09/30/08 Nicole Rodia

10:40 - 11:20 am

1. Looked for parts for USB-CAN router board

09/27/08 Nicole Rodia

12:45 - 4:45 pm

1. Worked on ADC module layout in Eagle
2. Checking through parts inventory to see if we have parts needed for USB-CAN Router board
3. Read part of datasheet for ADS7871 A/D Converter IC

09/26/08 Nicole Rodia

2:15 - 5:00 pm

1. Worked on layout for ADC module in Eagle
2. Electronic HW team meeting

09/20/08 Nicole Rodia

1:30 pm - 5:30 pm

1. Created a spreadsheet of surface mount parts data for binder labels.
2. Worked on ADC module design:
a. Added capacitors across pairs of differential inputs.
b. Added capacitor & resistor values to schematic.
c. Configured board layout design rule checks.

09/19/08 Nicole Rodia

4:15 - 5:45 pm

1. Electronic HW Team Meeting
2. Organized PCB parts drawers in the lab

6/2/2008 - Rohit Hippalgaonkar

For 5/27 through 6/2
----------------------
Hours: 19 (in total)
Tuesday 5/27:
Tried making prototype of initial design on Kimball milling machine (1.5 hours)
1st session of instruction in machine shop (2.5 hours) - on lathe

Wednesday 5/28:
Started first part of machine shop course - on lathe (2.5 hours)

Thursday 5/29:
Finished first part course - on lathe (2 hours)
2nd session of instruction in machine shop (2.5 hours) - on milling machine

Monday 6/2:
Hand-drawing of new design of power connector (2 hours)
Started milling part of machine shop course (2.5 hours)
Made first prototype of connector's latest design - (3.5 hours)

5/22/2008, Thursday - Rohit Hippalgaonkar

11 am - 1.30 pm; 2.30 pm to 5 pm; 7.30 pm - 8 pm.

1. Power connector designs (2 hours)
2. CAD drawing (3 hours)
3. Machine shop intro (0.5 hours)
------------------------------------------------------------

1. Discussed power connector designs with Saurabh and Jason - we have still not come up with a completely satisfactory design for a power connector. We have just decided to go through an iterative design process where we try out a prototype, see if it works for our purposes and then make appropriate changes if it doesn't.

2. Worked on CAD drawing - abandoned the CAD drawing after discussing out with Jason and coming out with a simple design that did not need too much detail We will come back to the CAD drawing if required, when we make the final product we need.

3. Got a quick introduction from Jason on the milling machine and its particular characteristics, which I will primarily be using and also went to the Emerson Machine shop to check out if they would allow me to use their facilities - turns out I need training.

05/07/08 Nicole Rodia

2:30 - 4:30 pm

1. Completed ADC testing
2. Put away/cleaned up parts and equipment used for testing
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ran tests with function generator turned off to provide a DC signal (no sinusoidal "noise"). This will serve as control data for noise level analysis.

05/03/08 Nicole Rodia

10:00 - 11:00 pm

1. Read sections from The Analog Devices Data Conversion Handbook on the theory and operation of Sigma-Delta (oversampling) analog to digital converters.

04/30/08 Nicole Rodia

3:00 - 5:00 pm

1. Plotted ADC test result data in Excel.
2. Finished Power Point presentation for lab meeting. Added slides with summary of test results and graphs.

04/29/08 Nicole Rodia

8:00 - 11:00 pm

1. Analyzed results of ADC testing
2. Added to presentation for lab meeting
----------------------------------------------------------
1. Wrote Matlab code to find standard deviation, variance, and mean of collected data sets and plot the data.
2. Added more slides to my presentation for the lab meeting. Covered testing setup and purpose of high quality ADCs for a robot.

04/28/08 Nicole Rodia

3:45 - 6:30 pm

1. Acquired test data at 2.5 MHz with different function generator.
2. Measured voltage across input resistors for analog and digital voltage supplied to board. Allows calculation of power consumption.

04/27/08 Nicole Rodia

1:45 - 5:45 pm

1. Completed ADC frequency testing
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Acquired remaining test data using the function generator. Tested multiple data rates ranging from 60 sps to 4800 sps with input signal frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 100 kHz. Also did a few tests to see the effects of adjusting the programmable gain, turning on the input buffers, and utilizing the unipolar mode.

04/26/08 Nicole Rodia

1:40 - 5:40 pm

1. Configured testing set-up
2. Read data sheet
3. Acquired test data

04/25/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 - 5:00 pm

1. Set up testing apparatus for ADC noise rejection tests.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Using a function generator to create high frequency noise on the ADC input. Setup will allow measuring of the noise rejection of the ADC with various noise frequencies and amplitudes. The function generator and 5 V DC power supply are connected to a pseudo-differential input to the ADC through a resistive network. This gives a DC offset of ~2.5 V with a sinusoidal AC signal of ~0.5 V peak-to-peak, centering the noise signal in the center of the 0 to 5 V ADC input range.

