Day 4/5/6- Get him Running
Hey there, I’m back… I have combined the last few days worth of work into one post so that I don’t end up with far too many posts for all my avid followers to keep up with!
Here’s what I’ve been up to these last few days…
After negotiating my laptop into downloading the code package that comes with the buggy and the Arduino IDE, I set about uploading a simple function that would flash one of the built-in LEDs on the Arduino board to make sure that everything was running smoothly between my laptop and the microcontroller. The Arduino IDE is a nice application, quite easy to work with and also comes with some sample sketches that are quite useful (and also meant I didn’t have to actually write the code to test the LEDs so that was nice).
The next step was to load up a simple sketch that would allow me to test the two new wheel options and, as a good engineer, the first step is always trying to find if someone else has already done what you’re trying to do and steal it. In the code tutorials that come with the Elegoo download, there was a nice function that would make Jerry go forward, backward and then turn to each side- Perfect! I changed the speed specified as the default was going to be far too fast but other than that it was good to go.
Then came the first issue… Without the self-balancing function that comes preloaded on the buggy, Jerry would immediately flip backwards when turned on (see GIF above). Not ideal really. I considered the possibility of adding a second stabiliser wheel on the other side but attaching it would have been difficult and while experimenting with that I had the idea to just add weight to the front tray to counterbalance. I knew the engineering degree would come in useful one day!
So with that problem solved, then came testing both wheels. First up was the caster wheel option. I had expected this to be the obvious choice, given the second degree of freedom it allowed for turning agility. However, on testing, it was at first very stiff and actually caused a lot of drag and compromised the movement a considerable amount. I attempted to solve this by lubricating the rotation joint, however, this didn’t really solve the problem. The wheel span around quite erratically and sometimes got stuck halfway.
Next up, I tested the two-wheeled option. This surprised me as it ran super smoothly and didn’t compromise the movement at all. This is probably partly due to the floor I’m working on being very smooth concrete and the buggy itself being quite light. But hey, gotta work with the situation you're in!
I hadn’t expected this outcome, and so, I turned to the tried and true decision-making method: Democracy.
I asked on my Instagram story which attachment option my followers would choose (and seeing as all my followers are just fellow course members I expected intelligent answers) and the two-wheeler won the day. I also prefer how this attachment looks and really when it comes down to it, we all know aesthetic is the most important decision variable. No?
This concludes this section of the assignment, Jerry is up and running and has a new limb. All is right in the world.
“But Inga, what's all that tape on the floor?” I hear you ask.
Well to find out, you’ll have to check back for updates about the second half of this assignment where Jerry will be learning to navigate a maze and also catch a ping pong ball. You better be excited.
