The Design Work and the Techniques in a Design Project - Assignment Example

Project Design & Implementation Qualification Unit number and Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC Diploma in Electrical & Mech Engineering Project Design & Implementation Student name Assessor name E Strickland Date issued Completion date Submitted on 23/04/2015 21/05/2015 Assignment title Implement & Evaluate a Project LO Learning outcome (LO) AC In this assessment you will have the opportunity to present evidence that shows you are able to: Task no. Evidence (Page no) LO2 LO3 Be able to implement the project within agreed procedures and to specification Be able to evaluate the project outcomes 2.1 Match resources efficiently to the project 1 2.2 Undertake the proposed project in accordance with the agreed specification 2 2.3 Organise, analyse and interpret relevant outcome 3 3.1 Use appropriate project evaluation techniques 4 3.2 Interpret and analyse the results in terms of the original project specification 5 3.3 Make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration 6 Learner declaration I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged. Student signature: Date: Abstract Remote controlled cars with a go pro camera on top of them are basically remotely controlled devices that are controlled by individuals located some distance away from the cars (Ward and Stoor: Online). These cars are normally tethered using a series of wires that then send signals between the operator and the car. These cars are equipped with a video camera for the purpose of surveillance of the surrounding areas. The other types of resources that will be necessary to build the remote controlled car will be dependent on the particular requirements for the car (Winkler: Online). Introduction The main purpose for this design project is analyze the fundamental requirements for designing and building a remote controlled car with a go pro camera on top of it. The analysis will be based on three distinct categories which will be dependent on the previous analytical works carried out in regard to this project. The first task will involve the analysis of the design based on the resources used and their availability. The second task will be based on the analysis of the design depending on the schedule, timelines for the design work and the outcomes of the project. The final analysis will be based on the problems and barriers encountered during the design work and the techniques that were used to overcome these barriers. Resources Various components will be required in the building of the remote controlled car. These include: i. DC geared motors: The DC geared motors will be necessary in the car in the generation of magnetic fields that will enable the control of the speed and the torque of the car. They should be 4 in number. ii. Wheels: It is preferred that the wheels are made of light rubber so that the car remains lightweight and easily navigable. The wheels should be four in number. They must be mounted tightly on the axle in order to avoid slippage. iii. A metallic chassis: The chassis should be preferably be made from aluminum. The metallic chassis will mainly be composed of the main chassis plate, the rear axle, the front axle, one shock absorber, the top plate and the lower back plate. It will mainly be responsible for the transmissions in the car systems and the gearbox. The chassis should be one in number. iv. SN754410 motor driven 1C: This components will enable the control of the speed and the direction of the car with only one PWM output and two digital outputs. At least one SN754410 motor driven 1C will be required. v. DPDT switch: This component ha six connections. Its main purpose will be polarity reversal while the car is in operation. Only a single DPDT switch will be required. vi. HT12E encoder 1C: This component will be necessary for encoding 12 bit information in the microcontroller. vii. HT12E decoder 1C: This component will be necessary for decoding 12 bit information in the microcontroller. viii. RF Rx-Tx module: This component is fragile and should be handled carefully. It will be important in the setting up of the relative frequency that will allow the controller of the car. ix. 12v, 9v and 5v battery packs: These will be necessary in the generation of the energy necessary for the car to operate. One set of each battery is required. x. Multimeter: This will be necessary for the measurement of the current that is being supplied to the car by the batteries. xi. Screws, screwdrivers and a soldering iron: These equipment will be used to join and assemble the parts described above to form the car. xii. Camera: This will mainly be fixed on top of the car and will be used for surveillance purposes. At least one go pro camera was used. The resources described above are available in many hardware and electronics stores. Those that were not available locally were ordered online from larger stores that allow customers to purchase goods via the internet. Schedule Task Description No. of hours spent Camera Fixing of the go pro camera on top of the car 8 The proposed design Creating a proper design as designed on paper and within the defined requirements 70 Wiring of the controllers Assembly of all the components and the circuits in the chassis of the car 25 Video display Creating a video display unit for the car 14 Simulation Running a simulated model of the car in a computer 10 Testing and analysis The determination of the performance of the car and determination of the possible sources of failures 30 Optimization Solving the identified problems above and implementing the final design 20 Total 177 