Week 16 - Presentation 3

This week in class, we presented our last presentation for the semester. We basically communicated to the class our final design concepts, our plans for next semester, and our dependencies and contingencies. The presentations took up most of the time and afterwards, everyone said their goodbyes for the semester and disbanded.

Week 15 - Presentation 3 (viewings)

This week, we sat back and watched most of the Full scale team and the small scale track team present final designs and their progress thus far. It seems like everyone is on track with getting their rapid prototypes completed on time. There was a special camera guy there today getting some good-quality footage, so it looks like we'll be documenting our presentations with greater quality now.

After presentations, we all went back to our sub-teams and we ended up uploading our code to a board and attaching the set-up to the Bogie teams rapid prototype. We ended up with some good footage of the two individual projects coming together in the end.

We will be preparing for our third and last presentation that we'll be presenting next week (12/6/17).

Week 14 - Thanksgiving Break

No session this week. We all started looking into the rubric for Presentation 3, which begins next session (11/29/17)

Week 13 - Rapid Prototype Coming Together

This week we were able to use a backing plate to mount our components onto. We mounted on the Arduino Mega, breadboard, servo, and motor which we can use to demonstrate our code.

We also tried running the mobile app with the podcars and we started getting a new error for no reason. We hadn't changed anything but now the process goes on like it's supposed to until the ticket is purchased and the thread is created in Firebase. After 10-20 seconds, we'd get an error in the Command Prompt. Jeremy and I couldn't make anything of it and so Jeremy took down some notes on what was going on and took it home with him.

We got a tip from Dr. Furman for using an alternative to the UI interface for the podcar system. He recommended looking into the language called Processing, which can be used to code graphical interfaces.

Week 12 - Getting some goals accomplished

This week we were finally able to get our XBee modules communicating through serial communication. We were able to get a master module and 2 slave modules set up on our computers and experimented with how the slave modules couldn't communicate with each other and only the master module could communicate with the 2 slave modules. 

So far, we have our Arduino, Xbee, motors, servo, and RFID reader connected to a breadboard and interacting with each other. This is a good chunk of what our rapid prototype will consist of so this is good progress. 

Week 11 - Wireless Communications

In this week's meeting (11/8/17), we opened up our new XBee modules that came in, labeled them, and then proceeded to try to get them communicating with each other. The whole process with using the mobile app to purchase tickets hasn't been successful and we're not sure if it's because of faulty communications or the possibility that the podcar can't locate itself to know which station to go to. Therefore, we are trying to make sure each piece in the puzzle isworking correctly.

We were able to send basic signals between the two modules, however nothing legible. But that proved that the XBees were at least communicating during the ticket purchasing process.

We also met a new friend, Jeremy, who is a Computer Engineering student and he is volunteering to help us out with some of the mobile app material (javascript, node.js, etc.).

Week 10 - Beginning Rapid Prototyping

For this week's session (11/1/17), we began by huddling up and recapping where we're all supposed to be in terms of our progress. Then we were able to split up into our sub-teams to continue working on our project.

Some of our ordered parts came in already so we were able to begin our rapid prototyping. We were all spending time just getting our new parts set up and working. I started to assemble the breadboard set-up and began wiring the servo and the start/terminate buttons, as well as assist Coby in getting the soldering of the motor drivers done. Coby has a de-soldering tool at home so he went on to continue the progress there.

This week I will continue learning about the XBee communication with the Arduino.

Week 9 - Watching Presentation 2

This week in our meeting, we were able to see the Full-scale and Half-scale progress thus far via their Presentation 2. This pretty much took up the whole meeting time and we were left with about 15-25 minutes afterwards to discuss our Bill of Materials and who will be ordering the parts we had agreed on. Once we receive these parts, we can then start assembling a breadboard mock-up of our control system to demonstrate the functionality of our code.

Week 8 - Presentation 2 and Swfit Nav Meeting

In this weeks meeting, 10/18/17, we were able to brief the rest of the Spartan Superway team on our progress, specs, and future plans. The presentation can be found under Week 8 on our group blog, found here.

In the beginning of the session, Dr. Furman told us about an ME 106 group that is currently incorporating GPS into their end-of-semester project and that representatives from Swift Navigation will be coming to have a meeting with them about their product, the Piksi Multi, which the students are using. We, the Controls team, were told that we could sit in on the meeting, mainly because the idea of GPS has been thrown around for position sensing in the Small-scale team, as well as the Full-scale team. The meeting was informative for us but didn't really contribute to what we are working on currently. Maybe a group in the future can devote more of their time to GPS if they feel that it is a necessity in the (small-scale) project.