04/23/08 Nicole Rodia

12:00 - 1:30 pm

1. Reviewed ADC load cell test data
2. Made presentation for lab meeting
-------------------------------------------------
1. Graphed some of the data from the A/D converter testing with the load cell differential input. Observed a few trends
2. Made a power point presentation for the lab meeting discussing my ADC testing. Includes the basic operation of the MAX1402 and preliminary results from load cell testing.

04/23/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45


1. Worked on Labview data acquisition for ranger

---------------------------------------------------------

1. added stuff on the main VI to read error codes. Initialization of error code names, loading an error name file from main display, and showing errors on main display.

04/21/08 Nicole Rodia

4:00 - 6:00 pm
7:15 - 9:15 pm

1. Soldered smaller wires onto load cell power and ground wires so that they would fit in the connectors I had soldered to the ADC board.
2. Connected load cell to ADC board for testing. Ran tests at different data rates, different input gains, and with buffered and unbuffered inputs. Collected the data for analysis.

04/21/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:00

1. Worked on Labview data acquisition for ranger


---------------------------------------------------------

2. Made a sub-VI that reads and writes the error code names for the main VI.

04/20/08 Nicole Rodia

10:30 - 11:00 am

1. Soldered longer wires with connectors onto the supply and ground wires of the load cell for use in testing my ADC eval board.

04/18/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 - 5:00 pm

1. Successfully captured ADC data with load cell input. Exported to excel to plot.
2. Made new removable connectors for ADC eval board for ease of testing in future.

04/14/08 Nicole Rodia

4:15 - 6:30 pm

1. Connected load cell to A/D differential inputs.
2. Read documentation to learn how to use MAX1402 eval software.
3. Read about operation of load cells.
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Read data from load cell into ADC differential inputs. Looked at data plots and noise levels.
2. Learned how to adjust gain and sampling rates in the eval software to do noise testing.
3. Learned how load cells work for use in testing of the ADC eval board.

04/11/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 - 4:45 pm

1. Attached BNC connectors to ADC board
2. Read ADC board documentation
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Soldered wires with BNC connectors to ADC board.
2. Looked through evaluation board code and data sheet.

04/07/08 Nicole Rodia

4:00 - 6:00 pm

1. Future Electronics Team Meeting
2. Hooked up and tested A/D eval board
------------------------------------------------------
1. Meeting: Jason has a contact with experience programming/designing boards with ARM and USB. We could potentially meet with him next Saturday.

2. Hooked up MAX1402 ADC evaluation board and got it working with the computer. Found gyroscope and accelerometer test boards to use as input data. Plan to develop some tests to utilize pseudo-differential and fully differential inputs to the ADC and measure noise levels.

4/07/08 Leticia Rojas

4:00-5:45

1. Worked on Labview Data acquisition program

----------------------------------------------------------------

1. Adding a feature to the program so it shows errors onscreen. I'm still working on it, and trying to figure out the structure of the program.

04/04/08 Nicole Rodia

1:15 - 1:45 pm

1. Got parts/software together to hook up ADC evaluation board. Copied files from provided floppy disk.

4/4/08 Carlos Arango

10:00am-01:00pm

1. Designed and machined spacers for battery box screws (3 hours)

-------------------------------------------------

1. After designing the spacers on Inventor, I went on a hunt for proper stock and found a small bar that had the exact outer diameter I needed. However, I found out that the chuck on the lathe was too small for the piece, so through some trial and error (I did not damage anything) I managed to remove it and put a bigger one in. After the first couple of spacers (which turned out the wrong size), i got the process down pat and was able to finish all 7 screw spacers

03/31/08 Nicole Rodia

3:45 - 6:00 pm

1. Finished finding parts for motor controller board
2. Future electronics team meeting
3. Prepared for populating motor controller board - using the microscope, where to find solder paste, etc.

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on the matlab data analysis

--------------------------------------------------

1. added a zoom in y feature using arrow keys.

2. Working on the video synchronization part of the data analysis.

03/28/08 Nicole Rodia

2:30-6:30 pm

1. Read documentation for A/D Converter & Eval Board
2. Sorted out parts to populate Haji's motor controller board
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Read datasheets for MAX1402 A/D Converter and its evaluation board in preparation for testing the board when it arrives in ~1 week.
2. Sorted surface mount parts and connectors in preparation for soldering Haji's motor controller board on Monday.

3/26/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on the matlab data analysis

--------------------------------------------------

1. I have a zoom in y feature implemented, it asks for a new minimum and maximum values to display on the graph. Now I'm trying to make it so the user can toggle the zoom with arrow keys

3/25/08 Carlos Arango

12:00-1:30pm

1. Helped Bram to run tests in Barton Hall

------------------------------------------------

1. Bram and I took Ranger to Barton to run tests. When we got there, the calibration program began to malfunction. We tried re-programming Ranger and ignoring the small malfunction (inner feet would swing down too fast), but when Bram tried to make it walk, Ranger's inner leg would not lock forward to start walking. After some investigation and tweaking, Bram recalled that leaving LabView on while setting the computer on standby can cause troubles. He re-started LabView and from then on Ranger operated correctly. We did a couple of short walks up the 1 degree incline, but on the way back to base down the hill Ranger did not flip its inner feet down fast enough and they caught on the ground, snapping the cable that drives the ankle. Bram claims that although unfortunate, this proves to him that the flux utilized while soldering the rod sections on ranger actually weakens the cable.

