Introduction: We are very excited to build a very new design for our new challenge! We are looking to create the most efficient and sturdiest design. This challenge does seem to be quite a tough one, so we are going to have to go through many challenges, and highs and lows to be able to produce our very best design. We know that it will not be easy, but we know if we do our very best and continue trying when we fail, that we will succeed in the end.
Design:
Motor: Our motors will be used the get the weight up, by attaching the string the motor, and then turning to be able to drop off the weight.
Base: The base will be used for structural support so that we can twist and turn our crane, and so that the crane doesn’t fall apart.
Gear: We will be using the gears so that we can make the crane move up and then turn to the right to eventually drop the weight.
Calculations:
1: Mass(Kg): 0.2 kg Radius (CM): 3.92 cm Optimal Torque: 13-17 Optimal GR Range: 0.23-0.30 Output Gear: 32 Input Gear: 16 Design GR: 2 Design Torque 13.25
2: Mass(Kg): 0.2 kg Radius(cm): 4 cm Torque: 0.8 Optimal Torque: 13-17 Optimal GR Range: 0.05-0.06 Output Gear: 32 Input Gear: 16 Design GR: 2 Design Torque: 13.25
Analysis: So far I feel that we have been doing very well to create a winch that is very efficient. We have had some missteps, which can be often put down, but we have used them as encouragement. We have almost finished the basic design for our winch, and now are finding better ways to improve the design and our code. We can’t wait to continue working on our Winch!
Daily Logs:
9/18: Today we started working on our winch. We have decided to go with a design with a sturdy base, and have our 2 levers pull up the string, and then have a claw-like model move the string with the weight, and then pull it down. So far we haven’t done any trials, but our base for our Winch looks like a very good start. We are very excited to continue working to make our Winch even better!
9/26: Today we made big improvements in our Winch. We have actually used our ideas of using the 2 years to pull up the string! We but the smaller gear inside the larger gear so that we could have more support and force. We are planning on switching the position of the gear after we have a successful trial. The reason for that is to challenge ourselves to make our Winch ever quicker. We haven’t had any official trials yet, but we are planning on having our first trial on Tuesday! We are very excited to continue working!
10/3: Today we had an awesome day for our Winch. We created a code, which consisted of going up and down and turning. We ran our first official trial today, and we got the weight down on the table twice! It was so amazing to see if work because we were very nervous and anxious. We had our bigger gear on the outside to help force wise, but now we are planning to switch the gears, and have the smaller one of the outside for speed. We want to improve our from 2 weights and get 4 weights for the next trial. We are very happy that we got our first trial, and that it was successful. Now we work now, and try to make our Winch even better!
10/7: Today we worked very well together to be able and improve our Winch. We made the power higher and switched the order of the gears to make our design go quicker. We are hoping that we can improve on the 2 full weights we placed on the block in our first trial in our next 2 trials. We did have a trial today, but our Winch did not work as we had hoped. It did not reach the block surface. We are a little upset with the failure but are very willing to keep making changes. We are very excited about the next 2 trials because we know that we can do better and improve!
10/10: Today was by far our best day for this challenge. We were actually able to get 4 weights transfer (.8 Kg) which was so awesome. That score was actually tied for the best score which we were very proud of. Our winch moved very smoothly and was also just such a joy to see function well. The building and the code worked with each other to make our winch so great. We are very happy with how everything played out, as well as how well we talked and communicated. We did succeed also in getting 2 trials in, and although the first one didn´t actually work, we realized that it was a bug in the code, so once we tried it again, it worked very well. We are very proud of our overall accomplishments and success as a group.
Video Summary:
Photo of Winch:
Conclusion: Personally I feel like this was my favorite challenge/project in high school so far. I learned so many interesting facts and ideas that span farther than gears. I learned how to communicate and compete. It was just an amazing experience. We started off pretty well. We tried to combine both of our ideas and make a great idea. At first, we tried to just use the turntable as our gears but realized that wasn´t completing the challenge. So we decided to get two gears and connect them to the NXT and the string inside the gears. When the gears went up, the string went up, and then the opposite. We started off pretty well on our first trial and were able to lift .4 Kg worth of weight. That was a very good start for us. We decided to keep testing and switching the order of our gears, which made the gears even faster. The next time we tested it, it was way too fast. So we kept testing the speed to get a perfect speed and as fast as it could go. We ended up getting that speed and lifting 4 weights, which was our goal. I am so proud of us for our perseverance and also for all of our teamwork.
Ilan Shelest 