I'm currently trying to troubleshoot to see whether all conencting pieces (nodes) between my computer and the podcar are working correctly. We hope to soon have the capability to purchase a ticket and have a given podcar go from station to station.

Week 7 - Getting Components to Communicate

For this weeks meeting, 10/11/17, we were told that our Presentation 2 was to be presented the next week, 10/18/17. After being briefed, by Dr. Furman and Ron Swenson, on where we're at as a whole, we went to our workstation and began trying to get everything working together. 

Last week, on Thursday, 10/5/17, I was finally able to get the port opened on my Mac. The problem wasn't an incorrect directory in the server.js file or anything. I solved the problem by using '$npm install serialport' in my Terminal. I recently purchased a windows laptop and I was able to open the port on there as well. 

After we were able to get the port opened, we got a message that read: 

"

$ node ./server.js

Port opened

New ticket detected!

userId: LLSCYWTgVKOhTUDD3sGgZ9LyAIc2, firstName: Testy, lastName: The Testing Tester1

addUserToPodSchedule()

spawning client

status: 100

client for podNum 1 has sent command: 01060203

client for podNum 1 has sent command: 01020008

"

After setting everything up in the warehouse, we tried purchasing tickets to send the podcars from station to station, however it didn't work as fluidly as expected. I believe the pod isn't reading it's position so it doesn't know where to go. There are also 2 RFID checkpoints that aren't on the track because we've been using them for RFID read/write testing. I thought if we try putting them back it'll work but no luck. 

We're currently in the process of checking all the nodes that connect everything wireless to see if the problem lies there. A node is any connecting piece (e.g. My computer, usb cable connecting master Xbee to my computer, the XBee master itself, the arduino, the XBee slave on the arduino, etc.) 

We contacted the old team to see if there is a more clear way the view what is communicated between devices other than the message posted above, however it seems that not much else can be readily and easily viewed. 

Week 6 - All-Hands Meeting / Brief Meet-up

Before this week's meeting (10/4/17), all ME195A students had to meet at ENGR189 because professor Winncy Du was scheduled to give a presentation on how to go about writing our final reports for our respective projects. After the presentation was over, we had to take a quiz about different aspects of the presentation (e.g. Differences between Abstract and Executive Summary, how to cite certain sources, etc.). A lot of the presentation consisted of things that I had learned before, but it was a nice refresher and it gave all of us a clear idea of where to find all the documents necessary in order to write our final paper with clearer direction.

After the presentation and quiz, we met up at the SSW Warehouse for our regular sub-team meetings. At this point, I was able to get the mobile app running, the XBees connected to each other, as well as access to Firebase (to view ticket purchases made by the mobile app and destination information about the podcar). The only thing we couldn't get to work was opening the port that the XBee was connected to by using '$ node ./server.js'.

In order to get this to work, all I was supposed to do was change the port directory in the server.js file, found in the SSW-master repository. I'm using a Mac and in the tutorial, the previous group was able to get the port opened on windows, so I am continuing my attempts to get the port opened on my computer so that we can initiate communications with the podcars. I emailed Shane again and he was able to add our controls group to an email thread with himself, as well as the small-scale mobile app crew from 2016-2017. Hopefully they can help with opening the port.

Week 5 - Presentation1

In today's session (9/27/17), we presented our first major presentation to the class and you can find that on our group blog (found here, under 'Week 5').

Contents of Presentation 1:

- Significance of Spartan Superway as a whole

- Significance of our Small-scale subteam

- Methods that have been attempted in the past and where we intend to go with this information

- An idea of specifications 

- Gantt Chart

- Team member responsibilities 

After presenting and watching the rest of the groups present, we had very little time to get together and work.

As far as wireless communications go, I ended up getting an XBee master and slave connected and I downloaded the necessary repositories for the Android app and the code/back-end server files. I wasn't able to get the App running just yet because I wasn't able to locate some files. I just emailed Shane, a member of the Summer 2017 Internship program, so once he responds, I'm hoping I can get everything running smoothly. 

Week 4 - Preparing For And Presentation 1 Viewings

On our 9/20/17 session, we were prepared to present our first presentation, basically giving the class an update on what we've been working on since the semester began, and the direction we are planning to go with our Controls sub-team. Once we got there, it was announced that only Full-scale and Half-scale were going that day so we sat back and enjoyed the presentations that the other groups had prepared. We'll be presenting next week (9/27/17).