To Be Continued...

3/24/08 Carlos Arango

1:15-3:30pm

1. Incorporated outside leg low voltage batteries into Ranger's power circuit.

---------------------------

1. Connected the low voltage batteries on the outside legs to Ranger's power circuit, so they can now be charged with the central ones. I will probably re-wire some of the power circuit later in the week to convert to the new high voltage batteries, bu Ranger is allegedly walking well enough that changing to those might not be required for the record attempt.

03/24/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on the matlab data analysis

--------------------------------------------------

1. working on some of the stuff bram asked for, trying to make a zoom in y feature.

03/24/08 Nicole Rodia

4:00 - 5:30 pm

1. ADC Board/ Eval Board research and quote
2. Future Electronics Team Meeting
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Decided to go with MAX1402 --> 5 V ADC. Requested quote for evaluation board from Maxim.
2. New boards ordered so Emily can begin CAN bus testing. Sam designing board to test USB to CAN conversion. Nicole to order A/D converter eval board for testing.

3/12/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on matlab data acquisition program

2. Researched video acquisition for labview

--------------------------------------------------

1. Fixed the problem with the load new data file

2. Trying to find a way to program video acquisition using labview

3/12/08 Gregory Falco

5:00-7:00Pm

1.Pizza & Soda
2.Lab Meeting

3/11/08 Gregory Falco

10:45-1:00PM

1. Accounting (.5)
2. Account Summary (1.75)

-----------------------
1. Met with Ms. Smiley about account information for lab and came up with a system for rectifying accounts
2. Began creating account summary for month of January

3/10/08 Gregory Falco

11:45-2:00PM

1. Blog (1 hr)
2. Pictures (1.25 hrs)

---------------------------------

1. Compiled past weeks of blog, updated it, labeled it and sorted entreis
2. Got pictures of Professor Han and Son and began making a lab list

3/10/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on MATLAB data analysis program.

---------------------------------------------------------------

1. Refined the function that allows users to plot more than one parameter vs time on a graph. It is now color coded and has a legend showing which parameter holds each color. Also worked on the function that allows the user to open a new data file, which wasn't working on earlier versions. I'm still working on that problem since it no longer shows an error, but it doesn't load the desired data file.

03/10/08 Nicole Rodia

4:00 - 5:30 pm

1. Future Electronics Group Meeting
2. Added data to ADC Test Report
3. Selected ADCs to test
-------------------------------------------------
1. Meeting: Sam ordering another microcontroller board to set up USB communications. Emily working on CAN bus testing. Nicole to order ADCs to test..
2. Added signal level ADC test data to report in addition to noise data.
3. Narrowed choices to 2 ADCs: MAX1403 and ADS1213. Plan to order and test these.

03/10/08 Nicole Rodia

1:30 - 2:30 pm

1. Created ADC comparison chart
-------------------------------------------------
1. Created comparison between top 3 ADC choices based on power consumption, data rate, resolution, number of input channels, etc.

2/27/2008 Gregory Falco

2:00-7:00

1. BOOM Prep (2 hrs)
2. BOOM (2 hrs)
3. Lab Meeting (1 hr)

------------------------------------------------
1. Set up for BOOM. AMD stole our spot so we had to get them to leave while also facilitate bringing our robots and materials down for the event
2. BOOM
3. Lab meeting

2/26/2008 Gregory Falco

11:35- 1:05

BOOM Powerpoint

------------------------------
Finished BOOM powerpoint for presentation. Added new section to presentation called Social Benefits and got rid of overly active animation

2/25/08 Gregory Falco

12:15-2:15

1. BOOM Powepoint

------------------------------------------------
1. Began creating powerpoint we were to use as BOOM's poster. Started today by updating specs from last year's robot

2/20/08 Gregory Falco

2:00-5:00 5:30-7:00

1. Updated Lab Schedule (.5 hrs)
2. Brainstormed ways to get more efficient blog (1.5 hrs)
3. Blog Update (.5 hrs)
4. Lab Meeting & Prep (2 hrs)
----------------------
1. People keep changing their schedule so I updated it once again
2. Worked on creating a more efficient scheme for the blog and got a list of alternatives
3. Updated blog- labeled, dated, named people's entries that were forgotten
4. Bought cups, soda and pizza for meeting

2/19/08 Gregory Falco

10:40-1:10

1. Boom Application (1.5 hrs)
2. Resume submission for lab (1 hr)

-----------------------------------------------
1. Worked on BOOM submission, there had been problems with our application so i went to Amy Fish for help.

