Quote:
Originally posted by Andy A.
[b]Well, in the absence of an emulator:
Pull out a big sheet of plywood. Add one RC, generous numbers of relays, speed controllers, some breakers, fuses and wire. [...] Strap some motors, pistons, servos and other doohickeys as needed. Duck tape and ziptie as needed. [b]
|
That is EXACTLY what we did! But instead of duct tape and zipties we used real screw down cable clips to allow for easier mods.
We didn't get much usage time on it THIS year, but even so, it DID point out some problems for us.
But now it is MADE. The ring tongue lug ended harnessing stays with the board. Part locations are premarked with marker pen outlines so it's OBVIOUS where everything goes. Spikes, Victors, and the RC have predrilled holes with T-nuts nailed captive to the board so they will attach in seconds with machine screws instead of wood screws (longer board life). Motors are attached with automotive hose clamps that are permanently screwed onto the board.
NEXT year, if all goes well, our simulator will be up and running in ONE DAY! We simply drop the new Victors, Spikes, and RC onto their outlines, attach the new motors to their hose clamps, connect the premade harness, and throw the switch!
It is a VERY COOL simulator board, with LOTS of neat features. Examples: We used the "spare" breaker board for power distribution. For power, in addition to a strap and wiring for a robot battery, it also has its own 12V 8A supply from an old PC, and metering outputs, so you don't need to use a bot battery for simple tests without the motors. We'll be adding a current probe to it soon. Given the funds we COULD add a more serious power supply that can also drive motors as well from the AC, or else a marine deep cycle battery & a charger, but we'll probably just end up using THIS year's batteries for the board.
We're considering writing up the entire thing for sharing later, once we're done tweaking it. Would there be interest in that from anyone?
Unfortunately, we need to do some repairs first before we take the pics of it, but that'll definitely be done before this fall, in time for the next contest. On the ONE DAY I was sick, some student (without permission) pulled some parts incorrectly and gutted the harness in the process <GRRRR>. (Needless to say, we're also going to make a locking clear plexy cover for it so that it can be USED, but not TOUCHED without permission any more!
)
- Keith McClary, Advisor, Huron High 830 Rat Pack