ME3102 IN-HOUSE DESIGN PROJECT CHAMPION STACKER

Group 6

Foong Yi Wen (U076701Y) Kenneth Stephen Wilson (U076722A) Law Wei Seng (U076706H) Low Jiamin Sheryl (U076734X) Shi Hong Sheng (U076631N) Yew Teik Kheng (U076684E)

Mentor: Prof Li Xiaoping

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Contents
1 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Mechanical Components ................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Undercarriage ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 2.1.5 2.2 Stepper Motor ................................................................................................................. 7 Rubber Wheels ................................................................................................................ 8 Ball Castors ..................................................................................................................... 9 Side Rollers ................................................................................................................... 10 Other Features ............................................................................................................... 11

Base Platform ........................................................................................................................ 12 Battery Pack .................................................................................................................. 12 3V Power Source .......................................................................................................... 13

2.2.1 2.2.2 2.3 2.4

Lifting Mechanism ................................................................................................................ 14 Grabber ................................................................................................................................. 15 Grabbing mechanism .................................................................................................... 15 DC Motor (Grabber) ..................................................................................................... 18

2.4.1 2.4.2 2.5

Secondary Platform ............................................................................................................... 19 Microcontroller and Dual H-Bridge Junior 2 ................................................................ 20 Stepper Motor Driver .................................................................................................... 20

2.5.1 2.5.2 3

Electronic Components ................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Microcontroller ..................................................................................................................... 21 DC Motor Driver................................................................................................................... 21 Stepper Motor Driver ............................................................................................................ 22 Power Sources ....................................................................................................................... 22

Construction Process : Electronics ................................................................................................ 24 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Choice of Microcontroller..................................................................................................... 24 Familiarization and Troubleshooting of Arduino ................................................................. 24 Implementation of Dual H-bridge Junior 2 and DC Motor................................................... 25 Implementation of Stepper Motor and Driver....................................................................... 25 Implementation of Additional Stripboard ............................................................................. 26 Integration of All Electrical Components ............................................................................. 27

Troubleshooting: Mechanical Components .................................................................................. 28 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lifting Mechanism ................................................................................................................ 28 Grabbing Mechanism ............................................................................................................ 30 Weight Distribution .............................................................................................................. 32 Phases of movement ............................................................................................................. 34

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6 7

Phases of Movement of Robot with Illustration ........................................................................... 35 Final Design Analysis ................................................................................................................... 43 7.1 7.2 Possible Improvements ......................................................................................................... 43 Other capabilities .................................................................................................................. 44

8 9 10 11 12

Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 45 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 46 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 47 References ................................................................................................................................. 48 Appendix ................................................................................................................................... 49

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Introduction
As part of the In-House Design Project Champion Stacker this semester, we were

required to manufacture a robot of our ME3101 design from the previous semester. The entire process was indeed challenging, but the difficulties faced proved to be a learning experience for us. We started our project with the manufacture of the main mechanical chassis of our robot. After which we started to work on the electronic component of it. Finally, we worked on the programming part of our robot. As inexperienced individuals in working with the thin Aluminium sheets and the cutting tools, we faced some obstacles in the mechanical manufacture of the body. However, the inexperience with the tools in the manufacturing lab was quickly overcome by Mr Aus helpfulness and willingness to help and teach. The electronic aspect proved however to be the most challenging to us. Being new to this sector, we found ourselves having to learn many things from scratch. To do this, we sourced for information in the form of chip manuals from the internet, computing books, as well as help from friends who are more experienced in the field. In the manufacture of our robot, we have attempted to keep to the initial design as much as possible. However, some issues arose due to erroneous design, and we found ourselves having to make amendments, such as in the grabbing and lifting mechanisms. The amendments will be further explained in the report. This report hence serves as an extension to the last one, and will include more information and specifications about the components of the robot, while highlighting the changes made in its design. In addition, we also realize the limitations of our robot, and have hence done an analysis on its shortcomings, as well as possible improvements that could have been made if given more time.
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Mechanical Components

This segment describes the design of our individual mechanical components, as well as how the final design deviated from the original. More details about the procedure of design alteration will be provided in Section 5 (Troubleshooting: Mechanical Components).

