Spaghetti Bridge Project
In our design I really like the ideas we came up with to help complete both challenges. We had drawn supports connected to the highest point of the bridge to the center of the base, which helped keep the bridge from breaking too fast when the weights would be added. We also had a rubber band going from one end of the base to the other but the band was just above the base and it was there to stop the ball from falling of the edge. Lastly we drew a lift that would be placed under one side of the bridge that would help get the ball rolling and it would let the ball keep its momentum.
Next time I would like to make the base of our design stronger and give it some girth so the sugar does not just destroy the bridge. I would want to look at others design and understand how they had created their base so strong stable. Also making sure the designs show that the side of the bridge that does not have the lift under it, the boxes above that side have cubes that leave enough room for a ball to roll through. One very important thing is to make the angle of our bridge higher so one end of the bridge is higher off the ground to make sure the ball rolls and has the momentum to keep going and not stop near the end. Lastly making sure all the rubber bands that will be used for supports or to stop the ball are tight enough for support and strength but not to the point where it will break the spaghetti.
There was not many drawbacks in our group besides disagreement on ideas. Because of some disagreements on design there were discussions or arguments. It was sometimes difficult to work because we could agree on one design and it just caused us to getting slower and falling behind. If we decided faster and could come to terms on design faster and more civil we could have had a much better and working design.
Next time I would like to make the base of our design stronger and give it some girth so the sugar does not just destroy the bridge. I would want to look at others design and understand how they had created their base so strong stable. Also making sure the designs show that the side of the bridge that does not have the lift under it, the boxes above that side have cubes that leave enough room for a ball to roll through. One very important thing is to make the angle of our bridge higher so one end of the bridge is higher off the ground to make sure the ball rolls and has the momentum to keep going and not stop near the end. Lastly making sure all the rubber bands that will be used for supports or to stop the ball are tight enough for support and strength but not to the point where it will break the spaghetti.
There was not many drawbacks in our group besides disagreement on ideas. Because of some disagreements on design there were discussions or arguments. It was sometimes difficult to work because we could agree on one design and it just caused us to getting slower and falling behind. If we decided faster and could come to terms on design faster and more civil we could have had a much better and working design.
The Arduino Assignment
The Arduino Assignment was an project we began to prepare for the Smart House project. The assignment included choosing 3 of 5 challenges and completing them. Each challenge included coding, wiring and test to work the Arduino . Below is a self assessment of one of the harder challenges we chose. "After we started the assignment, we began with the programming. The programming was simple as it was just to be copied off the book, but we did encounter the issue of uploading it. After we understood that we had to install drivers for the upload, we did that then uploaded the program to the arduino/breadboard. Then we started building the circuit, which was also somewhat simple up until the point of getting the lights to actually work in the correct order. After we completed all the wiring we tested the lights and we were having lots of problems with getting the green light to turn on at the right time, then making it so the button would deactivate the green light and start making the 2 red lights turn on. We think the issue was in the setup of the green light, but no matter what we switched around we could get the green to turn and stay on until we pressed the button. Overall the spaceship assignment wasn't a complete fail but we had to leave out one portion of the green lighting".
The Recycled Furniture Project
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XAOIv8aYzCaEKmX3AyFTPBkwrfvh6Kcn
The link above leads to a vlog our ours from class. This vlog shows our recycle furniture assignment/project. The video will explain what the project idea was, changes made throughout the design and building process, challenges faced during the construction process along with what the electrical component is in the piece of furniture. The general idea of this project was to create some sort of piece of furniture with an electrical component. The furniture piece was mandatory to be made with any material other than wood and metal. It could be anything that would work with your electrical component. For the electrical component we were told to use the Arduino sets. We were able to use these to create and test our electrical components.
Below is a group reflection that explains what worked well in our group, changes we would make and more.
In our group working on separate tasks at the same time worked well. This was because we were all near each other and even though we were doing different things we we able to to help each other and complete our box and code. Our communication was also a great part of our group. We were able to talk back and forth and share ideas about the project very well and get the work done fast.