Afterwards, our sub-team grouped together to discuss the progress we had made in the previous week. I had been working on getting the XBee modules connected, as well as downloading all of the necessary repositories and files so that I could get the mobile app running. 

My main objective is to understand how the wireless communication works and what information it communicates.

Week 3 - Getting more familiarized with our roles

This class session, 9/13/17, we started out with an overview of whats happening in South Africa with Ron and got estimations of when we will be receiving any documentation that can give us more insight into what the Futran track actually looks like.

We then met Shane and Khang from the Summer Internship 1/12 scale team and they gave us a nice rundown of how everything works. However the podcars were having troubles and we weren't really able to see a full demonstration of the podcars working, so that's something we're going to be working on.

We also threw around the idea of using more RFID chips around the track to help with position tracking

In the next week we'll all be reviewing the code to try to understand it better. I will be looking into the XBee modules to try to get a grasp on how they operate so we can have an easier time running and testing the podcars.

Next Wednesday we have our first big presentation which will just be an update on our progress thus far.

Week 2 - Lightning Talk

This week consisted of a lot of research into the work of previous groups that were responsible for the 1/12 scale controls. This was the primary goal because we had to put together a short Powerpoint presentation for our Lightning Talk, which consisted of:

1) Title Slide

2) Project Description

3) Project Specifications

4) Project End Goals

5) Ending Slide

I was in charge of our end goals for the project so I basically went through previous reports to see what groups weren't able to complete, either because the said task wasn't a priority or because they just couldn't get it to work.

End goals as of 9/6/17

Fixes to be made by us:

1.    Hall effect sensor not reading left (outer track) rail magnet.

·       Install new, adjustable, bracket design (several 3D printed in the work area)

2.    Improvement on switching mechanism when leaving a checkpoint.

•    Occasionally the right steering arm will not go down low enough, so the bogie gets stuck or the left arm does not go high enough and the bogie falls. (This happens due to the servo getting stuck on a wire or the gear on the servo breaking.)

3.    Re-evaluate whether our current DC motor can handle the load of the bogie.

a.    Occasionally if it’s running continuously (10-15 min), bogie will randomly stop or significantly slow down. Maybe due to particles getting inside gear assembly but more likely to be load.

4.    Research on implementing best shortest path algorithm

5.    Make libraries for sensors and bogie components to reduce 2000+ lines of code.

6.    Fix merging collision problem

7.    Apply everything we have so far to the new Futran track.

Other than that, our goals were to read up on the existing code to try and understand as much of it as we can, as well as to research different forms of position tracking, for the bogie.

Week 1: First Meeting / Team Formation

On 8/30/17, we had our first meeting at the Spartan Superway warehouse to get an overview on what we will be working on and to see what groups each of us was assigned to. We were able to see the full scale, half scale, and 1/12 scale models of the project, as well as demonstrations of the half and 1/12 scales.

I was assigned to the 1/12-scale Controls team with Ben Trump and Coby Ilas. We spent some time getting to know each other while waiting for Eric and Dr. Furman to come prep us on what we'll be focusing on for the project. Our main task for the week is to research previous work that has been done by past Controls teams so that we can do a Lightning Talk this upcoming Wednesday, 9/6/17. The Lightning Talk is a 5 minute presentation on what we've found and in what direction we're planning on going.

Since the 1/12 scale work for the Controls team seems mostly done, I'm hoping my research into the work will give me a good understanding of how everything was accomplished so that I can apply what I've learned to the new Futran track that is going to be implemented. Because of this new style of track, it seems that many aspects of the project must be reworked from scratch.

For now, I have plenty of reading to do in order to obtain a better understanding of all the work that has been done thus-far.

About Me

My name is Andisheh Khosravi-Sereshki, or just Andi, and I'm a Senior pursuing Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in Mechatronics, at San Jose State University.  I started out at Diablo Valley College (4 years) and transferred to SJSU in the Fall of 2015. My main interest lies in Mechatronics because I am fascinated by the idea of creating something from nothing. Basically, thinking of something, designing and building it, and writing programs to make your product do what you want it to do.

I'm interested in Spartan Superway because I believe it is the next step for us as a society; to have an efficient, environmentally friendly, and decongesting mode of transportation that everyone can use easily.

Email: Andikhosravi@gmail.com
Cell: (925)-300-6064