Our sophomore students have begun their SumoBot project. This project teaches students how to design and build their own custom autonomous robots. The goal is to have two robots compete in a circular ring and try to push the other one out the ring. The robots can only be turned on, they are not actively controlled by their creators. The function of the robots must be coded and allow the robots to work fully autonomously. For my end, I added some design tutorials for students to create their own 3D printed casters and wheels for the robots. The caster is a simple holder for a ball bearing, while the wheel is a rim to hold a thick rubber tube. A few photos below of the CAD and actual objects.
Wanted to showcase a few projects that are happening in the shop right now. The first is from one of our sophomores, Shubh P ’24, who took the design on on his LED Light Box to another level. Shubh has put a lot of attention to detail in his project from CAD to circuitry. He introduced several types of circuitry components to the design, which include potentiometers as dials, 7 segment display, and pushbutton switches. In addition, he utilized different sized wood in his CAD model to create patterns within the framework of the structure of the box. It really turned out well. Unfortunately, when taking photos of it today, there was a minor glitch in the coding, so he is going to fix the issue and I will post some more photos below.
In addition to the light box, Prince A ’23 is working on updating an older project from a previous student, a bluetooth speaker. The circuitry for the project is being modernized, as is the speaker box. Below you can see some test fitting of speakers in cardboard.
And lastly, Clark B ’23 and Daniel R ’22 are working on getting our traffic light fully functioning. Clark has been making circuit boards on our Bantam Tools mill and writing code to make the light work in unison with the school’s bell system. You can see his array of relays below in blue. Daniel has designed a connector to fit the traffic light on an old tv stand. We decided to print the connector out of a carbon fiber filament for strength, and after some trial and error, we are pretty happy with the final result. You can see it below in black.
Junior student Clark B has been working on circuitry to control an actual Stop Light that was donated to the shop a few years ago. Many students had thought about working on a project with the Stop Light, but nobody truly took on the project as Clark has done. So far he has written a program for an Arduino that will allow the light to turn on to reflect the daily class schedule. Green light for when we are in class time, yellow for 5 minutes before the bell, and red for time between classes. Along with his Arduino, he has a relay to control the AC voltage that turns on the light.
Additionally, we repurposed an old rolling television stand that was being dumped in the trash. The wheels were broken so we drilled new holes in the steel frame, tapped the holes for M10 bolts, and used some new casters we had in our storage room. To connect the light to the stand, another student, Senior Daniel R, 3D modeled and printed a connecting element that rests on the poles of the TV stand, and allows the Stop Light to slip onto the top of the connector. It’s coming together very well at the moment, and just a little more wiring and finalizing the coding should complete the project. Will post again when completed. For now, some photos below.
It’s been a few days since my last post, was a bit derailed from the February break here at school among other things. Over the weekend, a student had started a 3D print of a Y shaped connector for our dust collecting system for our 2 Bantam PCB Mills. It was printed upright with support for the legs that make the top part of the Y. I’m not always available when students begin a 3D print, and most have my permission to print without me needing to micromanage their files and how they get sent to the printer. One thing I do try to instill in my students, however, is understanding how a CAD object will be manufactured before they even begin working on the computer. That is, they should know whether or not they are going to 3D print, lasercut, or mill that part because that has ramifications as to how the part should be created in Fusion 360. Below you will see the print I saw when I arrived at school on Monday morning.
Now, there is nothing wrong with this print – it actually came out quite nice. Yet, our 3D printers have the capability to print angles up to 45 degrees without support. Which means this print could be printed without the support structures – which saves us not only filament but also time. I corrected the file in Simplify3D and reprinted it to demonstrate to students the advantages of understanding their method of manufacturing in order to model more appropriately.
There is nothing wrong with this student’s model, and it printed out fine without support. We try and teach students, especially with 3D printing, to try to design without the need for support in order to save time and material. Below is a quick video the the printer managing the overhangs in this print.
Today I needed to work on a lasercut project for the Camp Mustang that will be happening next week at the high school. Camp Mustang is a 2 day in school event for elementary and secondary school students within the Medford school district. I will be offering students CAD lessons, lasercutting, and some basic electronics. Several years ago, at my previous teaching job, I created a lasercut bug that could be assembled and then an LED and battery press fit into it so it lit up. I’ve created something similar for students but more of a robot shape. I’m still waiting on some material to cut each one out on, hoping that arrives today – otherwise I will be rushing around next week to get these cut for the students to assemble. For now, you can see the image that is used to lasercut on our Epilog Fusion Pro lasercutter.
