Trials and Tribulations...
17 Nov 2015It’s a while since the last update, but Harry and I have been busy trying to move KEITH Evo to the final stage of development before the competition.
After the resolution of the ultrasonic sensor problem, we had tested and refined the code. Then nothing! Our second sensor had given up the ghost, so another (plus a spare!) are now on their way. Line following is sorted. The Ryanteck sensor array works well and the code is almost what we used last year. Why reinvent the wheel? In the weeks before the contest we will be refining that a little more. The wheel sensors have proven far more taxing, but Harry has persisted and finally got them working. We used the same sensors on Keith last year, but they were connected through the PiRoCon board and worked fine. We have our own home-made motor controller board this year and ‘something’ was different… Those sensors will come into play for the straight line speed test and the three point turn, so we’re fairly fundamental to our ability to operate KEITH Evo autonomously.
The working of the skittle challenge are also coming together, with the servo system now in place. Blinky bits are also coming together with transistors working as relays to turn them on and off.
H & I have spent a huge amount of time (mostly late at night…) working on the CAD for the final chassis. Holes for wires, LEDs etc etc have been added, some component locations adjusted and a few fundamental changes to allow us to get at things underneath. We are leaving the workings on show, but KEITH Evo is looking fairly slick now! Our good friend at Harry’s school has today cut the parts. I’ve found two components that need re-cutting due to my inability to measure properly and I am now starting to assemble KEITH Evo for final testing.
Having had some serious panics about whether we would get everything done, I am now cautiously optimistic that we are on the home straight. The hotel has been booked for ages and is non-refundable, so optimism now is probably a good thing!
~Andy
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