2. We needed to submit our resumes for BOOM so I worked with John to create one to submit. This way our lab would be in the public eye and get more notice.

2/18/2008 Gregory Falco

11:30-2:00

1. BOOM

------------------------------------------
Worked on Boom application

03/07/08 Nicole Rodia

12:30 - 5:30 pm

1. Completed ADC Test Report
2. Research possible ADCs
3. Summarized ADC features for best options
-----------------------------------------------------------
1. Entered remaining ADC test data and completed report with procedure, data, conclusions, and discussion sections.
2. Looked up potential ADCs with the following criteria:
- resolution >12 bits
- multi-channel or multiplexed input
- data rate > 400 SPS
- programmable input gain
- sigma-delta
- low power: <~ 50 mW
3. Selected best ADC options and listed their features to compare. Narrowed choices down to 3 options.

3/07/08 Leticia Rojas

12:15-2:30

1. worked on Matlab Data analysis program

2. worked on matlab video acquisition

3. Reseached video acquisition in LabView

--------------------------------------------
1. worked on details of a function that allows the user to plot several parameters on a same graph. Worked on other details of the program, like closing prompt windows after use.

2.I'm testing the limits of matlab for this video acquisition.

3. I'm reseaching examples to see if it is better to get our video acquisition using Labview.

2:45-4:45

1. worked on Matlab Data analysis program

--------------------------------------------
1. Implemented a function that allows the user to plot several parameters on a same graph.

3/03/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-6:15

1. worked on Matlab Data analysis program

2. met with Bram about the Matlab program

----------------------------------------------------

1. Implemented a function that allows the user to plot 2 parameters against each other.

2. Spoke with Bram about what the ranger team needs to get from the program and we established a priority list of things to work on.

03/03/08 Nicole Rodia

3:45 - 5:45 pm

1. A/D Converter Test Report
2. Future Robotics Team Meeting
3. Researched potential Sigma-Delta ADCs
---------------------------------------------------------
1. Created data tables and began writing report on A/D Converter testing from past two weeks.
2. Meeting: Discussed possible use of Sigma-Delta ADCs, with multiple inputs, high sampling rate. Necessity of filtering high frequencies on ADC input to prevent aliasing.
3. Looked up Sigma-Delta ADCs from Maxim, Analog Devices, and TI. Looking for at least 16-bits of resolution, multiple analog inputs, and sampling rate > 1kSPS.

3/1, Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Hours (from Tuesday 2/26 through 1/3):

Tuesday - 3 pm to 4 pm (Upson CIT Computing lab) ;10.30 pm to 11.30 pm (from home)
Wednesday - 11 am to 12.30 pm; 3 pm to 6 pm (from CIT)
Saturday - 5.30 pm to 7.00pm; 8.30 pm to 12.30 pm (from CIT)
------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Hyperworks 8.0 (MotionView, HyperGraph, HyperView, etc)

* Compared Hyperworks plots to results from MATLAB simulation of double pendulum. The Matlab simulation itself WAS accurate to a good degree, and showed conservation of energy (3 hours).

* Implemented double pendulum while learning various plotting and animation features of the software - such as plotting user defined expressions, getting new outputs and so on. These small things ended taking a lot of time, but finally these helped in doing an energy conservation check of the double pendulum model. (7 hours)

* Implemented a simple model involving collisions (bouncing ball dropped from a height onto a floor) - did an energy check and so on. The software somehow only plots one collision cycle- looking into this. (2 hours). Once I work this out, will move on to the simplest walker.



Implemented double pendulum with energy conservation - learnt more plotting features.

02/29/08 Nicole Rodia

1:30 - 6:00 pm

1. Did more tests on internal and external ADCs on Ko Brain board.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Checked noise levels for internal and external 12-bit ADCs. Ran tests with grounded and 1.5 V inputs, 10k and 100k resistors in series with the input voltage, and 22 nF capacitor across the battery input. Conclusion: External A/D less noisy than internal by ~10x.

2/29/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30- 6:00

1. Worked on the Matlab video acquisition

----------------------

1. There were some problems due to Matlab's default video compression, but they have now been solved. The video which was not capturing at the given frame rate is now capturing correctly.

02/28/08 Hajime Furukawa

1:00PM - 4:30PM

1) Look into LEDs and Wireless transmitters

--------------------------------------------------

1) Tried to find a omni directional LED which took a very long time but eventually found one that seems pretty good. Looked into the usage of TLP/RLP 434-A Wireless transmitter and receiver to see if it could work for our application. Seems pretty good except for the fact that people say that it does not work very well when the receiver and transmitter are close together (less than 5 feet).

02/28/08 Carlos Arango

12:00-2:30pm

1. Finished G-code for upper connector bracket (1.75 hr)

2. Looked for simulation software and tested G-code (45 min)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1. I had to go into Inventor and pull coordinates relative to the bracket's corners for all the features in the G-code. I aslo learned how to do circles on G-code today.