Our group function as great as we could've. All of us did the necessary parts we assigned to ourselves and did the best we could at them. We all asked for help when needed and worked well together with no arguments. Also while working together almost every idea that was passed around, we used/added in our project. It was a decent collaboration with good functionality. In the means of working on the box and filling the box me and one other member did most of it. Him and I filled the whole box with bubble wrap and taped everything along with cutting. I measured all of the lines needed and helped him by showing him where to cut. When it came to spray painting all of us the same amount and completed it together. When we did the coding I did all the of the building for the arduino and helped find the code and fix problems with the code. The other member just typed up the code and made sure it worked and uploaded right. Overall my contributions were building part of the box, helping write the code and lastly building the circuit.
With using cardboard, it got a little weak after all of testing which caused our box to have a harder time holding me up. Another issue we had was that the cardboard we had was smaller than we needed so we cut 2 boxes and put them together which also made the cardboard weaker and harder for me to sit on it. We had no problems with the circuit while building or putting it inside the box. With the bubble wrap, it wasn't as sturdy as I presumed it to be. When putting it in the box it seemed like a good idea that would work well but it is not the best because I sink in and parts of the box now fold out. A smarter idea would have been to use all Styrofoam.
The link above leads to a vlog our ours from class. This vlog shows our recycle furniture assignment/project. The video will explain what the project idea was, changes made throughout the design and building process, challenges faced during the construction process along with what the electrical component is in the piece of furniture. The general idea of this project was to create some sort of piece of furniture with an electrical component. The furniture piece was mandatory to be made with any material other than wood and metal. It could be anything that would work with your electrical component. For the electrical component we were told to use the Arduino sets. We were able to use these to create and test our electrical components.
Below is a group reflection that explains what worked well in our group, changes we would make and more.
In our group working on separate tasks at the same time worked well. This was because we were all near each other and even though we were doing different things we we able to to help each other and complete our box and code. Our communication was also a great part of our group. We were able to talk back and forth and share ideas about the project very well and get the work done fast.
Our group function as great as we could've. All of us did the necessary parts we assigned to ourselves and did the best we could at them. We all asked for help when needed and worked well together with no arguments. Also while working together almost every idea that was passed around, we used/added in our project. It was a decent collaboration with good functionality. In the means of working on the box and filling the box me and one other member did most of it. Him and I filled the whole box with bubble wrap and taped everything along with cutting. I measured all of the lines needed and helped him by showing him where to cut. When it came to spray painting all of us the same amount and completed it together. When we did the coding I did all the of the building for the arduino and helped find the code and fix problems with the code. The other member just typed up the code and made sure it worked and uploaded right. Overall my contributions were building part of the box, helping write the code and lastly building the circuit.
With using cardboard, it got a little weak after all of testing which caused our box to have a harder time holding me up. Another issue we had was that the cardboard we had was smaller than we needed so we cut 2 boxes and put them together which also made the cardboard weaker and harder for me to sit on it. We had no problems with the circuit while building or putting it inside the box. With the bubble wrap, it wasn't as sturdy as I presumed it to be. When putting it in the box it seemed like a good idea that would work well but it is not the best because I sink in and parts of the box now fold out. A smarter idea would have been to use all Styrofoam.
Smart House
The Smart house project was deigned for students to make a miniature home that had some special electronic features. The houses were required two unique electronics components, a control system and a security system. In this project our group had specialized sensors, automated and controllable lights, a temperature system and a motion detector. The following is a self reflection for the assignment including changes we would have made, team work and more.
During the assignment our time management and communication were our stronger aspects. Our time management was very effective because we were all focused and each of has a dedicated task that we worked on. Because of this we were one of the first group completed in the construction. When it came to our communication, each of us made sure others knew what we were doing and we all did our best to help each other when needed. This contributed to how fast we worked, how effective we were and also helped us complete the wiring quick.
