Team Meeting Minutes

Team Meeting Minutes # 1
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm, Thursday, January 19, 2017
Location: NAU Engineering Building

1.) Deliverables and DOE Review: 7:00pm – 8:15pm
The team went over the upcoming deliverables. The first upcoming deadline is presentation one on week 3. For this, a flow chart and CAD files will be produced for the presentation to explain the design. The motors, batteries, and speed controller are expected to have arrived before the presentation and should be ready for a live demonstration. For manufacturing, Sean Sussman and Hunter Lane will work together to finish the frame design. The entire team will construct it together in the machine shop since everyone has been trained to do so. The internal components will be assembled and the algorithm will be written by Graham Rose and Jordan Ziegler. No purchases except the motors ($400), speed controller ($139.99), and the batteries ($76) will be necessary before presentation 1. The metal for frame construction should be retrieved before the presentation as well.
The next due date will be hardware review one, due on week 5 of the semester. DOE review was also conducted. The team is ready to complete their DOE. For hardware review 1, the team plans to have all internal components purchased before the review. The frame will likely not be completed in time but a final design will be completed so construction can begin as soon as possible.
2.) DOE Tentative Plan: 8:15pm – 8:50pm
The tentative plan for the DOE is to be completed the weekend after the motor and speed controller are received. The DOE will be performed to optimize the pushing power of the sumobot. The three variables to be tested are the gear reduction ratio, the supplied current from the batteries, and the reaction time of sensors. The pushing power will be tested by seeing the maximum weight that can be pushed by the bot. Exercise weights will be used and will be increased in 5lb increments.
3.) Bblearn Questions & Concerns: 8:50pm – 9:00pm
The teams only concern after going over the Bblearn content is whether components will arrive in time for the DOE to be completed. However, the power supplied can be tested as soon as the motors and speed controller arrive. Both of these components have been ordered already.
Potential Weekly Meeting Times
1. Friday, 12:00pm – 12:30pm
- Also available Friday, 12:30pm – 4:00pm
2. Monday, 10:0am-10:30am,
3. Monday, 10:30am – 11:00am

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 2
Meeting Time: 2:0pm – 4:00pm, Saturday, January 28, 2017
Location: NAU Engineering Building

1.) Presentation Preparation: 2:00pm – 2:30pm
The team meeting was begun by preparing for the presentation that will be given on January 30th. The speaker of each section was assigned as follows:
Project description – Jordan Ziegler
Updates – Graham Rose
Manufacturing – Sean Sussman
Schedule & Budget – Hunter Lane
This breakdown was determined based on who is will be most knowledgeable on the topics. The labeled image of the design is being presented by Graham Rose because he has the strongest understanding of the internal components of the sumobot Sean Sussman will discuss manufacturing because he is in charge of assembling the frame. The frame is also the only component being designed by the team. Hunter will discuss the schedule and budget because he made, updates, and keeps track of all scheduling and budget tasks for the project. Despite having a strong understanding of the internal components and helping with the programming component of the project, Jordan will go over the project description so that each member is responsible for an equal part of the project.
2.) PowerPoint Creation: 2:30pm – 3:50pm
After breaking up the sections for the presentation, the team mad the presentation. Each member of the team made the slides for their own sections so they could make sure the visuals best supported the content they would talk about. The project description and schedule and budget sections were relatively unchanged from what was presented last semester in ME476C. Manufacturing required updates be made to the CAD files. For updates, an image that shows an outline for how the autonomous algorithm will function as well as a flowchart demonstrating internal components were made.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 3:50pm – 4:00pm
The team meeting was ended with a discussion on future plans and concerns. The team plans to meet as soon as the motors have been delivered and begin connecting internal components and programming the autonomous algorithm. Plans to pick up the team’s aluminum for frame construction from Phoenix, Arizona were made for after the rest of the internal components have arrived. The team also planned to start working on Hardware Review One requirements during next week’s team meeting.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 3
Meeting Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