2. We have found a simulator that works only on one of 2 tested computers (the older dell computer, left of the Mac server), but which simulates effortlessly. It is called NCPlot, and version 1.1 is free

2/27/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:00


1. Worked on the matlab data analysis program

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. still working on overlapping two parameters on one graph and plotting the result of manipulating a parameter with a mathematic expression. the code works separatedly, but when added to the program it doesn't return the expected graphs.

2/26/08 Jonathan Hui

All header files have now been combined into one large header file called headers.h

Worked on splitting code and agreed on certain standards:

Header files should include:
1. typedef
2. enum
3. macro definitions
4. function prototypes

Header files should not include:
1. global variables
2. extern statements

Global variables should be defined at the top of the C code which initializes or writes to it.

Functions (which read) have extern statement (should have original format) (i.e. type declarations) but don't declare array size if it is an array (but use [])

Header File Format:
#ifndef ALREADY_filename_H
#define ALREADY_filename_H

//Contents with #define

#endif ALREADY_Filename_H

2/25 - Andrey Turovsky

1) Worked on splitting up code. (~1.5 hours)


The following is a summary:

Moved FFloat numbers to FFloatV2A.h
Created Button.c/h in peripherals category
Created Encoder.c/h
Created TorqueController.c/h
Created PWM.c/h
Created LCD.c/h
Created Sensor.c/h
Created Foot.c/h
Created LinkSwitch.c/h
Created CAN.c/h
Added above headers to headers.h

The functions related to the above peripherals can now be found in their respective files.

02/25/08 Nicole Rodia

4:15 - 7:15 pm
11:00 pm - 12:00 am

1. Future Electronics Group Meeting
2. A-to-D Converter Testing on Ranger
3. Created PowerPoint presentation for Weds. meeting
----------------------------------------------------
1. Looking into getting a toaster oven to use as a reflow oven for soldering. Sam and Emily having issues getting their boards to program. Got in micro-USB connectors, which are a reasonable size, but cable and hub logistics could be difficult as we would have to make our own. ADC testing on Ko Brain board shows that we should be able to get decent data from microcontroller's built-in ADC.
2. Tested ADC chip on ranger satellite board. Noise reduced by factor of 4 when not using 6-foot, unshielded ribbon cable. Input to buffer amplifier contributing to minor baseline noise.
3. Put together power point on ADCs specific to Ranger and current testing for Weds. meeting.

2/25/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30-5:45

1. Worked on the matlab data analysis program

2. High Speed camera research.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. placed points instead of lines on graphs
worked on overlapping two parameters on a new graph, and graphing the results of manipulating a parameter with a mathematic expression.

2. Still asking for camera quotes, asked on different places since I haven't had a response from the other places I asked.

2/25/08 Carlos Arango

1:15-2:55p

1. Manufactured and glued spacers onto battery case screws (1 hr)

2. Sketched and discussed wiring diagram (40 min)

------------------------------------------------------

1. To make removing and installing the center box cover less confusing, I have glued the lock washers and washers I was using to create space for the battery box onto the mounting screws. I will see if it worked tomorrow

2. I have drawn a circuit diagram for the new battery wiring, and discussed it with Jason. He suggested some temporary changes until the high voltage batteries come in

2/25/'08 Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Hours:
Thursday - 5 pm t0 7 pm (From Upson CIT lab)
Friday - 11 am to 1 pm; 2 .30 pm to 5.30 pm (From Upson CIT lab)

1. Motionview and MotionSolve (7.5 hours)
---------------------------------------

1. Implemented the simple pendulum (with Pranavs' help) and double pendulum on MotionView. The simple pendulum worked fine, showed energy conservation and gave expected results to various initial conditions. The double pendulum does not show the same results as my simulation in Matlab (during TAM 570) of the same - for e.g. x(t) vs. t plots do not match for one of the links, given the same initial conditions and other parameters. Also looking at how to plot user-defined functions and so on.

2/25/08 Avtar Khalsa

12:00PM-2:30PM ~2.5 hrs


1) Worked on breaking Ranger code up


1) I spent my time breaking the ranger code up further with Jason. We first tested the progress from Friday. It turned out we needed to add the extern tag to many of the variable definitions. We split the WalkController into a new file, and a new header file. We also created a "headers.h" header file to contain all the headers so that they don't all need to be included in every single file

02/23/08 Nicole Rodia

3:00 - 6:00 pm

1. Read amplifier data sheets
2. Tested ADCs on robot brain board
------------------------------------------------
1. Compared amp specs for use on ADC input.
2. Checked noise levels on inputs and outputs of ADCs, both the ADCs built-in to the microcontroller and those on a separate chip on the same board. The noise level was smaller than expected, only about 0.2%, and the primary frequency was at that of the switching power supply, ~1 MHz.

02/22/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30 - 5:30

1. Work on the Matlab data analysis program

2. Camera Research

-------------------------------

1. I added a function that lets the user manipulate the data by an algebraic expression, it is working perfectly but I'm struggling to make it more user friendly, as well as plotting the resulting data on a new figure.