2.1 Undercarriage

The undercarriage of the robot consists of two platforms held in place with a pair of connecting screws, at a distance of 4 cm apart. The base platform was needed such that the ball castors were level with the wheels. As shown in the diagram, an additional plate was inserted perpendicular to both platforms by means of screws.

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Plate 1

Perpendicular Connecting Plate

Plate 2

Aluminium was the material of choice for the platforms as it had a high strength to weight ratio, was easy to work with and was readily available. Aluminium sheets of thickness 2mm were cut to the desired dimensions as follows: Plate 1 (Base platform in mm): Perpendicular Connecting Plate

Plate 2 (Top Platform)

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The dimensions of the entire undercarriage adhered to the initial 110 x 44 x 80 mm, so as to ensure that with the addition of the lifting and grabbing mechanisms, the size limit will not be exceeded.

2.1.1 Stepper Motor

Bipolar 200 Steps/Rev 35x26mm 7.4V, 280mA

Stepper Motor (Robots R Us)

Manufacture Process Similar to the initial design, the two stepper motors meant to drive the wheels were mounted onto the plate attached perpendicular to the upper platform. Four holes were drilled and four bolts and nuts were used to mount the motors onto the vertical plate.

Mounting of Stepper Motors

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2.1.2 Rubber Wheels

Changes made from Original Design We decided to use the Tamiya 70145 Narrow Tire Set instead of the ones in our initial design because of its better traction and ability to execute precise movements. Its narrow width of 16mm allowed it to turn with better control.

Diameter: 58 mm Solid, Rounded 16mm threads

Tamiya 70145 Narrow Tire Set (Polulu) Manufacture Process Since the inner diameters of the wheels (9mm) for motor shaft insertion was larger than the shaft diameters (5mm), wheel hubs were manufactured to reconcile the difference. The wheel hubs were screwed onto the wheels and secured using nuts, before they were joined to the motor shafts with epoxy glue. We had to ensure that the wheels, hubs and shafts were all concentric and perpendicular to the ground such that stability is not compromised and the robot will move straight when desired.

Wheel hubs
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2.1.3 Ball Castors

Manufacture Process

Castor height: 25mm

Tamiya 70144 Ball Castors (Technobots)

As in the initial design, two Tamiya 70144 ball castors which make use of a small steel ball that rests on metal rollers inside a plastic housing were used. These were connected by screws to the underside of the lower platform as shown below, and they serve to balance the entire robot and allow motion in all directions.

As the machine was loaded, the additional forces caused some warping of the lower platform. Hence, a spirit level was used to ensure that the base was horizontal.

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2.1.4 Side Rollers

Changes made from Original Design The side rollers used in our robot were different from the ones we intended to use as these rollers extended further out and were able to more effectively guide our robot to align with the wall. Placing the rollers too close to the robot will render the rollers ineffective as soon as the rubber tyres come into contact with the side of the wall. In addition, these side rollers were depressible and spring loaded, and were hence able to do its job more effectively.

Diameter of metal roller: 5mm

Side Roller Manufacture Process The side roller is attached at a distance of 12mm from the edge of the undercarriage. This distance was chosen as optimal for alignment after turning a corner and would still be within the space constraint.

12 mm

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2.1.5 Other Features

Changes made from Original Design Sensors In the original design, photoreflective sensors were included in the undercarriage to help the robot to navigate the arena. However, in the process of fabricating and programming our robot, we realized that the feedback from the light sensors was not very reliable and hence we did not implement them although the algorithm and wiring had already been prepared. In addition, it was difficult to implement sensors into our design due to our robots way of approaching the blocks. Since the incorporation of the accurate stepper motors was able to allow the robot to move relatively straight, we finally decided against incorporating sensors into the final design. Guiding vanes These were removed as the arena for the competition was not the same as the plan given out in the design phase of the project. Our robot was designed to grab 18 blocks from the left side of the arena, and hence the guiding vanes would help align the robot in placing the blocks onto the platform accurately. However, the final arena specifications only had 15 blocks on each side and hence our final 6 blocks had to be grabbed from the right of the arena and as such, the guiding vanes would result in the final 6 blocks being misaligned. Therefore, the guiding vanes were not included in the final design. Bump switches Bump switches were not included as the robot could be easily programmed to align itself with the platform as the grabber is parallel and flushed with the platform with a simple forward command. This would align the robot to the platform to deliver the blocks, negating the need for bump switches.