1.) Frame Metal Collection and Construction Plans: 12:00pm – 12:30pm
The team meeting was held in Phoenix, Arizona because the team had to collect the scrap metal that will be used to construct the frame which was being stored at a team member’s home. After getting the scrap metal packed up, the team started to plan when the actual construction will begin. As a team, it was decided that Sean Sussman and Hunter Lane would start going into the machine shop on campus starting Monday, February 6th to build the outer frame of the bot. While this is occurring, Graham Rose and Jordan Ziegler will begin programming the bot as soon as the sensors arrive. Sensors are expected to arrive between Monday the 4th and Wednesday the 6th.
2.) Hardware Review 1: 12:30pm – 1:40pm
The team planning for the completion of hardware review one. The team is required to have the sumobot half way constructed by February 13th. All internal components are expected to be running before this deadline. To accomplish this, a power supply will be used on campus to allow constant testing without spending time draining and recharging the battery. The outer shell of the frame will be completed before this deadline as well assuming it is possible to reserve enough time in the machine shop. However, the internal components are enough to fulfill the requirements of the review and any frame construction will only put the team ahead of schedule.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 1:40pm – 2:00pm
The team meeting was ended with a discussion on future plans and concerns. All components have been ordered and the team still has approximately $400 left in the budget. Therefore, the only remaining concerns are getting the frame constructed quickly enough that the team can perfect the algorithm through testing and that the arena can be constructed easily. The team has grouped up with two other sumo teams to build the arena to reduce cost. To further reduce cost, the team plans to either get scrap metal donated or complete a budget request to obtain the necessary funds.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 4
Meeting Time: 1:00pm – 3:30pm, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Location: NAU Engineering Building

1.) Internal Component Measuring and Weighing: 1:00pm – 2:30pm
The team meeting was begun by measuring all of the internal components so the team could finalize the frame design. Despite general measurements being provided by the manufacturers, the team felt it necessary to check for any minor defects or differences due to tolerance. During this process, Sean Sussman measured the parts, Hunter Lane weighed the parts, and Graham Rose recorded the data. 
2.) Frame Base Cutting: 2:30pm – 3:00pm
After completing measurements, the team went to the machine shop to cut the base plate for the frame. A large sheet of aluminum, that was obtained by Sean Sussman in Phoenix, was used to make the base. An 8.5x8.5-inch square was cut on a vertical band saw. The edges were then smoothed out on a sander. The base was made half an inch larger than the maximum dimensions. The team plans to machine this down to the exact desired dimensions at a later date. 
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 3:00pm – 3:30pm
The team meeting was finished up by planning for next week. The team agreed that on Monday, February 13th, Jordan Ziegler and Graham Rose will hook up sensor to the motors and begin writing a basic algorithm. Additionally, all wire placement will be determined and that information will be given to Sean Sussman to complete the frame design that is built in Autodesk. The team will meet on Wednesday, February 15th, to do a review of the CAD design. Finally, the team will meet again on Friday, February 17th, to again criticize the frame design and then begin construction either later that day or that weekend.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 5
Meeting Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm, Friday, February 17, 2017
Location: NAU Engineering Building

1.) CAD Design Criticism: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
To begin the team meeting, the team met and went over the finalized CAD design for the frame of the robot. The team met and went through each aspect of the design to see if there were any potential problems or concerns. The team decided to change the size and angle of the wedge on the front of the bot to better lift he opponent off the ground during competition. The sensor placement was also changed to be on vertically aligned rather than horizontally aligned to better sense the opponent if they should have a bot that is low to the ground. The last change made was that the wheels will require an additional housing around them to allow for better structural support of the internal components that will sit on the second level (battery and speed controller).
2.) Algorithm Criticism: 3:00pm – 3:50pm
The team did the same critique for the algorithm that was done for the CAD design. The current algorithm is simple but, during testing, ran into problems when multiple sensors were triggered in a short span of time. The team decided to use if-then statements that look at multiple sensors rather than looking at each sensor in a linear format to decided how the bot would maneuver. This solved one problem where the motors would occasionally switch between forward and reverse repeatedly, keeping the bot in place and damaging the motors, but also made the algorithm noticeably slower. Although functional, the team will have to find a way to make the code faster. The current plan for this is to use interrupt pins, an Arduino function, to allow edge sensors to always look for the doyho edge. This will allow the algorithm to only look at opponent sensors to determine movement, significantly reducing the number of lines of code and increasing the speed of the algorithm significantly.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 3:50pm – 4:00pm
The team meeting was finished up by planning for next week. The team agreed to meet on Saturday, the 18th, to cut the metal for the doyho. Painting will begin as soon as the weather is clear enough that the team can leave the doyho outdoors for a significant period of time. The team will also meet on Sunday, the 19th, to do a final criticism of the CAD design and begin cutting and constructing the remaining parts for the frame on Monday, the 20th.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 6
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm, Thursday, February 23, 2017
Location: Buffalo Wild Wings, Flagstaff, AZ

