This week we were able to fully assemble and start testing our machine. When we started testing, we came across a couple of problems. First, the leadscrew was not able to fully pull up the hopper. To help the leadscrew, we designed a pulley system using our last motor to help to lift the hopper. Second, the hopper was getting stuck on the pins that were holding the wheels. To prevent this, we built a metal extension piece to force the hopper to stay in the middle of the cart. We also designed and built our final piece that would hold the double gear box motor for the wheels in place. We used the 1/16 aluminum plate and used the metal bending machine to bend both the piece the forcing the hopper in place and the motor base. We fully installed all the motors, soldered the wires to them and attached banana plugs.
We were able to first test with the box on Friday. The cart wheels were not able to turn intially so we changed gear ratio to the highest ratio possible. This allowed the cart to move, but it moves much slower than we expected. We also have Also we were able to pick up muliple rows or balls, including the heavy balls when we tested, but doing this required much more time than the 2 minutes will be be allowed in the competition. Sunday we were able to continue testing and make small modifications that would allow our machine to run more smoothly. We were also able to pratice more using the machine and learning how to work it. We also discovered that the slot on the second arena is less wide than the slot on the first arena, so when we compete in the final competition, we need to compete on the first arena.
Next week, we will have to continue testing and making small modifications as more problems arise to make our machine preform better.
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