2. Asked for more quotes for lower fps cameras (100-200). I'm still waiting to hear from the other places I asked for a quote.

02/22/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 - 5:30 pm

1. Researched A-to-D Converter input structure types
2. Wire configurations/shielding and relationship to noise/coupling
3. Read ADC and amp data sheets to determine which to use
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Pseudo-differential input type seems to be the best option for the type of input that we have and to minimize noise.
2. Should probably use twisted pair or shielded wires to prevent signals coupling capacitively or from EM interference.
3. Want to use a pseudo-differential ADC with 100 or 250 kSPS and 16-bit resolution. Use low-power, high-speed rail-to-rail I/O amp on ADC input.

2/22/08 Stephane Constantin

11:00 to 12:00

1) RC Biped

Collected necessary documents and code and looked up data sheets of parts on the robot.

02/21/08 Nicole Rodia

9:00 - 10:00 pm

1. Researched A-to-D Converters
-------------------------------------------
1. Researched potential ADC pitfalls that would reduce accuracy, including reference voltages and logic reset
2. Researched hardware design issues including associated circuitry and passive circuit elements, use of ground planes, and EMI considerations

2/21/08 Leticia Rojas

3:00 - 5:30 PM

1. Researched High Speed Cameras for video/data acquisition for robots.

-----------------------------

1. Went through 3 catalogs and about 20-25 different models. Asked for quote for six of them.

2/20/08, Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Wednesday - 12.30 to 2 pm; 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm
--------------------------------------------------

1. MotionView and MotionSolve

1. Spent time getting familiar with MotionView, the package that I will be using to make a model of the Ranger. Read the manual that outlines how to build models, has good modeling tips and seems useful for the optimization and control that we want to implement later. My plan is to start from the simple pendulum and keep adding complexities (could then do the double pendulum, the Simplest Walker, and then finally the Ranger). Will be easier in debugging this way.

02/19/08 Hajime Furukawa

2:30 - 5:30

1) Made Corrections to the Motor Controller Board

--------------------------------------------------------

1) Made corrections that Jason suggested to the motor controller board. Made a single and, a single opamp, and an inverting schmitt trigger device. Replaced the old devices with these new smaller devices.

02/18/08 Nicole Rodia

4:15 - 6:30 pm

1. Future electronics team meeting
2. Probed A-to-D converter outputs on Ranger

------------------------------------------------------------

1. Discussed status of CAN vs. USB testing, design schedule

2. Checked voltages on Ranger's A-to-D outputs to determine source of noise in output signal. Outputs on the board seemed to have low noise, so it may be due to the long output wires for the data. Could try shielding or twisting instead of ribbon cable.

2/18/08 Leticia Rojas

3:30 - 5:45

1. Worked on programming for the matlab data analysis program.

------------------------------------
1. Mainly worked on implementing a feature so the user is able to apply a math function to a variable. I'm halfway through, I can apply a function to random numbers, but not to a variable.

2/15/08 Stephane Constantin

4:30 - 6:30 pm

1) Tested video and graphs on real data and video of robot.

RESULTS AND ISSUES:

1. It seeme to be possible to do everything on a single computer i.e. Simultaneously reading parameters (labview), recording video (matlab or other). Post processing using matlab will then be done with matlab on the same computer and all the required files (video and txt) will be readily available.

2. Timing issue: When tested using my personal camera, the video did not match the appropriate data. Two possible causes: Either the frame reading rate of the camera is not constant OR Matlab cannot read video frames in a real-time way and introduces delays.
We might want to do that experiment again with another camera.

2/15/08 Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Saturday (2/15) - 10.30 am to 11.30 am; 1.30 to 4.30 pm

1. outer leg inertia experiment (15 mins)
2. Root-finding of simplest walker (3 hours)
3. Help from Gregg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Told Carlos and Bram about procedure to set-up and measure the inertia of the outer leg, with pictures et al, with and without the motor coupled.

2. More work on my own root-finding code for the Simplest Walker - got stuck after a while.

3. Consulted Gregg on how to work around this. Also got a fill in on what went on during the lecture I missed (TAM 796) on 2/14 Thursday.

02/15/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 - 5:00 pm

1. Research motor control board components
2. Determined test motor controller/ADC board specs

--------------------------------------------------------

1. Read datasheets for various components needed on motor controller board, including half bridge, A-to-D Converter, high speed amp for ADC, CAN bus transceiver. Compiled datasheets for all necessary parts for the board.

2. For test board, will need motor controller (H-Bridge), A-to-D converter, amp for ADC, multiplexer to switch between multiple analog inputs. By using a multiplexer, only one ADC is needed - can save space and power.