1.) CAD Design Criticism, Second Round: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
The first hour of the team meeting was spent doing a second round of criticisms of the CAD design. During this criticism, the team determined the wire placements for the electronics inside the sumo robot. It was determined that all an Arduino shield would be used to hold the resistors for the opponent (infrared) sensors. The edge (contrast) sensors will wired directly into the analog input ports of the shield and the opponent sensors are connected to the speed controller in series with the battery. The wedge was also made smaller to flatten the front of the bot to increase pushing ability. A lip will also be added to the top of the bot to prevent the opponent from driving over the bot.
2.) Algorithm Criticism Round 2: 8:00pm – 8:50pm
The team did the same critique for the algorithm that was done for the CAD design again. The algorithm contained a large number of if-statements to determine what the motors should do. Instead, even fewer if statements were made that contain conditions for all combination of triggered sensors rather than each sensor being triggered individually. Interrupt pins were also implemented to make sure the edge sensor are always being checked. This further sped up the code and makes sure the bot can always respond in the best way rather than missing a step because the algorithm was not at the correct step.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 8:50pm – 9:00pm
The team’s future plans involve completing the midterm review paper and making the PowerPoint for the midpoint review presentation. In addition, frame construction will be continually worked on to make sure that it is complete in time for testing to begin before hardware review 2.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 7
Meeting Time: 11:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday, March 5, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Midpoint PowerPoint Creation and Preparation: 11:00am – 12:00pm
The first thing completed during the team meeting was creating the PowerPoint for the Midpoint presentation scheduled for March 6th. The team already had all the information and figures created from the report so relatively little work was required to make the PowerPoint. After it was created, the team went through and practiced giving the presentation, ensuring all members were informed on their sections and knew what relevant information to talk about.
2.) Sumo Shell Construction: 12:00pm – 5:50pm
The team worked together to finish constructing the sumo shell and intermediate shafts for the gear box. The shafts were made by Hunter Lane on the manual lathe while Sean Sussman milled the side plates and reconstructed base plate. The base plate needed to be remade because of a defect in the original piece. While these tasks were being completed, Graham Rose and Jordan Zeigler left to pick up a number of fasteners and bolts that will be used to connect the shell pieces together. Lastly, the front shell piece and wedge were modified to connect together and be at the required 45-degree angle.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 5:50pm – 6:00pm
The team’s future planning was used to schedule a time to finish the construction of the robot for Hardware Review 2. The team agreed to return to the machine shop on Wednesday, March 7th, and the Friday and Saturday of the same week. This will ensure that algorithm testing can be worked on during Spring break.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 8
Meeting Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm, Friday, March 11, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Manufacturing and Planning: 11:00am – 12:30pm
The team meeting started by continuing to manufacture the frame for the sumo robot. The team finished making side panels that the motors will mount into The team also collected all the screws and bolts that will be required for putting the frame together. Lastly, Sean Sussman showed Hunter Lane how to use Autodesk so that Hunter can finish putting the frame together during Spring break.
2.) RC Component Purchase Planning: 12:30pm – 1:50pm
The team picked out the last components required to make the sumo robot RC compatible. First, a battery charger and power supply were picked out on Hobby King which were recommended to the team by a capstone team from last year. Second, Flagstaff Hobbies, one of the team sponsors, was called to make sure they can order the RC transmitter/receiver combo that was discussed with them previously. The team plans to go to their store on Tuesday, March 14th, to pick up the remaining components.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 1:50pm – 2:00pm
The team discussed plans for Spring break. Hunter Lane and Graham Rose will be going to the machine shop Sunday through Wednesday while the shop is open to complete the frame. Thursday, Hunter Lane, Graham Rose, and Jordan Ziegler will construct the Doyho now that the componenets have all been purchased. Lastly, Jordan Ziegler and Graham Rose will work on the Algorithm and get the RC component working from Friday through Sunday.   