Next time we would take more time to readjust the second floor as many of the pieces we used to build the floor were different sizes and it caused our floor to look uneven and looked very unaesthetic. We would also like to add a few more electronic components, such as a smoke detector, working garage and lastly another component in the security aspect. Other than fixing the second floor and adding a few more components to the home I would not like to change anything else.
The only challenge we encountered when we were constructing the house was the sizes of the wood strips that we used to build the second floor. The pieces that we had cut ourselves were cut according to our floors but the ones we received from others were uneven in length and thickness. This is our fault for not noticing the issue before and letting it ruin the second floor. 5. What were some of the challenges presented by the electro-assembly component? The only problem we had when it came for wiring was that many of the wires we used to wire the house were loose and numerous wires fell out when we were testing and presenting. Other than that we had not run into any other issues.
During the assignment our time management and communication were our stronger aspects. Our time management was very effective because we were all focused and each of has a dedicated task that we worked on. Because of this we were one of the first group completed in the construction. When it came to our communication, each of us made sure others knew what we were doing and we all did our best to help each other when needed. This contributed to how fast we worked, how effective we were and also helped us complete the wiring quick.
Next time we would take more time to readjust the second floor as many of the pieces we used to build the floor were different sizes and it caused our floor to look uneven and looked very unaesthetic. We would also like to add a few more electronic components, such as a smoke detector, working garage and lastly another component in the security aspect. Other than fixing the second floor and adding a few more components to the home I would not like to change anything else.
The only challenge we encountered when we were constructing the house was the sizes of the wood strips that we used to build the second floor. The pieces that we had cut ourselves were cut according to our floors but the ones we received from others were uneven in length and thickness. This is our fault for not noticing the issue before and letting it ruin the second floor. 5. What were some of the challenges presented by the electro-assembly component? The only problem we had when it came for wiring was that many of the wires we used to wire the house were loose and numerous wires fell out when we were testing and presenting. Other than that we had not run into any other issues.
Robot Design Challenge
The Robotic Design Challenge was a was a very difficult project for my partner and I as we had very little experience with building, coding and working with Vex and Robot C. The idea behind this project was to create a robot that would be able to complete an everyday task to help humans. The idea we chose to work with was simple, a robot to help carry items for you around factories and warehouses. We had to build the robot then code it to follow specific instructions. Below is the self reflection for this project.
The first couple stages of building was a difficult time for me and my partner as we struggled to understand what pieces to use and struggled in finding those pieces. When he started putting together the edges were had planned to use a large platform that would cover the top so we would not have to bolt each individual strip down. We hoped there would be a piece that would fit into the center, but we were mistaken. We ended up having to use individual strips. To complete the base, we added a few layers of the plastic to make sure the base that would carry supplies was study along with it filing a few gaps left. Another challenge faced throughout the building was the search for the right screws, nuts bolts. As many of the tools necessary for building were scattered and misplaced we struggled to collect the pieces we needed to build out robot.
In the starting process of wiring and and coding we had very few problems, but they were large problems. After we had completed the building we began adding motors and axles in the corners of the robot. When we had added all of the motors we had realized that one of the was broken and we had not noticed before. This had slowed us down a lot as we had to remove it and wait for a better one to be put back into the bin. After we had added in the new motor and wired each motor the the assigned port we moved on to the sensors. The sensors were harder to wire as there were multiple ports available for each individual sensor. After we completed all the screwing and wiring we moved onto the much harder aspect of this robot, which is coding. Overall this section wasn't too difficult as it was just researching the ports required, attaching motors and sensors then wiring.
The first couple stages of building was a difficult time for me and my partner as we struggled to understand what pieces to use and struggled in finding those pieces. When he started putting together the edges were had planned to use a large platform that would cover the top so we would not have to bolt each individual strip down. We hoped there would be a piece that would fit into the center, but we were mistaken. We ended up having to use individual strips. To complete the base, we added a few layers of the plastic to make sure the base that would carry supplies was study along with it filing a few gaps left. Another challenge faced throughout the building was the search for the right screws, nuts bolts. As many of the tools necessary for building were scattered and misplaced we struggled to collect the pieces we needed to build out robot.
