CDIO/Boat

Problem Statement

continue fabrication on boat, continue testing and hand project off to new team.

Painting the Boat

after the major fabrication on the boat had been completed it was decided to paint the boat matt black

• 
  this is the hull and cover plate after they have been coated with primer
• 
  this is the turret after it has been primed
• 
  this is the turret after it has been painted matt black
• 
  this is the hull after it has been painted matt black

further fabrication

when the turret was mounted to the cover plate it was found that the turret did not side high enough in order to rotate its full 320 degrees. to solve this problem the lip on either side of the cover plate was extended to raise the cover plate up 3/8". in doing this though, it created a new problem. the front attachment hook was now too short to catch the lip on the boat to secure the boat. it would need to be elongated. also the cover plate was flimsy so strengthening beams were added to improve the rigidity of the cover plate and stop the turret from sagging backwards. also the antenna was wrapped around a tube in an effort to improve reliability.

• 
  the traversing motor has been glued with plastic cement to the underside of the cover plate. in order to attach the traversing assembly to the cover plate the moor had to be flipped so the wires could come out the bottom.
• 
  this is the cover plate with the strengthening beams glued in place

• 
  this is the attachment hook after it has been cut in half in order to be lengthened
• 
  in order to lengthen the front attachment hook it was cut in half and then elongated using a piece of 1/4" square tube plastic stock
• 
  this is the cover plate assembly with the longer lips and reinforcing beams and the traversing motor in place
• 

problems and recommendations for new team

• further testing continues to show reliability problems with the transmitter and receiver even after the modifications done to the boat antenna. it is recommended that in further testing that a line be attached to the boat so that is can be retrieved in the event of loss of signal or power failure until reliability is improved.
• the trim of the boat is important for maximum speed and handling. with the extra weight of the turret forward in the boat, it is recommended that the battery be placed in between the motors or propeller shafts to maintain proper trim. if placed in between the propeller shafts it is recommended that the wires be extended so that the battery does not have to be taken out for charging.

Next Steps

A lot of important key points were accomplished during this process. The next steps include:

• attach the traversing motor to the cover plate
• improve the reliability of the transmitter and receiver
• program a failsafe into the boat
• change the propellers on the boat in favor of 4 bladed ones for improved speed
• incorporate laser modules into turret
• incorporate a system so the boat can simulate a "hit" and "kill" by stopping temporarily for varying lengths of time.
• build a second boat so they can battle
• eliminate resistance in the new circuit board to improve speed
• add a ram to the front of the boat