2/15/08 Avtar Khalsa

12:30PM-3:00PM ~2:30 hrs

1) Established another set of meeting times for Control Team

2) Worked on the code

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) It seems that the last meeting time we had scheduled turned out not to work for enough people. The meeting will now hopefully be on tuesday the 19th. There are multiple times during the day that work for both myself and jason, so depending on whats best for Andrey and Alex the meeting should be have happened by tuesday night

2) I spent some time brainstorming the new design structure for the code. We have to presently assume we can only use C, however we are going to plan the code as if we will have C++ at our disposal. I thought of several potential object structures that could be used, although the meeting will probably yield more results.

Satellite Board I/O & Board Types from 02/08 mtg

Notes from New Controls System Design Meeting, 02/08/08

Satellite Board Inputs and Outputs

OUT

PWM – motor voltage

Blinking lights/beeps

Data --> wireless (own board)

LCD screen

RC servo motor

[“black box” (SD)]

IN

Motor encoder

Angle encode (for ankles) – SPI

Analog foot sensor

Current sensors (analog)

Voltage sensors (analog)

Serial to IMU – inertial measurement

Accelerometer (analog or digital – SPI)

Gyroscope

RC servo motor

Switches (limit, push button)

Potential: GPS, vision, force/torque sensors

Board Types

1. Motor Board
1. H-bridge (x1)
2. Encoder

i. Optical (incremental)

ii. Magnetic (absolute)

3. Current sensor (x2)
4. Voltage sensor (x2)
5. Watchdog timer (no I/O)
1. User I/O
1. Buttons on the board
2. LCD
3. A lot of unused wires
4. (IMU)
2. Sensor
1. IMU (RS 232 connector & ICs)
2. A/D (x4)
3. Unused wires
4. Encoders

i. Optical

ii. Magnetic

4. Miniature Board For Joints (SPI)
1. Magnetic sensor on board
2. Connect to board 1 or 3
5. RC Servo – Specialized motor board
1. RC servo version w/ 2 controllers

2/14/08 John Buzzi

1:20 - 4:00pm

1) Did more research on the waterjet cutter and compiled the relevant information in a word document.

2) Installed the new servo

---------------------------------

1) I took relevant information from online about water jet cutters and put it into one place in order to have an overview of the process. Relevant information included capabilities of water jet cutters, pros, cons, and costs. Furthermore i included contact information of various facilities where this service is available so that i can discuss with them possible pricing or perhaps even get a sample part.

2) I took the servo that I had previously prepared for installation and soldered the wires to the potentiometer in the body of the robot. I made a pin connector that connects the robot controller to the servo. I filed down parts of the exterior of the servo so that it would properly fit on the mounting bracket. I mounted the servo on the bracket and then installed the bracket on the robot. The gears were tested and the system worked properly. The remaining work to be done is just to deal with the wires so they are not floating around inside the robot, they need to be routed along the walls so that they are out of the way of moving parts.

2/13/08 John Buzzi

2:00-4:30pm

1) Researched Water Jet cutting as a possibility for the rolling elements

2) prepared the new servo to be connected to the robot

------------------------------------------------------

1) I spent my time looking up waterjet cutting facilities that cater to the upstate new york area and just looked at some general information about waterjet.

2) I removed the potentiometer from the new servo and extended the wires so that the motor could be easily installed and maneuvered inside the robot. This unfortunately took longer than expected because I had originally extended the wires with non-stranded cable which is not a good idea because when bent back and forth it is more likely to break than stranded cable. So I removed the heat shrink and the solder and reconnected a ribbon cable to the existing wires.

2/14/'08, Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Tuesday : 6.30pm to 8.30 pm; 10.30 pm to 12.30 am (from home)
Wednesday: 11 pm to 12 pm (from home)
Thursday 1 am to 3 am (from home)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Implementing root-finding on the Simplest Walker (3 hours)
2. Debugging animation (5 hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Have been looking around for packages that do root-finding in Python. There are packages that do root-finding for the purpose of a scalar-valued function, but not for vector-valued functions. Have been working on my own root-solver.

2. My root-solving package required some changes to my original code - this led to a tiny bug that was hard to detect. Getting my previously successful animation to run again took up all that time - turned out being a tiny syntax error that was hard to detect!

2/8/08 Leticia Rojas

2:00-5:30

1. installed matlab and Labview on my computer.

2. searched for high fps rate cameras

----------------------------------------

1. Installation took about 2 hours, and I couldn't really do much else while the instalation was done. Matlab is not completely installed

2. Started researching high speed cameras for use in synchronizing video with data on the matlab data analysis program. Found some website and archived the data sheets of several of them.

2/8/08 John Buzzi

11:00am-5:00pm

1) met with Jason to discuss my project with the steering system

2) met with Bramm to discuss team meeting

3) Went to Plasma cutting facility to create rolling elements

4) machined the new gear to be press fit onto the new servo

--------------------------------------------------------------
1) My steering system project is that i need to machine a gear to be fit onto the new servo. After that is completed the servo needs to be connected to the potentiometer in the robot and mounted properly.