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2.2

Base Platform

2.2.1 Battery Pack

Changes made from Original Design In the original design, we proposed the use of an external power source to power the machine. As analyzed in our previous report, the weaknesses of this choice (namely how the wires would tangle with the robot and even cause it to drift as it moves due to the tension in the wires) proved to outweigh the strengths. Hence we decided to buy a battery pack and chose the 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack. Minimum Capacity: 2200mAh (True 100% Capacity) Configuration: 3S1P / 11.1v / 3Cell Constant Discharge: 20C Peak Discharge (10sec): 30C Pack Weight: 185g Pack Size: 103 x 33 x 24mm Charge Plug: JST-XH Battery Pack

Manufacture Process As the battery pack was a new addition to our design, we chose to place it on the base platform for a few reasons. Firstly, the substantial weight of the battery doubled up as a counterweight for our machine and placing it as low as possible improves our robots stability by lowering the centre of gravity. Also placing it on the easily accessible base platform was necessary as the battery had to be easily removed for charging. Placement of battery pack

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2.2.2 3V Power Source

Changes made from Original Design As we wired up our circuit, we realised the need for extra power as our DC Motors ran at a voltage of about 3V. We decided not to use an additional voltage regulator to step down the voltage drawn from the microcontroller so as not to overload the microcontroller. Hence an additional 3V power supply was included in the final design to power the DC Motors. Manufacture Process We used a simple AA double battery plastic housing which could be easily connected to the Dual H-Bridge (which provides current to the DC Motors) through wires. The length of the wires had to be sufficient to ease the removal and insertion of the 3V batteries without having to remove any other part of the machine.

3V Power Supply

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2.3

Lifting Mechanism

Changes made from Original Design In the initial design, we had chosen to use the Tamiya 70115 R/C Forklift entirely for lifting. However, we later decided to alter its design so as to improve lifting performance (see Section 5). The new design incorporated a motor in a 1:87 gearbox configuration connected to a shaft. Fishing lines were used to connect the grabber to shaft that was mounted on the top of the sliding connection of forklift.

Lifting Mechanism Manufacturing Process We mounted the gearbox and motor securely with cable ties to the top of the lifting mechanism. This position allowed the greatest height range that the grabber can be lifted to and can be easily rewired from the existing configuration.

Gear Ratio: 1:87 Operating Voltage: 3.0 12.0V DC Operating Current w/o load: 40-180 mA, 20-180 rpm Output Torque: 0.8-5 kgf.cm Weight: 30.0g

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2.4

Grabber

2.4.1 Grabbing mechanism

Grabbing Mechanism: Open Position

Grabbing Mechanism: Close Position

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Changes made from Original Design The initial design of a sliding connection and a power screw did not perform as expected in the design phase (see Section 5). After much analysis of the problem as well as extensive testing, we resolved to use another 1:87 gearbox configuration connected to a DC motor. The shaft of this motor was aligned to the hinge of the grabber to create a concentric axis of rotation for the swivel plate. The swivel plate was connected to the motor shaft using a set of screws, bolts as well as strong epoxy glue to withstand the high shear stress due to the rotation of the shaft. Manufacturing Process For the structure of the grabber, 2mm aluminium plates were used to ensure rigidity. They were cut according to specifications as shown below and then bent into shape.

