Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 1Winter Quarter H193 Project Lecture 30

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 2Winter Quarter ENG H193 Administrative Issues Teams should be established March 26th or so (Watch your over spring break) Each team member must purchase a coupon All four (or three) coupons must be purchased before the team gets their starter kit The cost of the course materials is $75 per team member. Please bring cash or check to purchase the coupons (No Buck-ID, no charge cards) Coupons will be sold in the office (HI 244) on Monday thru Wednesday the first week of class

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 3Winter Quarter ENG H193 Robot "Starter" Kit One completely functional Handy Board with charger/interface box, wall adapter, serial cable, link cable, and simple documentation Basic set of sensors (CdS cell, optosensor, microswitches, IR receiver, encoder) plus some miscellaneous stuff One kit of basic hand tools One copy of "Robotic Explorations" by Fred Martin (the guy who designed the Handy Board) Teams get $150 budget in Company Store

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 4Winter Quarter Reference Text Supplied

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 5Winter Quarter Typical Problems from Previous Years Building a rigid chassis Mounting a motor on the chassis Connecting the motors to the drive wheel, sprocket, etc. Getting the robot to drive straight Reducing friction Not starting soon enough !

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 6Winter Quarter Typical Problems from Previous Years Mounting sensors – avoid hot glue and duct tape Mounting minimum no. of sensors to perform functions Spaghetti wiring – Label wiring for each component (allows easy reinstallation of all wiring when you have to change Handy Board !) Pick a color-coded wiring scheme and stick to it Protecting the power trace on the Handy Board – The edge of the board is the +5V supply for the processor chip

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 7Winter Quarter The Handy Board

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 8Winter Quarter Typical Problems from Previous Years Not making good solder joints Not having enough sensors wired as spares Not taking care of your batteries –"Zap" charge will zap (i.e., kill) your battery –First battery replaced at nominal fee –Second battery replaced at cost (about $20) Not starting soon enough !

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 9Winter Quarter Typical Problems from Previous Years

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 10Winter Quarter Typical Programming Pitfalls Too much code – exceed memory of Handy Board Failing to use global variables Scarcity of comments in code (comments don’t take any memory space) Improper use of functions Inappropriate timing to check sensors Not using modular approach to building code, not checking modules often Suggestion -- Write a general "check sensor" routine and run it periodically Not starting soon enough !

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 11Winter Quarter Potential Team Problem Areas Making decisions that everyone supports How to make decisions Making work assignments What happens when an individual is having trouble completing assigned work Making a project schedule and keeping it updated (this will be a living document and requires weekly/daily change) What to do if someone doesn’t come to meetings HAVING ALTERNATIVE PLANS !!!!!! AND KNOWING WHEN TO GO TO THEM !!!!!!

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 12Winter Quarter Pursue Achievable Goals

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 13Winter Quarter Take Calculated Risks

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 14Winter Quarter Keeping Up with Daily Work Sharing project notebook, updating, team meeting agenda, and team meeting notes assignments Document meetings and decisions made with rationale behind them Checking the schedule Keeping others up to date on your progress

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 15Winter Quarter The 2003 FEH Robot Competition Final Competition: May 29, 2003 from 3:30 to 5:30 Admission is free – friends and parents welcome There will be some early rounds conducted during the middle of the day starting at about 12 noon Competition style will likely include three rounds of match play followed by a single-elimination tournament -- This guarantees each team 4 opportunities to run on competition day

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 16Winter Quarter The Venue – French Field House

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 17Winter Quarter The Final Report

Engineering H192 - Computer Programming Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Lect 30P. 18Winter Quarter Celebrating Success – End of Year Picnic