In the starting process of wiring and and coding we had very few problems, but they were large problems. After we had completed the building we began adding motors and axles in the corners of the robot. When we had added all of the motors we had realized that one of the was broken and we had not noticed before. This had slowed us down a lot as we had to remove it and wait for a better one to be put back into the bin. After we had added in the new motor and wired each motor the the assigned port we moved on to the sensors. The sensors were harder to wire as there were multiple ports available for each individual sensor. After we completed all the screwing and wiring we moved onto the much harder aspect of this robot, which is coding. Overall this section wasn't too difficult as it was just researching the ports required, attaching motors and sensors then wiring.
Project X51
- What worked well
A challenge we faced was redoing our budget which we had a hard time doing because we weren’t as organized as we should have been. - If I were to this differently I would like to have our budget done better so that we wouldn’t have so much trouble managing the finances we had. Another issue we had was the cardboard we had used for a number of different aspects of the robot. If I would have changed this I would have liked to use the original idea we had of using a special piece of vex gear.
Podcast Project
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HadDwO32m8P9ixUYaxit0Q8QLeklu1dt/view
Reflection:
1. During this project there was lots of parts that worked well. The team work and collaboration during the recording helped us get the great result at the end. Editing and working on the transitions from a fun comedic environment to the dark and drug filled murder was very well put. Also the presentation aspect went really well for us since we had explain the backstory and the build up the the podcast very well. Lastly the response from the podcast listeners was really positive and there was little to no criticism which was something we were very proud of.
2. Throughout the assignment there were a number of things that we struggled with. The editing had taken us a much longer time than we had planned as there was too many aspects where we had the audio mixed up. Also there was a few parts of the script process that we felt were very difficult for us since we were either unable to reach the time frame or have content that applied to the topic we were discussing. Lastly brainstorming for this project is the one part that took us the shortest amount of time. This was due to the fact that we had just seen the JOKER movie and wanted to somewhat relate it to that story.
3. If I was to change something with the podcast there would only be 3 parts I would like to remove/change. First I want to get rid of the mean tweets aspect since it was something that I felt was forced and didn't need to be in there along with the fact that it sounded somewhat unauthentic. Next I wish I could have rerecorded some parts of the narration and a few lines in the podcast that had sounded a little too scripted and could have been recorded to sound real. Lastly I would have liked to actually add in some sound affect at the end of the podcast to represent it was over instead of ending it at an abrupt ending. This made it so some audience members could not tell it was the end of the podcast.
Reflection:
1. During this project there was lots of parts that worked well. The team work and collaboration during the recording helped us get the great result at the end. Editing and working on the transitions from a fun comedic environment to the dark and drug filled murder was very well put. Also the presentation aspect went really well for us since we had explain the backstory and the build up the the podcast very well. Lastly the response from the podcast listeners was really positive and there was little to no criticism which was something we were very proud of.
2. Throughout the assignment there were a number of things that we struggled with. The editing had taken us a much longer time than we had planned as there was too many aspects where we had the audio mixed up. Also there was a few parts of the script process that we felt were very difficult for us since we were either unable to reach the time frame or have content that applied to the topic we were discussing. Lastly brainstorming for this project is the one part that took us the shortest amount of time. This was due to the fact that we had just seen the JOKER movie and wanted to somewhat relate it to that story.
3. If I was to change something with the podcast there would only be 3 parts I would like to remove/change. First I want to get rid of the mean tweets aspect since it was something that I felt was forced and didn't need to be in there along with the fact that it sounded somewhat unauthentic. Next I wish I could have rerecorded some parts of the narration and a few lines in the podcast that had sounded a little too scripted and could have been recorded to sound real. Lastly I would have liked to actually add in some sound affect at the end of the podcast to represent it was over instead of ending it at an abrupt ending. This made it so some audience members could not tell it was the end of the podcast.