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Further alterations were done using a vertical saw and electric grinder to get the final dimensions. The fixed plate and the swivel plate were fastened using bolts and nuts to a hinge on one end, and to the motor shaft on the other. Four 2mm holes were drilled on the top surface of the grabber to connect them to the lifting mechanism using bolts and nuts. The points of contact with the blocks were then lined with non-slip padding in a localized manner to ensure the individual blocks do not slip when grabbed. Further holes were drilled on the top plate to lighten the weight of the grabber as well as to allow the cable tie to secure the counterweight and DC motor. Hinge DC Motor Shaft

Drilled holes

Top View of Grabber

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2.4.2 DC Motor (Grabber)

Changes made from Original Design The same 1:87 gearbox that was used in the lifting mechanism was used for the grabber as it provided the high torque required to hold the blocks in place.

DC Motor with Gearbox Manufacturing Process The DC motor gearbox was aligned such that the shaft of the motor was concentric with the hinge on the other end. Once that position was fixed, the DC motor gearbox was attached to the side of the grabber using a cable tie. An additional plate was then added to sandwich the shaft. This connection was then secured with epoxy glue.

Top View

Bottom View

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2.5

Secondary Platform
Changes made from Original Design A new Secondary Platform had to be introduced to accommodate the microcontroller and drivers. This was due to the changes in the main body design which left no space for the microcontroller, drivers and wirings. This new platform provides easy physical access to the microcontroller, drivers and wirings (for the constant calibration and changes) as well as clear vision of the wiring to detect any problems easily.

Secondary Platform

Manufacturing Process The secondary platform was cut from 3mm aluminium sheet to dimension and bended at 90 degrees at two parts as shown: The secondary platform was mounted onto the base platform and secured to the lifting mechanism with epoxy glue.

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2.5.1 Microcontroller and Dual H-Bridge Junior 2

Manufacturing Process The microcontroller and drivers were mounted onto the secondary platform using Blu-tack and non-slip padding to avoid electrical contact with the conductive secondary platform.

Non-slip Padding

2.5.2 Stepper Motor Driver

Manufacturing Process The stepper motor drivers were placed horizontally on the secondary platform using Blu-tack and non-slip padding to avoid electrical contact. This placement also made them closer to the stepper motors.

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3
3.1

Electronic Components
Microcontroller

The Arduino Microcontroller was used as the decision making and processing unit of our robot. This is a single-board microcontroller which is programmed in C and a processing based IDE. The board is small, compact and supports the 8 pins we required.

Dimensions: 52 x 70 mm 28-pin microchip ATmega168 14 digital I/O pins (40 mA/pin) Reset Button USB Connector DC Jack

Arduino Microcontroller Board (Wikipedia)

3.2

DC Motor Driver

The DC motor driver we are using is the Dual H-Bridge Junior 2. It is able to drive two inductive loads such as DC motors (Lifting and Grabbing) in our case. It has 3 indicator lights, one for power and 2 for indication of neutral Dual H-Bridge Junior 2

positions, which were useful in the programming of the motion of the DC motors. The ground is connected to the same ground as the Arduino Microcontroller. The neutral point was determined with the steps found on the manual.
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3.3

Stepper Motor Driver

The A4983 Stepper Motor Driver allows the control of one bipolar stepper motor up to 2A output current per coil. It works on a step and direction control interface, and is able to work at specified fractions of a step. The built-in 5V and 3.3V voltage regulators eliminate the need for separate logic and motor supplies, and allow us to control it with our microcontroller.

A4983 Stepper Motor Driver (Robots R Us)

3.4

Power Sources

An 11.1V battery pack is connected directly to the microcontroller, while an external 3V power supply (provided by two AA batteries) is used to power the Dual H-Bridge Junior 2. The voltage regulator onboard the microcontroller steps down the voltage to 5V. This is used to drive the microcontroller as well as the Stepper motor drivers and the Dual H-Bridge Junior 2.

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The voltage distribution is due to safety reasons, such that overheating does not occur. The grounds were also all connected to a common one such that voltage comparison error does not occur.

