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Team Status Report for 04/20

This week, the team’s main focus is on the construction and testing of the PCB board for the hall effect sensor matrix. In addition, we completed the software APIs and logics to deal with the event when a new piece placement is detected by the hall effect sensor, which marks completion of the major software features (gantry movement of opponent’s placement and board update given a new physical piece placed) .

Due to the spacing of the PCB design, we have to solder on multiplexer without header pins to ensure the minimal distance required between the surface and the electromagnet for the movement system to function. Such restriction lead to escalating difficulty in soldering on components without shorting, slowing down the testing process and destroying multiple components during the process. To solve this problem, we decided to decrease the size of the board for the final presentation, while Sizhe made improvements on the original PCB design to be used for the final demo product.

Next week, we will focus on constructing and assembling the final parts once we receive the new improved PCB boards.

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Shuailin Pan’s Status Report for 04/20

This week, I mainly focused on modeling, cutting and assembling the final outer chassis of the entire system. I also helped with standardizing soldering practice for the hall effect sensor with Sizhe to ensure minimal variance for each piece so that we can avoid connection issues and minimize detection difference.

Schedule and risk wise, due to the consumption of the components, we are only on track for a working 6 by 6 board for the presentation next week. However, Sizhe designed a new improved PCB that is optimized for soldering ease and pathing which we will use for the final product.

Next week after the presentation, I will help with soldering the new PCB boards, further testing, and internal wire management for the final demo product.

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Team Status Report for 03/23

Our most significant risk is still the usage of PCB for the HE sensor matrix.

Design wise, Shuailin had a small change regarding the feeding system placement due to magazine with spring requires too much force to put around 40 go pieces inside. Sizhe had a small change regarding HE sensors multiplexer reading sequence schema to improve reading speed.

Schedule wise, the team is still behind for integration. However, Sizhe and Shuailin did most of the integration and grunt work that does not require gantry. Zipiao had made great process in software development.

Next week, since Zipiao is back, we will focus on integration with the gantry system to achieve actual general Gomoku game flow.

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Shuailin Pan’s Status Report for 03/23

This week, I mainly finish grunt works and setup circuit and prep for smooth gantry integration. I laser cut go pieces in bulk and assembled them together with Sizhe. I also setup a transparent full size gomoku board for clearer movement and integration testing. I also helped with hall effect sensor detection and multiplexer circuit.

Design wise, I scrapped the idea of using compression spring in the go piece magazine, since after mass producing the go pieces, I found out that inserting over 20 pieces into the spring loaded magazine chamber requires too much force. Meaning, for integration, the feeding system would be upright using gravity instead of horizontal using compression spring.  Feeding movement involving stepper motor is unchanged. Risk wise, this is a simple change and mainly only impacted appearance and not functionality.

Schedule wise, I am still behind due to not being able to integrate with gantry. However, I finished all possible prep work, testing circuity and code to help expediting once we can integrate with gantry next week.

 

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Team Status Report for 03/16

Our most significant risk is the still the PCB component that we decided to add to our system. Moreover, we have to postpone the building of xy motor system because Zipiao was not able to return to US this week.

We currently do not have any design change and we had a deeper understanding of our project by diving into the individual components and assembling them.

Schedule wise, as Zipiao was unable to return in time, we assigned Zipiao to do the webapp first during last week. And Sizhe and Shuailin was able to finish certifying that there are no interference problem between locking and detection system.

Next week, since Zipiao is likely coming back, we will mainly focus on integration with the gantry system and decide on the actual dimension of the outer housing.

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Sizhe’s Status Report for 3/16

This week, my main focus was on completing the design of the PCB. On Monday, I fully tested out the new analog hall effect sensor and tested out the voltage different resulted from different magnet size. I also worked on the ethic assignment and finished designing the PCB. However, I have not yet placed the order since the team want to make sure the dimension actually match the x-y motor system so we plan to place the order after completing that part of project.

Our progress is still behind as Zipiao was unable to return to US in time due to some unexpected issue. However, we have made significant progress and we will continue working this week to catch up.

Looking forward, we anticipate that we will finish x-y motor system as a team and begin to do some basic integration with the Arduino so we can move the go pieces by next week

 

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Shuailin Pan’s Status Report for 03/16

This week I mainly finish constructing and putting together the actual go pieces using laser cutting and successfully test the feeding system using the stepper motor with flags, laser cut housing and the compression spring. I also help with testing the interference of hall effect sensor detection and the locking system. After testing, we conclude that given current designed magnet and board thickness, there should be no issues.

