This next week is the last week of the school year. So, it is time to finish our projects we have been working on and document it all. For the Segway project. We need to do a layout of the design along with the code (which is well commented) that was used to make the Segway preform. Once this is completed, the document will be put in a packet for anyone whom is willing to work on the project in the future to improve it, or willing to replicate the design.

This week, I continued to work on the lab that was to measure the speed of light. We recorded four different measurements at a furthest distance of  140 meters. At this point, there was a lot of noise in the background and it was hard to read on the oscilloscope. After this, it was the last day for experimenting. We went the full distance of the hallway, 100 meters. This made the total distance 200 meters because the laser was bounced off of the mirror. We were able to line up the laser back to the recording device, however, the light from the laser was too weak at this point to be picked up by the recording device. At this point the Speed of light lab was complete.

Also, the segway has made some serious progress. It can now balance itself without any human help. The next step is to make it move forward without tipping.

These past two weeks, I have been working on an optics lab that tested the speed of light in air, using a laser. The experiment was conducted by first setting up the oscilloscope with the laser. Then, placing a mirror at a distance away from the laser. The closer you are to the laser, the more inaccurate the data is. Continue reading Speed of Light Lab →

Over the past few weeks, through interdepartmental discussion, I have compiled a list of materials that will be required of the various working teams to collect for proper documentation of their various projects.

Continue reading Robotics Documentation →

Jed and I trimmed even more weight off of the small segway, and even chose to remove the board from atop the segway. With only a few days remaining to work, and only a few kinks to work out, I  am still optimistic  that we  can finish this project.

This week, Austin has been working on rewiring the car, therefore there was not much for me to do in terms of the GPS Car this week. At the beginning of the week, a new GPS arrived and it functions with the old code. After this was discovered, Jed, Gerrick and I began work on measuring the speed of light. In order to do so, we use a power source that sends a signal to a laser and an oscilloscope. Th e laser is aimed at a mirror, and that mirror is pointed back at the device used to record the beam of light omitted from the laser. This device then also sends a signal to the oscilloscope. The time difference can be measured from the two signals. So far, the largest amount of time has been less than half a microsecond. We then determine the velocity of light using distance (which is measured with a tape measure) divided by time. Our results have been fairly consistent, averaging about 2.9×10^8 m/s. As the distance gets further, it is more challenging to line the laser beam up with the device that records the signal. Next week, we hope to measure at a distance of over 200 meters.

After finding the original segway was too heavy for the stepper motor to move, Jed and I designed a much smaller segway. The new design has a single smaller piece from the VEX kits, hopefully the stepper motor will be able to move this smaller design.

After taking a leave of absence from the Hall of Philosophy, I have returned in full force. My week, however, was plagued by various interruptions into my robotics work. Including doctor visits and various testing sessions.  Continue reading The Long Week →

This week I assisted Jed in the creation of the segway; it uses assorted VEX parts and makes sure to stay simple so that less can go wrong. Continue reading Design and Developememt →