11.1V Battery Pack Arduino Microcontroller Stepper Motor Drivers (2) Stepper Motor (Left wheel) Stepper Motor (Right wheel) Dual H-Bridge Junior 2

3V Power Supply DC Motor (Lifting Mechanism) DC Motor (Grabbing Mechanism)

Input logic supply Microcontroller Board: 7-12 V Stepper Motor Drivers: 3.3 to 5 V Stepper Motor: 7.4 V DC Motor Driver: 4.8 to 9.6 V DC Motor: 3 to 12 V

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Construction Process : Electronics

Electronics components are integrated in a step by step modular manner. The following lists the ways in which different electronic components are integrated into the robot.

4.1

Choice of Microcontroller

We started off with MegaPIC according to what we planned and designed for in ME3101 as MegaPIC has strong functionalities, flash-memory enabled, on top of being light and compact. Despite MegaPIC being a micro-controller board designed for beginners to learn the basics of programming, MegaPICs complexity proved to be too burdensome to us as we encountered a lot of troubles when programming it using MPlab compiler and PICKIT2. As such, we decided to change our microcontroller to Arduino microcontroller, a physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing code for the board. On top of its relatively lower price, Arduino makes the process of working with microcontrollers much simpler as compared to MegaPIC, not to mention that the board also has well designed labelling that makes identification of pins easier. Being touted as the open hardware microcontroller, troubleshooting advice for the Arduino coding could be easily found on Arduino forums which make the process of coding easier and much more efficient. Codes for our robot were written in Arduino Development Environment and then uploaded to the Arduino microcontroller through standard USB cable.

4.2

Familiarization and Troubleshooting of Arduino

The Arduino microcontroller was first tested to ensure its functionality. Simple programs were uploaded to the board and LED was used to show indication of working conditions. No problems were encountered during troubleshooting and we soon proceeded to writing the code for our robot.

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4.3

Implementation of Dual H-bridge Junior 2 and DC Motor

Connecting the Dual H-bridge Junior 2 to DC motors and to Arduino microcontroller was a crucial step in our construction. As we required both our DC motors to spin in both directions (i.e. clockwise or counter-clockwise), a neutral point was first determined by referring to the Dual H-bridge Junior 2 manual, before the actual code to instruct our DC motors to spin in different directions was written. After vigorous experimentation, we managed to obtain the optimum rotational speed. If the rotational speeds of the DC motors were too slow, it will slow down the whole sequence of blocks grabbing and lifting which in turn lessen the number of blocks that we can achieve. If the rotational speeds of the DC motors were too fast, it will cause the instability of the robot and improper placement of the blocks as the wooden blocks tend to stick slightly to the non-slip padding that was implemented in the grabbing system.

4.4

Implementation of Stepper Motor and Driver

The next step in our construction involved the implementation of stepper motors (wheels for manoeuvring purpose). Each of the stepper motors used (4-wire stepper motor) consists of a permanent rotating shaft, called the rotor, and 2 electromagnets on the stationary portion that surround the motor. To rotate the stepper motor, pulses or repeated orders need to be sent to the stepper motor in order to change the polarities of the electromagnets. Each stepper motor is connected to a driver that receives signals from the microcontroller. Depending on the instruction (code), the driver will then send signals to the stepper motor, asking it to spin either clockwise or counter-clockwise, by changing the polarities of the electromagnets in different manners. With the combination of clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation of the left and right stepper motors, we managed to control the basic movements of the robot; forward, backward, left and right. With correct delay and number of loops, we managed to

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control the rotational speed and torque of our stepper motors, thus controlling the movement speed and direction of our robot. The delay function was particularly crucial to the robot as the robots stability is heavily dependent on the amount of delay that we set. A short delay causes the robots wheels to slip on the spot and a long delay will set a vibration to the robot and making it unstable and immovable.

4.5

Implementation of Additional Stripboard

As a handful of electrical chips require 5V input, and at the same time realizing that it is important to connect all components to a common ground so that voltage comparison is accurate, we decided to utilize a stripboard (or veroboard) in order to make the wiring tidier. To prevent the wires from crisscrossing, and thus shorting the whole circuit, all 5V-wires and ground-wires were being connected to a stripboard, before a collective wire of each is being connected to the 5V-port and ground-port on the Arduino microcontroller. The wires at the stripboard were then soldered independently to ensure proper connection and to reduce probability of a short circuit caused by the wires on the stripboard.

