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Team Status Reports for 2/17

Our most significant risk is still the feasibility of magnetic lavation device, as the feasibility testing failed for the device we bought this week. We definitely need to have a functional device as soon as possible as we anticipate the arrival of a new existing commercial device.  Our main focus next week will still be testing out the magnetic lavation device and start building the software component of the system.

For the design, we moved from building a magnetic levitation kit to an existing commercial product due to the complexity of troubleshooting the existing device. We made this change because debugging the existing device may take effort and time beyond our expectation and we are unsure if it will function as expected even if we get the device working.

Schedule wise, we have to postpone the feasibility testing to next week and we plan to start doing software as early as next week.

 

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

Part A: Our device can have a positive impact to the well-being of the public by acting as a great  entertainment tool. Since playing Gomuku online may not be  readily available to the elders, maGomuku would a great alternative way to have fun with their friends. Safety wise, we aim to create a device that is easy to use so that users do not have to interact with the magnetic levitation device itself which might cause safety issue. We also aim to use compo

Part B: Similar to Go, Gomoku originates from Asia and is representative of the Asian culture in board games. Moreover, due to the simplicity of Gomoku compared to Go, it is also much easier to learn and can help promote Asian culture to a wider demographics (especially children).

Part C: Our design uses commonly used electronic components like stepper motors, Arduino Uno, motor drivers and magnetic levitation kit, all of which has mature manufacturing and supply chain power all around the world, making it easy to produce and distribute. Other than electronics part, we will likely adopt wood, plastic and permanent magnets, which are also common materials that can be easily acquired at anywhere, making the consumption of our project easy.

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Sizhe Chen’s Status Report for 2/17

This week, my primary focus has been on constructing the magnetic levitation device that was delivered on Monday. I soldered everything up yet the devices failed to work (see the attached photo for the device). I dedicated hours to troubleshooting, but the lack of  instructions and feedback from the manufacturer hindered progress. My team decided to move from this device to an existing commercial device that is ready to use out of the box. 

Regrettably, this setback has delayed our progress with magnetic levitation testing. However, we aim to regain momentum next week by completing testing with the new device and start moving the focus to the software component of our system, which remains independent of the physical device.

 

With the arrival of the new magnetic levitation device expected by the end of next week, we anticipate completing testing. Additionally, we aim to finalize the entire system design, while I will personally start testing the hall effects sensor components for detection.

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Sizhe Chen’s Status Report for 2/10

The majority of this week was dedicated to preparing and attending presentation sessions and finalizing the semester’s schedule. Additionally, I did some research on the feasibility of magnetic levitation online and researched different devices that we could use for the final project. I am tasked with the detection and locking system aspect of the project, so I delved into researching how to connect hall effect sensors to an Arduino by reviewing existing projects online. I believe I am confident to conduct actual experiments by next week.

We are on track with our schedule in terms of researching as we have created a comprehensive list of possible components. However, we have encountered delays in feasibility testing due to the delayed arrival of the magnetic levitation devices. We plan to conduct these tests promptly upon their arrival on the new scheduled date of 2/14.

Moving forward, our goal for next week is to complete testing of the magnetic levitation device and make decisions regarding the devices to be utilized in our final product.In the meantime, I aim to start the creation of a GitHub repository for the team to commence work on building software components as it does not depend on any physical device. Additionally, I will begin testing hall effect sensors for go piece detection next week.

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Team Status Report for 02/10

Our most significant risk is the feasibility of magnetic lavation device, which have to be resolved through hands on testing. Unfortunately, we have to delay the feasibility test because our expected maglev kit test unit delivery was delayed. Thus, for this week, we have to mainly focus on researching the similar solutions for our individual sections (gantry, detection, feeding).

Currently, all of our systems aside from maglev seem promising from the research and documentation we have found. Thus, there are no plans for changes to our design so far.

Schedule wise, we have moved the feasibility testing for the maglev kit from this week to next week.

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Shuailin Pan’s Status Report for 2/10

Aside from finishing up detailed schedule and attending proposal presentations this week, I mainly did research on the Arduino software and circuit design for controlling solenoid and stepper motor. The video that I was mainly studying are the following two:

I am currently on schedule for researching to design and feasibility of the go piece feeding system. However, testing for maglev feasibility has been delayed due to delivery issues and we plan to move the maglev testing to next week.

For next week, I plan to mainly perform tests and gather data required for the design of the Go piece delivery system:

  • Test for the forces required to push to separate magnets directly sticking together horizontally.
  • Test for the forces required to push to separate mock Go pieces (magnets surrounded by non magnetic materials) sticking together horizontally.
  • Create a physical prototype barrier as the Go piece (magnet) holder to test for feasibility of pushing to separate and displace the Go pieces.
  • After finding out the average forces required to separate pieces sticking together, test for the feasibility of using a solenoid or stepper motor to separate the magnets.
  • Figure out the go piece holder’s structure and motor placement after deciding the kind of motor used for piece feeding.
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Chiev’s Status Report for Feb.10

This week, I made progress on the capstone project by diving deep into the technical aspects of constructing an xy-axis gantry system for maneuvering game pieces on the board. My research led to a detailed implementation plan involving the use of two stepper motors (likely NEMA 17) equipped with actuator sets, which will facilitate the movement of the top-level magnetic levitation kit. These motors will be controlled by stepper motor controllers (A4988) that are, in turn, connected to an Arduino CNC shield module. This module is specifically designed for the Arduino UNO board, enabling precise control over CNC machines. The final piece of the puzzle involves programming an Arduino UNO board to create a control interface, ensuring the gantry can move efficiently from point A to point B.

My progress remains on track according to the original schedule. Looking ahead to next week, I aim to focus on identifying the necessary components for the xy-axis gantry, including the selection of specific SKUs that meet our project’s requirements. This phase will involve thorough investigation into the factors influencing component choice and culminate in the preparation of a comprehensive list of materials alongside a budget estimation. This next step is crucial for moving forward with the project and ensuring that all parts are ordered in a timely manner, keeping us aligned with our project timeline.