During the planning phase of the design work, various theoretical predictions had been identified based on the research done from previous projects of similar nature. However, in practice, a number of things proved to be quite different. A simulation based on previous works had been created to model the car. However, the design proved to be a bit different from the proposed design. The weight of the car exceeded the proposed weight; the dimensions exceeded the proposed design by a few inches. In regard to testing and analysis, various unanticipated issues were encountered. There was need to change the design of the wheels to make it more adaptable to rougher terrains and also keep on changing the batteries in order to ensure that the car does not stall (Fridrik, 2011). In regard to the timescale and the amount of time spent on each component, more time was spent on the design work, testing and implementation of the project. This was crucial because the performance of the can is basically dependent on the design. The shortcomings are identified during the testing and analysis phase. These problems are then rectified in order to optimize the performance of the car and hence have a final product that is able to perform effectively. Problems identified during the implementation of the project The main problems that were identified during the implementation of this project included: i. The hardware that was required for the design of the car proved to be very costly. This led to the inflation of the project budget beyond the set ceiling. ii. Both the servo and the speed controllers were found to be using the pulse length instead of the duty cycle in their operations. iii. There was signal noise identified between the operator and the car. iv. There were problems encountered in the differential serial transfer modes of the RC car. v. The microcontroller was found to be very touch when it came with serial data settings. vi. The wheels used in the remote controlled cars were not adapted to various terrains. On the other hand, the amount of current generated by the batteries packs proved to last for a substantial length of time which accelerated the length of time the car was in operation. In order to identify the problems stated above, a number of techniques were employed to offer surveillance to the performance of the car. These techniques include: i. Simulation of the performance of the car ii. Use of remote surveillance equipment iii. Video surveillance of the performance of the car iv. Testing the performance of the car on various types of surfaces. The progress of the design was monitored using a number of techniques which included: i. First hand information from personal judgment on the project progress ii. Use of the formal sectional reports iii. Use of schedule charts on the time plans for each task iv. Use of informal reports v. Use of graphics, photographs and videos from the project. Impact of the resources implications and problems encountered on the project The problems identified in the analysis of the problems encountered and the implications of the resources had a number of major impacts which affected the structure and the outcome of the project. The higher cost of the hardware going beyond the set ceiling for the initial budget let to higher cost incurrence in the overall cost and inflation of the project (U.S. Plastic Corp. PVC Pipe: Online). The problems that were encountered also caused elongation of the time required to complete the project against the original plan since a lot of time was spent solving the problems identified. Some problems such as the microcontrollers which were found to be very touchy when they came with serial data settings could not be adjusted since this was a manufacturer’s specification and this affected the overall performance of the car. Finally, the problems encountered result in the alteration of the initial design to a modified version of the same. In order for the project to be adapted to the changes that were made, the model of the remote controlled car was modified to fit the final design and the various component such as wheel and batteries that were necessary for optimal performance were adopted into the car. Conclusion From the foregoing, the resources necessary and their availability have been identified and discussed in details. The problems related to the design work and the implications of the availability of the resources have been done in details. This has led to the determination of the various monitoring and surveillance techniques that were used in the project and finally the impact of the problems to the overall outcome in the design and implementation of the project. Through the accomplishment of these tasks, the objectives of the project have been fully met. References Shola Ward and Brad Stoor , Computer Controlled Vehicle. Available at: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece390/archive/archive-sum99/prizes/rc_vehicle/public/index.html Accessed on 20th May 2015. Fabian Winkler, DC motor control with a SN754410 motor driver IC and the Arduino board. Available at: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fwinkler/616/sn754410_Arduino.pdf Accessed on 20th May 2015. Lucian Fridrik, Use of composite materials in electric remote controlled cars, 2011. Available at: http://www.revtn.ro/pdf2-2011/Fridrik%20Lucian%20-%20Use%20Of%20Composite%20Materials%20In%20Electric%20Remote%20Controlled%20Cars.pdf Accessed on 20th May 2015. U.S. Plastic Corp. PVC Pipe. [Online] United States Plastic Corporation. Available at: http://www.usplastic.com/content/sitemap.aspx?clickid=footer Accessed on 20th May 2015. Read More