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 9
Meeting Time: 12:00am – 2:00pm, Thursday, March 23, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Manufacturing and Completion: 12:00am – 1:00pm
The team finished construction of the sumo robot for Hardware review 2. Hunter Lane constructed the top piece for the sumo bot that houses the electrical components. The plastic was taken from the scrap bins in the machine shop and were hot glued together so that they can be easily disassembled as dimensions are optimized. At a later date, the hot glue will be replaced with metal angle brackets to increase stability. Sean Sussman constructed the combat spear that attaches to the front of the sumo bot to make it combat capable. The part attaches to the sides of the bot using wing nuts and is made from scrap steel and a large bolt that was filed down to a point.
2.) RC Functionality Testing: 1:00pm – 1:50pm
The team hooked up the electrical components and got the RC controls working. The team noticed that both joysticks were controlling both motors. This was fixed by switching the control method in the speed controller settings from mixed to linear. The team test drove the bot and it controlled adequately.  Lastly, the team decided to add a spring to the throttle stick on the remote to make driving more intuitive and easier to do.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 1:50pm – 2:00pm
The team discussed final changes that would be made after Hardware Review 2. The team made plans to add sheet metal to the front wedge to cover relief cuts as well as a skirt that touches the ground so an opponent’s wedge does not get under the wheels.   Lastly, a metal piece will be added to the back so the motors are not exposed and a plastic top piece will cover the electronics during competition.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 10
Meeting Time: 3:00am – 5:00pm, Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Ugrads Poster Preparation: 3:00am – 4:20pm
The team began the meeting by going beginning the Ugrads poster draft. As a team, a basic outline was created to determine what information would be covered. The sections agreed on included an abstract, background, engineering requirements, final designs, electronics and programming, and testing section. The abstract used is the same as that submitted for Ugrads registration.
2.) CAD File refinement: 4:20pm – 4:50pm
The team went over the CAD files of both the sumo and combat robot designs. The files needed to be updated with design changes to match the final products. The CAD are included in the Ugrads poster so they must be updated by the Ugrads draft due date. Hunter Lane updated the sumo frame in Solidworks while Sean Sussman updated the combat frame in Autodesk.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 4:50pm – 5:00pm
The team planned for upcoming deadlines. Currently, the Ugrads poster will be completed by the whole team. The operations manual will be split up. Hunter Lane will write the section on mechanical components of the sumo frame, Graham Rose will write the section on the electronics, Sean Sussman will write the section on mechanical components of the combat frame, and Jordan Ziegler will write the section related to setting up and maintaining the algorithm and RC capabilities.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 11
Meeting Time: 10:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday, April 8, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Sumo Wiring and Combat Construction: 10:00am – 5:50pm
While at the machine shop, Hunter Lane and Graham Rose connected the opponent and edge sensors to the sumo robot. All electronics were soldered together and the sensors were tested to make sure that proper outputs were received when the bot was placed on an arena. In addition, side panels were added to both protect the wheels and make the robot look more professional. Lastly, two additional magnets were added to the front end of the robot to increase downward force.
At the same time, Sean Sussman and Jordan Ziegler worked on the combat robot frame. The holes required to hold the robot together were drilled and tapped. In addition, a second top piece was cut due to an error during the manufacturing process.   
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 5:50pm – 6:00pm
The team planned for finishing the poster and the operations manual. The only step left for the poster is to finish both designs so a final picture can be taken. Both designs will be painted a jet black once fully assembled. The sumo robot also still needs to have the front scrapper and panel welded into place. An algorithm has been written for the sumo robot and will be finalized and tested once the polyurethane coating finishes drying on the arena next week.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 12
Meeting Time: 2:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday, April 15, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Ugrad Presentation: 2:00am – 3:00pm
The team met at the machine shop to work together on the presentation for Ugrads. As a team, we all went through the rubric to get an idea of the requirements and what kind of information should be put into the PowerPoint. Next, the team made the presentation according to the specifications laid out in the rubric.   