Top View

Bottom View

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4.6

Integration of All Electrical Components

Finally, with all the wires being trimmed to the desired lengths and taped to prevent any obstructions to the robots movements, all electrical components were wired, with each of them being allocated different pins on the Arduino microcontroller.

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Troubleshooting: Mechanical Components

This segment will provide more information about the changes we implemented in our mechanical design after observing some constant problems after repeated testing. The procedures we took as well as the difficulties faced will be discussed in detail.

5.1

Lifting Mechanism

During the testing of our lifting mechanism, we found that it did not work as smoothly as we had intended it to. The spinning screw caused considerable vibrations during lifting and lowering, and the chain that lifted and lowered the grabbing mechanism constantly impeded movement as the chain was not smooth. Lastly, the sliding contacts were affected by friction, and hence the raising and lowering movements were jerky. To fix these issues, we first greased the sliding contacts to reduce friction.

Greased Contacts

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In addition, we completely removed the usage of the power screw in our initial forklift design, and replaced the entire system. A fishing line that was able to withstand tensions of up to 15kg was connected to a DC motor gearbox shaft to lift or lower the load as shown in the picture. Two collar bolts fastened to the shaft allowed the fishing line acted as barriers for which the winding will take place within.

Collar Bolts

Fishing Line

These changes significantly improved the stability and reliability of our lifting mechanism. In addition, we realized that the lifting was much faster than before. However, after testing with the added weight of 6 blocks on the grabber, we realized that the DC motor provided insufficient torque to raise the grabbing mechanism. As such, we purchased a different one with an attached gearbox which was able to increase the torque of the DC motor.

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Final Design: DC Motor with Gearbox

Initial Design: DC Motor without Gearbox

These changes proved to be successful to make the lifting mechanism work as intended.

5.2

Grabbing Mechanism

Initially, part of our grabbing mechanism utilized a power screw mechanism and sliding plates, similar to that of our original forklift design. This mechanism was then intended to push a swivel plate with a spring-loaded hinge to a closed position and grip the blocks. However, testing later showed that the motor had insufficient torque to drive the power screw mechanism, such as to push the swivel plate to a closed position. In addition, the entire mechanism fixed on the grabber made it extremely heavy, hence significantly affecting the robots centre of gravity and stability. To fix these issues, we attempted to use the same method as we had applied to the lifting mechanism. This encompasses changing the motor to one with an increased torque ratio of 87, and to use a fishing line to pull and hold the spring-loaded swivel plate in an open position. This change solved the problem of weight distribution, but it was found that the DC motor still provided insufficient torque to open the swivel plate. An attempt to use a weaker torsional spring also failed as it had insufficient torque to swing the swivel plate of the grabber to an open position. Some options that were then considered to solve the problem
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included a change of design, or a change of motor to one that was even stronger (probably a servo motor). We decided to alter the design of our robot instead of a change of motor (which would mean multiple changes to the electronic components and more of our budget spent). Hence, we did away with the spring loaded hinge, and directly glued the shaft of our motor to the swivel plate to open and close it. As the gluing contact point was small, we used strong epoxy glue to secure the connection.

DC Motor to Grabbing plate connection The positioning of the DC motor on one side of the grabber caused its weight to shift to that end. To counter this problem, we added weights to the other end such that the grabber was horizontal to the ground.

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Weight added

5.3

Weight Distribution

When we tested our robot as coded, we discovered that its stability was very low. The centre of mass of the robot was not in a favourable position as most of the weight rested on the ball castors, causing it to slide against the ground instead of roll during movement. This unequal weight distribution due to our design pivoted the robot about the ball castors, causing the entire structure to rock back and forth and the wheels to slip in motion. This problem was aggravated when the robot had to move with the collected blocks in the grabber, as the additional weight caused the centre of mass to shift slightly forward. We first attempted to add counterweights in a bid to distribute weight more evenly, but this could only be done up to a small addition of weight.

