Ryan O’Connor

The Problem  The problem identified is that it is difficult to effectively lay down straight and accurate foul lines on a baseball field, making it difficult for player and umpires to distinguish between batted balls which fall fair or foul down these lines.  The equipment used to draw these lines is heavy, difficult to push, and generally uncooperative

The Solution  I have devised a machine that uses electrical motors to pull a chassis along a guide-wire, allowing it to pull a basin of chalk and a can of spray paint for the dirt and grass portions of the line, respectively.  The wire would reach from home plate to the foul pole, and would be strung very tightly to minimize path deviation.

The Project  The Project was initially planned to be a production-based project with a functioning robot  The robot was to be built from steel components and a single AC motor that would be incorporated into a gearbox that would drive a pair of pulleys on the top of the machine.

The Project  The primary objective of this project is to produce a functioning robot system capable of traveling in a straight path while laying down chalk and spray paint for baseball foul lines

The Engineering  Electrical – The robot will be powered by a DC battery mounted on the chassis. This battery will be used to power the motor that will drive the gears that pull the robot along the guide wire  Mechanical – The motor will be incorporated into a gearbox that will allow for the pulley system to pull the robot along the wire

The Budget  The original budget for this project was about $50.00  My plan was to use parts from my SRC project last year to build the chassis and gearbox  I would spend the $50 on scrap and sheet metal that would be used to build the superstructure  All chalk, paint, and the basin would be provided by the Landstown Baseball team

The Budget  Unfortunately, I had to wait until December to confirm whether or not I would be able to use the chassis  I was then informed that I could not  I then looked into potentially buying the parts myself

The Budget  The robot chassis would cost between $350 and $550  Each high-torque motor would cost between $50 and $150  The gears, hardware, and electrical supplies would total to approximately $50  In total, a functioning machine would cost between $500 and $900 to build

The Budget  This budget made self-funding the project entirely unfeasible  I was then forced to reevaluate my Senior Design Project

The New Project  As such, I had to transition my functioning project to a series of 2D and 3D CADD drawings (Computer Aided Drafting and Design)

The Learning Curve  Unfortunately, in nearly four years at Landstown, I have never taken a CADD class, and have never used the intricate, advanced drafting software needed  As such, I had to teach myself how to use AutoCAD to produce 2D drawings  I also had to teach myself how to use Autodesk Inventor Professional to produce my 3D drawings and models

My first “CADD”

My initial technical drawings

The Design Process  I began by designing the chassis for the robot, based on the GearsED  I measured the specifications from the GearsED chassis I used last year

The Design Process  I used these specifications to design a to-scale model of the chassis

The Design Process  I took these designs and created a 3D version, along with two axels and 4 wheels to complete the chassis

The Design Process  After completing the Chassis, I devised the superstructure of the robot

The Design Process  I again incorporated these designs into my 3D model of the chassis

The Design Process  After the Superstructure was complete, I designed a model of the motor that I would buy and utilize in my robot

The Design Process  I then took the motor and incorporated it into the superstructure assembly