Design wise, there are no major changes in the feeding system. However, I may need to laser cut new housing for the feeding magazine when trying to integrate with the gantry system.

Plan wise, I am behind on the deciding the actual placement of the feeding system as well as the positioning of the feeding area since I don’t have access to the gantry system.

Next week, since our teammate is coming back, I will mainly focusing on integration with other modules and implement any changes needed for the feeding system.

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Zipiao’s Status Report for 3/16

This week, due to some unexpected issues, I was not able to return to the US from the spring break, making it not possible for me to develop the x-y gantry system with the stepper motors. In order to mitigate the situation, I had to reschedule the task so that the intended schedule is not falling behind. This week, I mainly focused on developing the software interface (web app) logic on the PC. I finished kickstarting the Django project, designed and implemented a basic user interface, and developed some basic logic for gomoku controls. Now it is able to place black and white pieces onto a board interchangeably.

Due to unforeseen obstacles, the schedule for this week (which is supposed to be the gantry development), is a bit falling behind. Starting next week, I will continue to develop the software to incorporate a complete game playing logic and start to explore the options to integrate with the hardware using PySerial. I will also use my time to assemble the x-y gantry system.

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Shuailin Pan’s Status Report for 03/09

For the past weeks, aside from finishing the design report, I completed the following functions/tests:

  • Working Electromagnet that is able to attract magnet pieces
  • Test and ensure the magnet piece attraction and locking via magnets works across plywood up to 9mm thick
  • Test for locking via non magnetic ferromagnetic sheet metal washer (backup) and concludes that it is not as ideal as using permanent magnet for locking
  • Test and ensure that stepper motor has enough force to separate magnet go pieces with 6mm of plywood in between

Schedule wise, due to the closure of Ideate material lending office during spring break, I was not able to procure more plywood to laser cut the chassis for the feeding magazine and more go pieces. Thus, I was not able to finish the go feeding system as planned for integration.

For next week, after catching up with the unfinished laser cutting jobs, I will assemble and test go feeding chassis integrated with stepper motor, and help with interference testing between electromagnet, HE sensor and locking system. I would also likely begin writing Gomoku software logic in case the team cannot meet up for integration.

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Team Status Report for 03/09

Our most significant risk is the new PCB component that we decided to add to our system to better fit the go board setting and avoid interference with the electro magnet. Since this is a new component and our team has little prior experience with PCB design and fabrication, we face the challenge of ensuring its compatibility with our existing system architecture and meeting our performance standards.

To mitigate the risk associated with the new PCB component, we have tasked Sizhe with learning AutoDesk. Moreover, we are researching online and have taken inspiration from successful PCB designs in similar projects.

For changes in the design, we decide to use permanent magnets as the locking mechanism instead of electromagnets due to budget constraint and circuit ( PCB) complexity. There is no major change to our plan in other areas. Looking forward, we are also actively building the x-y motor system. We hope that we will be able to control the x-y motor system by the end of next week.

Schedule wise, we plan to first implement software web app first in case the team cannot physically meetup for integration. Moreover, we need to catch up with things that were postponed due to the time costed on magnetic lavation device.

———————————EXTRA———————————

A was written by Sizhe Chen,  B was written by Shuailin Pan and C was written by Zipiao Wan.

Part A:

One key aspect of our solution is accessibility. We recognize that not all users may be technologically savvy or have access to high-speed internet connections. Therefore, our product will prioritize the ease of use, ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds can easily engage and have fun with it. Moreover, different users around the world might have different experience with go-like game. Those with an Eastern background may be more familiar with Go, while others may have more experience with traditional chess. Our product needs to consider these factors and provide varying levels of assistance accordingly.

Part B:

The automated networked Gomoku game board we’re developing will not only promote Asian culture but also unite different cultures around the globe. By using eye-catching technology, our solution offers a friendly, engaging, and accessible experience, which is able to transcends the language barrier and introduce Asian culture to players worldwide. Moreover, with the networking capability, our game board is able to connect and unite players who enjoy Gomoku from all around the world no matter the country or culture they are from. Through this innovative approach, our product aims to not only popularize Gomoku but also celebrate cultural diversity.

Part C:

For our prototype and product, we are using plywood as the chassis for the board and the shell for the go pieces. Since plywood is durable, and with correct oil sealing treatment: pretty long-lasting, we can ensure the longevity of our product to reduce unnecessary waste. Moreover, since plywood is a renewable material unlike plastic, we can minimize our products environmental impact.  However, the heavy usage of magnets and circuitry will likely encourage rare earth metal excavation and contributes to waste and pollution.