Drawer Slide Mechanism

Dr. Furman recommended a mounting solution for the charging component board that would be hidden but also easily accessible to users to swap batteries. A mechanism similar to a drawer was suggested. Research into drawer slides for cabinets were done. There are three main types of drawer slides that are available off the shelf; epoxy-coated, ball-bearing, and bottom-mounted drawer slides.

Each type of drawer slide has its pros and cons. Epoxy-coated and ball-bearing type slides both are designed to be attached to the sides of a drawer. Epoxy-coated slides uses two plastic wheels at each end to allow linear motion of the slider. Ball-bearing slides are also mounted to the sides of a drawer. Ball bearings are utilized for motion and offer lower friction compared to roller bearings used in the plastic wheels of the epoxy coated slider. Bottom mounted slides are designed to be a single rail mounted underneath, while glides on each side prevents wobbling.

Ideally, the charging components board would be mounted underneath the solar panel for concealment. A bottom-mounted slider attached to the underside of charging components board would require two flat U-brackets to support the front and end of the slider, along with glides to prevent wobble. Epoxy-coated and ball-bearing sliders has to be attached to both sides of the charging components board. Supports on each side will have to be created to mount the other half of the epoxy-coated or ball-bearing sliders to the support frame.

The above scenarios will be created in SolidWorks to visually see the ideas and be able to analyze each possible solution.

This week, I began doing a rough calculation of the solar panel with using 1000W/m^2 of irradiance according to standard test conditions (STC) and the area of the solar panels. After further thought, these levels of energy produced are theoretical maximum which can only be reached under ideal conditions in a laboratory setting. More research led to using NASA's Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy Available Tables. The tables lists maximum radiation incident on an equator-pointed tilted surface per latitude and longitudinal input. The table also offers optimal angle per month of the year. For November and the location of the workshop, the optimal angle is 58 degrees southward. The average maximum radiation incident is 4.41kWh/m^2/day. Using this data, each of our solar panels can provide 373Wh/day of energy.

Testing Solar Panel

Last Friday, I brought home a set of the solar panels along with charging equipment. I began cleaning the equipment and making visual checks for damages. A rough outline of the circuit diagram was drawn on paper. I noticed that wire size seems be chosen randomly for various connections according to the battery box. I made a note to check NEMA standards for wire size according to amperage when measured. I ordered a multimeter to test amperage at various locations. Currently, I am working on incorporating quick disconnects and measurement points in the wiring schematic.

New Design Concept

For this week, we are exploring a new solar panel structure design that will incorporate pre-fabricated ribs from the manufacturing team. With this design we are hoping to reduce the time to fabricate ribs to support the solar panel. After finalizing this design, we will have to a failure analysis in order to compare with our previous design. After a choice is made, we should then work on the bill of material.

Presentation #2

Currently, I am stressing over our second presentation. I am going over the feedback from our first presentation and seeing key areas where we can improve. I feel that a little overlap cover areas missing in the last presentation would be advantageous to our presentation.

We began to look into sources to supply aluminum for the solar panel frame and rotation hinge. We also need to look into gaining shop access and figuring out what times and days we can meet up to work on prototyping and fabricating.

Furthermore, the sponsorship letter and list of potential sponsors are coming to together. We can begin to send out letters next week. 

This week we began testing the mechanical bogie loaded. I started to compile a list of components of the bogie.

A draft of the sponsorship letter was created. Further, search for companies and contacts to reach out to has began.

After viewing some of the presentations last week, I gained a better direction in terms of how to further refine our presentation. Previously, it was not entirely clear what the presentation should consist of. Several sections that I am currently improving on are background, research, and prior year's design failures. These points are critical and lays the foundation for our design.

First Presentation

Susana and I met on Saturday and worked on the presentation. I went over a few ideas with her about our project. For example, I purposed an idea of utilizing a standing display as a charging station with the ability to display metrics regarding the solar system. Also, I got her feedback about incorporating other real time data from other teams.

The presentation tomorrow coincides with our ME 147 midterm. Many of our teammates are taking that classes. I feel that there should be better scheduling so that the focus can be more towards one class versus having to deciding and weighing the importance of each.

A Clear Mission Statement

I found a clearly stated mission on the main Spartan Superway blogger post. This mission statement defines what our team should accomplish and eliminates any uncertainties.

"This sub-team will be responsible for calculating the energy requirements to run a single podcar along the guideway for 24 hours. (This needs to be done in Excel so you can update calculations with additional podcars.) This sub-team will also develop a new, robust racking and mounting solution for the solar array that will include a solar tracking system to enhance the amount of sunlight that the solar array receives throughout the day. Lastly, this sub-team will improve upon the battery charging interface which is used to charges batteries that run the podcars."

SolidWorks

The team's agenda for this week is to have SolidWorks up and running on our computers. We have not been able to view prior year's design work. We were only able to view pictures extracted from SolidWorks.

Assignment #1

In previous team projects, time constraints have led to rushed decisions or oversight on various parts of the project. Failure in anticipating the amount of time required for certain tasks is a common occurrence during the planning phase of the project. To further complicate the issue, personal issues can and do arise during these scheduled times. These complications result in subpar work and ideas.

In order to combat these prior incidents, I am going to utilize a Gant chart to plan, allocate time, schedule completion dates, and report progress in the Spartan Superway project. Also, a detailed schedule of our team members can be useful.

Another area in which can be improved upon from working on previous team projects was communication. Communication is a difficult area when working with multiple members of team while taking classes and working. There is not a perfect solution that works in each situation. Using Google Drive to exchange and collaborate on files is a proven tool that works. Weekly meetings or discussion will help with improving ideas, planning for the week after, reporting on progress, and staying focused.

Management is a key and critical component to a project’s success. Management is a difficult role as it requires additional work and effort, but completely necessary to a team’s success. Many usually refrain from taking up this task. In order for this project to be successful, our team should split up this difficult task so that each member will be responsible for a certain part or aspect of our goal. By splitting up this task, each member will help out by lightening the load with this critical role.

Another key area to the success of this project is to have a clear goal and vision. By doing so will help team members realize the need of organization, project planning, well defined roles, and responsibilities. Defining a goal should be our team’s first task. Along with defining the team’s goal, vision, and project plan that can be changed over the life of the project. With these defined, they will serve as a road map and direction for our team to begin this project.