Counterweights As more weight was added, the robot became very heavy, making the stepper motors unable to drive the wheels smoothly. Thus, we removed some counterweights and decided to flip the secondary plate to face the other direction, such that the centre of mass was shifted backwards and closer to the wheels. This effectively solved the problem of weight distribution, and there was a significant increase in the stability of our robot in motion.

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Original Placement of Secondary Plate

New Placement of Secondary Plate

We also coded for our robot to move when the grabber was in a lowered position, such as to lower its centre of mass and increase stability.

Grabber Lowered during Movement

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5.4

Phases of movement

We also altered the movement of our robot. We found that we needed to add in several movements such that the robot was able to align itself against the wall. This measure was crucial such that there was no accumulation of errors, and this was important because there were no sensors used in our robot, and any little mistake might cause the entire sequence which followed to be erroneous.

Robot aligning itself against the wall The altered phases of movement will be described and illustrated in the section which follows.

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6 Phases of Movement of Robot (with Illustration)

Phase 1 Open the grabber

Move forward

Turn right when the robot is close to the side wall

Move forward while pushing the first 2 sets of blocks

Close the grabber to grab the blocks

Life the grabber slightly to allow for robot movement Turn right and reverse until the robot aligns with the side wall

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Move forward until the robot reaches the middle line

Turn left

Move forward towards the platform

Lift the grabber up until the blocks can clear the platform Move forward Open the grabber to release the first 6 blocks Reverse

Lower the grabber to ground level

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Phase 2 Turn left

Move forward

Turn right when the robot is close to the side wall

Move forward while pushing the second 2 sets of blocks

Close the grabber to grab the blocks

Lift the grabber slightly to allow for robot movement

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Reverse

Turn right and reverse until the robot aligns with the side wall

Move forward until the robot reaches the middle line

Turn left

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Move forward towards the platform

Lift the grabber up until the blocks can clear the platform Move forward

Open the grabber to release the second 6 blocks Reverse

Lower the grabber to ground level

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Phase 3 Turn right

Move forward

Turn left when the robot is close to the side wall

Move forward while pushing the third 2 sets of blocks

Close the grabber to grab the blocks

Lift the grabber slightly to allow for robot movement

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Turn left and reverse until the robot aligns with the side wall

Move forward until the robot reaches the middle line

Turn right

Move forward towards the platform

Lift the grabber up until the blocks can clear the platform Move forward

Open the grabber to release the third 6 blocks

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Reverse

Lower the grabber to ground level

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7
7.1
1)

Final Design Analysis

Possible Improvements
Weight distribution

The major problem we faced was the positioning of the CG of the robot. Due to the compact nature of our robot, the CG had to be maintained within a rather small base. The counterweights could be redistributed in the design phase to position the CG further back and lower down to ensure stability during motion. Among the methods to achieve this would be to assemble the Base Platform further down and fabricate the Secondary Platform to a minimum height to accommodate the microcontroller and drivers. 2) Switch

In the course of our testing, we drained our 11.1V battery pack quite frequently as we had to repeatedly test the manoeuvres, hence the addition of a switch to the power supply would save power in between runs and also allowing us to quickly turn off the robot if there is a mistake in the run. This would greatly shorten testing time. 3) Usage of Sensors

Using stepper motors for movement ensured that our robot was able to move more or less according to the code programmed. However, due to the uneven nature of the arena, our robot was sometimes found to veer off path. Hence, photoreflective sensors could be implemented into the routine to ensure the robot is able to correct itself according to the photoreflective tape on the arena. This correction for errors would be non-cumulative and allow repeatability of the routines.

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In addition, such an addition would allow for an implementation of a lost algorithm, such that when our robot is lost, it would be able to return to a certain point and get back on its course. However, this change would probably require some change in the route our robot takes, and we would hence require more time for it to be possible. Also, this incorporation of the sensors would only be feasible if the arena was in good condition as opposed to the one used in the competition.

7.2

Other capabilities

Grabbing Other Objects Our robot was built modularly, namely having 3 main components, the body, the lifting mechanism and the grabbing mechanism. As such, we are able to change just the grabber to suit different needs, and the rest of the robot will still function as the mechanisms are independent of each other. Thus, with a differently shaped grabber, our robot can be specialized to handle different grabbing and placement tasks.