2.) New Motor Mount Construction and Algorithm testing3:00am – 4:50pm
After completing the presentation, the team broke up into groups to work on some final tasks. First, the motor mounts being used were not holding tight enough so the team decided to construct new ones. Hunter Lane and Sean Sussman worked together to make L-brackets that the motors screw into. Although more work to construct, this design is expected to be much more secure than the clamps that were used previously.
At the same time, Graham Rose and Jordan Ziegler worked together to fix the autonomous control on the sumo robot. The team discovered that the Sabertooth speed controller has a defect where it cannot control a second motor when using serial commands. To fix this, the team had to make the Arduino mimic the signal outputs of an RC receiver.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 4:50pm – 5:00pm
The only remaining tasks before Ugrads are to finish the operations manual, refine the algorithm, and finish painting the combat shell. None of these tasks are expected to take too long and should be completed before the end of the week.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 13
Meeting Time: 2:00am – 4:00pm, Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Testing Proof Preparation: 2:00am – 3:15pm
The team met at the machine shop to go through all the testing procedures to prepare for the testing proofs meeting. Each testing procedure was conducted to ensure both the sumo and combat robots passed. During the testing, photographs were taken so that there was proof of the tests being conducted and passed. During testing, the team realized the sumo robot was further below the max weight than expected. This meant the team could redesign the top shell to be sturdier and add aesthetic components such as lights to the frame. 
2.) Ugrads Presentation: 3:15am – 3:50pm
The team worked on the Ugrads presentation for the remainder of the meeting. Using the rubric posted on the NAU Ugrads website, a PowerPoint was created so that a draft could be shown to Dr. Oman during the staff meeting on Friday, April 21st. The presentation contains a project description, customer needs and engineering requirements, component selection, frame design, and manufacturing methods.
3.) Future Plans and Concerns: 4:50pm – 5:00pm
The only remaining tasks before Ugrads are to make finishing touches to the presentation. The operations manual is almost complete and the poster has been submitted for printing. Once testing proof is complete and the presentation has been critiqued by Dr. Oman, the team can finish the presentation and continue refining the autonomous algorithm.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 14
Meeting Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm, Thursday, April 27, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) Algorithm Final Modifications: 2:00pm – 2:30pm
The team met at the machine shop to go do last minute testing and alterations to the sumo robot. As a team, the speeds on the algorithm were modified to maximize power without risking the robot driving out of the arena. While the modifications were being made, the top piece that covers the electronics was modified to hold the power switch and to fit perfectly on the top of the robot.
2.) Combat Robot Painting: 2:30pm – 3:00pm
The team finished painting all components of the combat shell. A bright orange was chosen for the color because it contrasted well next to the black sumo robot. Before painting the pieces, the white paint that was already on the aluminum was sanded off so the new layer of paint would be even and flat. After painting, a few pieces were scratched and had to be sanded again and repainted.  
3.) UGRADS Presentation Run-through: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
To end the meeting, the team practiced running through the UGRADS presentation. During practice, the team decided who would answer which questions and planned out answers for questions that were expected to be asked. Once the team agreed that everyone knew their slides and felt prepared, a final runthrough was done before ending the team meeting.

 

Team Meeting Minutes # 15
Meeting Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm, Thursday, May 4th, 2017
Location: NAU Machine Shop

1.) CAD Package Finalization: 2:00pm – 3:30pm
For the final team meeting, the team finalized the CAD package for the combat frame. All parts were remade in SolidWorks so that the files were accessible to future capstone teams on campus as well as Dr. Oman. The team also created all drawing files for the operations manual combat assembly section.
2.) Combat Frame Functionality Proof: 3:30pm – 3:50pm
The team made a number of short videos showing the functionality of the combat robots gear box along with how to mount the components. The video was used as proof of functionality because the frame was not able to be completed before UGRADS presentations. However, the robot worked as designed and was completed on time.
3.) Capstone Completion Celebration: 3:50pm – 4:00pm
To end the final meeting, the team congratulated each other on a successful semester. Overall, everyone was pleased with our performance in competition as well as on the final assignments at the end of the semester.