Most of our work recently was finalizing decisions for the design document which took a big push due to the fact that we were slightly behind on research because of our project pivot. Some of the decisions I worked on are listed. We selected the majority of the BOM and ordered our parts which we should receive by the end of the week after spring break.
We decided on NEMA 17 planetary gear stepper motors because their peak torque at 0 RPM provides the necessary mechanical resistance against coastal wind forces, which was a critical trade-off compared to the lower standstill torque of servo motors. Furthermore, we selected Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) for our power subsystem specifically for its thermal safety and stable voltage discharge, ensuring the system can operate reliably for a full 8-hour day in high-temperature beach environments.