Engineering Experience 4: Design a Small Solar Vehicle/Nl/2013: Team PM7

Introduction[edit | edit source]

This is the Wikiversity page of team Synnove

Team members and functions[edit | edit source]

Name	Function
Michiel Ecker	Team leader
Rik Dendal	Technical advisor
Gertjan Geelen	Technical advisor
Jisca Boogaerts	Conference controller
Arnout Dejans	Graphical advisor
Arnout Van Tricht	Enterprising

Project information[edit | edit source]

A. Orientation Phase

Cooperation contract

B. Analysis Phase

Plan of approach

WBS

Gantt chart

C. Implementation phase

ENGINEERING

--- SSV Case 1 ---

--- Case Simulink ---

--- Case SSV Case 2 ---

--- Process Report ---

Weekly Blog[edit | edit source]

Week 1

This week (tuesday) we had our first class of EE4. They explained what we could expect from this course, made some rules en finally they divided everyone into groups of circa 6 students. We got Ye Tan as coach, and we immediately had a little meeting with him. We also decided that we would start a group on facebook to communicate easier and we exchanged our numbers etc. The day after, we met each other at Gertjan his kot to divide the work we had to do for the deadline from friday. Rik was going to make the Gantt-Chart, Michiel's job was to make the Plan Of Approach, Gertjan would make the Cooperation contract and Arnout D. would make the Work Breakdown Structure. This was all done in time and we finished the week satisfied.

Week 2

This week we had a presentation from a team member of the solar team. We also had a lecture about the solar panel and the dc motor. After the lecture we measured the values of a solar panel so we can calculate the resistance that we are going to use. We also had a meeting with our coach Tan Ye. He gave us feedback over the Gantt-Chart, plan of approach, cooperation contract and WBS. Al those things were good so we received a DC-motor from our coach. Now we are starting to think about the design of our SSV.

Week 3

This week we made some decisions about the design of our SSV. We will use a shaft as a drive and one front wheel to steer. We decided to make 2 accelerations. We discussed this with our coach, he was positive about our ideas. We also had a lecture about race strategy. Our assigment for the next weeks is designing our SSV, calculating the best gear, practise the numerical methode and make two sankey diagrams. After the session we took a look at the matlab simulation to calculate our best gear, but before we can calculate the right value, we need our parameters.

Week 4

Tuesday morning, we had our weekly meeting before the seminar. We shared our ideas about the material we were going to use, we made a list of the components we surely have to buy and we drew some drafts of our design. In the seminar, they gave us more information about SimuLink and how we would have to use it in our project. They gave some more details about our SSV Case 1. After the seminar, we sat at our computers to try out the best gear ratios for the race and looked up some possible servo-motors we could buy. We decided that, against next week, everybody should have tried the numerical approximation method by hand and that in week 5, we were going to draw and lasercut some actual gears for testing out what's best.

Week 5

This week we had a seminary about Fablab Leuven. They told us which machines they have and how they work. We already bought a transmitter and receiver (with servo's). We recalculated the gear ratio and drew the gears so they can be lasercutted by next week. We also made a design for the wheels. Next week there is a deadline of case 1 and case Simulink. We divided some tasks and worked at the cases.

Week 6

During our weekly meeting, we worked on the files for the first deadline. Because the Matlab and Simulink files were defined for cars with only one gear ratio, there are some problems with adapting to a second gear. We also bought a used transmitter with a receiver, some servo's and a motor. The motor and the transmitter seemed to work, but the servo's did'nt react on the signal.

Week 7

We had an appointment with our coach Tan Ye Tuesday. He told us that the two cases that we handed in last week, were not good. This is because it were all separate files instead of one report. We fixed this misunderstanding right away, and as you can see the both cases are now in a report on this webpage. This isn't the only thing we did this week. We also ordered some of the parts we need for building our SSV, so that we can start building during the Easter holidays.

Week 8

Thuesday morning we went to fablab to make our gears. After the test we decided on how we would build our car (frame, steering, fixation, gears). Thursday we will go back to fablab to make the rest of our parts. In the evening we will build our car. Thursday we went to fablab and made a first version of our frame. We also made better gears. In the evening, we started with the construction of our gearbox and steering wheel.

Week 9

This we should be able to test our SSV. We started to build our SSV Monday evening. The car was finished, but there were a few problems with the gear box. The holes for our bearings and the hole for our servo motor weren't accurately enough. So we made a new frame, and also a new holder for the bearings. Tuesday, we went to Fablab to produce these parts. When we returned from Fablab, we started to build our final car. During a break, we had a team building. After the break we finished our car. When we tested our car on the track in the basement, we had some problems with the steering. The steer only reacted when we moved our steering stick all the way. So every time we wanted to adjust the direction, it steered all the way to the left/right and crashed into the wall.

week 10

this week we had a teammeeting with Tan Ye, we discussed our test result and looked at the correct answers. it's possible that te race will be next week so we need to be prepared. also next week (friday) their is a deadline for case 2 and peer assesment. The rest of the week we worked at the case 2 and improved the steering of our SSV.

Week 11

their was no race this week because the weather was too bad. Instead of the race their was a demonstration where te teachers could void for most beautiful and most innovative car. Our team was 2nd in categorie most innovative. the rest of the week we worked for case 2 and the process report.