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8
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Cost Analysis
Item Tamiya Forklift Hinges Threaded Rod and Nuts Lipo Battery Pack Battery Charger Silicon Wire Power Jack Eveready Batteries Rainbow Wires 2m 1x40 Housing 2nos Crimp Pin x 40 Stepper Motor Driver Tamiya Grease Board Crimp Pin x 50 Solder Tin Super Glue Crimp Pin x 100 1x3 Housing 20nos 1x40 Housing 1nos Bump Switch 2nos RoboPIC Stepper Motor 2 nos Stepper Motor Driver 2nos DC Driver Blue tack Total Cost (SGD) 60 2.20 6.30 29 35 2.50 2.50 3.90 3 3 2 27.90 6 1.10 2.50 1.20 1.10 10

80 50.80 61.60 13 3.20 407.80

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Conclusion

Over the course of the project, we were faced with various real life engineering issues. The various components failed to perform as we had designed for it to due to circumstances we had failed to predict during the design stages. As such, we found ourselves having to constantly anticipate and visualize possible solutions and problems. While some amendments we did were risky and time-consuming, our efforts paid off when the robot could function as we had intended for it to. Dealing with the electronic and coding components also allowed us to take home knowledge that we otherwise would not have. Through this project, we also learnt the importance of teamwork and good time-management. While our robot did not manage to stack the 18 blocks as we had hoped for initially, the experience was still a rewarding and educational one. We would therefore like to extend our gratitude to the Department of Mechanical Engineering for giving us such an opportunity.

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10 Acknowledgements
Without the help, advice and guidance from the following people, our project would not have been successful. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to show our utmost appreciation to these people. Mr. Chua Chee Tek, our good friend who served as our external advisor. He lent a helping hand in the programming of the code for the microcontroller and the testing the electrical components of the robot in to ensure it functioned properly. His invaluable advice to improve the mechanical system of our robot has also helped our group tremendously. Mr. Goh Kian Hui, who explained to us the working principle of a PIC microcontroller, taught us how to read the schematic diagram, and explained to us the coding for the Microcontroller. Mr. Isaac Lee Khiron, who advised us on the wiring of the stepper motor driver to ensure that the stepper motors turn smoothly. The Fabrication Laboratory Technologists, Mr. Au Siew Kong, Matthias and Mr. Lee Chiang Soon, who taught us how to use the various fabrication machines such as the aluminium cutter, turning machine, electric saw and electric drill. In addition, they also advised us on how to fabricate some of the complicated parts for the chassis of our robot. Mr. Yee Choon Seng who gave us lectures on the control system for our project. Mr. Mohamed Ali bin Abdullah, the Design Laboratory Technologist, for preparing and lending us the arena and blocks for testing purposes before the competition. Last but not least, Prof. Li Xiaoping, who has given us guidance throughout the course of both ME3101 and ME3102.

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11 References
Polulu. (n.d.). Tamiya 70145 Narrow Tire Set. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Polulu: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/63 Robot R Us. (n.d.). A4983 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier with Voltage Regulators. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Robot R Us: http://robot-rus.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=371&category_ id=49&keyword=stepper+driver&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=50 Robot R Us. (n.d.). Battery - 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Robot R Us: http://robot-rus.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=516&category_ id=24&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=50&vmcchk=1&Itemid=50 Robots R-Us. (n.d.). Stepper Motor. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Robots R Us: http://robot-rus.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=361&category_ id=69&keyword=stepper+motor&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=50&vmcchk=1&Itemid=50 Robotshop. (n.d.). Tamiya Remote Controlled Forklift. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Robotshop: http://www.robotshop.ca/tamiya-remote-controlled-forklift-70115-2.html Technobots. (n.d.). Tamiya 70144 Ball Caster. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Technobots: http://www.technobots.co.uk/acatalog/Shop_Front_Ball_Transfer_Units_392.html Wikipedia. (2010, October 27). Arduino. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino#Hardware

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12 Appendix

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