the buck converter against its datasheet specifications.
The most complex undertaking this week was the synchronized integration of the servo tester, Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), and the motor. This required extensive research into various datasheets to ensure signal and power compatibility. I am pleased to report that the integrated electrical system is now fully functional, with all components operating safely and as intended.
While we are technically back on track with our original timeline now that the hardware is in hand, the post-break reality is hitting hard. Although we are currently meeting our milestones, the approaching final deadlines have significantly narrowed our remaining buffer. The schedule feels much tighter than it did earlier, and there is a heightened sense of urgency to maintain this momentum to avoid further delays during the final integration phase.
Next week, my primary goal is to integrate and drive the LED display. I will focus on establishing the correct wiring and developing the initial test logic to ensure we can accurately output system data to the display. This remains a critical step in providing the necessary user interface.