2) Discussed with Bramm what it is that I am doing and what it is the ranger team is doing in general

3) I went to the PDC sheet metal shop in order to attempt the plasma cutting of the rolling elements. After many trials of varying speed and intensity of the cut it was determined that cutting 3/8" aluminum with a plasma cutter (or at least that particular plasma cutter) is not a good idea.

4) the gears that we purchased did not have a hole big enough to fit onto the servo that we have, so in order to fix this problem i machined out the hole in the gear so that it could be properly press fit onto the servo.

02/12/08 - Hajime Furukawa

2:30 - 7:00

1) Motor Controller Board (4.5h)

---------------------------------------------

1) Discussed with Jason what needed to connect extra jumpers on the side and connected those wires. Changed part AD8030 to AD8040 and added voltage divider circuit. Ran into various troubles because of Eagle... Finished Connecting up the digital logic to control the motor controllers, and connected other various wires.

2/12/08 Gregory Falco

10:45-1:00PM

1. BOOM (1.25 hrs)
2. Schedule (.5 hrs)
3. Presentations (.5 hrs)

--------------------------------------------------
1. BOOM application did not go through. We are having problems submitting our project. I have been working with Amy Fish to try and get our application problems solved. It seems as if it does not recognize our submitted app in the system.

2. Resent and remade schedule with necessary changes.

3. Redid presentation schedule for lab.

2/11/08 Stephane Constantin

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Matlab graphing and video program

1. Improved GUI interface
2. Tested extreme cases

02/11/08 Nicole Rodia

3:45 - 5:00 pm

-Looked up data sheets for motor board parts
-Read brief tutorial of Eagle & received Eagle directions from Sam
-Set Future Electronics group meeting time to Mondays @ 4:30 pm

2/11/08 Gregory Falco

12:00PM- 2:00PM

1. BOOM (.5 hrs)
2. Schedule (.25 hrs)
3. Blog (.25 hrs)

--------------------------------

1. Applied for BOOM 2008: wrote lab summary from last year's description, wrote lab team members, working on details (ie. logo, presentation, poster)
2. Made preliminary lab schedule
3. Taught new members about lab notebook online and how to use it

2/6/08 Gregory Falco

3:00PM-5:00PM 5:30Pm-7:00PM

1. SMD Parts (2 hrs)
2. Lab Meeting & Prep (1.5 hrs)

-------------------------------------
1. Created labels for SMD parts and organized them by Capacitor size and type.
2. Bought pizza and created pre-scheduling documents for lab meeting

2/11 Stephane Constantin

11:30 to 1:30

Finalized user interface synchronization protocol between graphs and video.
Fixed display window

02/08/08 Nicole Rodia

1:00 pm - 5:30 pm

-Meetings to determine basic design of new controls system
-Sending notes to the rest of the future electronics team

2/9/'08, Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Tuesday (2/5) : 4 pm to 6 pm (from home)
Friday (2/8) : 11 am to 12.30 pm; 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm

Saturday (2/9) : 2.30 to 4.30 pm; 6.45 pm to 8.15pm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* More work on the simplest walker in Python - Last week when I implemented the simplest walker, I essentially only animated it - this meant that I was looking for stable solutions to the problem while tinkering around with the initial conditions. This week I have been going by the conventional procedure - looking for solutions (root solving) and then looking for equations.

* Want to build on the simplest walker in python to eventually simulate a model of the Ranger that is similar to the one Pranav is building in MATLAB.

2/8/08 Carlos Arango

10:15-12:00p again 12:30-3:45p
1. Helped Bram with LabView code for sensor data (1 hr 45 min)

2. Machined mounting rails for center battery box (2 hr)

3. Ranger team meeting (45 min)

4. Mounted center battery box (30 min)

------------------------------------------------
1. The LabView code for the Ranger data acquisition is confusing, so it took us a while to figure out how to incorporated the measurements from the load cell into it (though Bram did most of the coding)

2. Center battery box required 3 mounting rails because of the screw configuration on the center portion of Ranger

3. Self-explanator. We decided that the next big goal is to take lots of measurements and double-check all assumptions our models are making

4. Center battery box is now mounted, although the connector for the batteries is in the wrong place because I was unable to ask Jason for a final location since he was busy with meetings all day

Friday 2/8

10:30 to 12:30 am

Worked on synchronizing protocol between data and video. Spit up the program into 3 modes:
1. Graphs only
2. Video only
3. Graphs + Video mode

This will allow easier sychronization protocol.

Thursday 2/7

3 - 4 pm

Introduced the graphing program to Laeticia so that she can slowly take project over.
Discussed issues about synchronizing video and data.

02/07/08 Nicole Rodia

8:00 - 9:00

Preliminary research on USB interface, USB hubs, and FlexRay.
-FlexRay Consortium is still in effect until Dec. 2008 - must be a member to use FlexRay technology

2/7/08 John Buzzi

1:45-3:30

1) Completed preparation of the drawings of the rolling elements for the plasma cutter. (1 hr 30 min)

-----------------------------------

1) Thanks to the quirky nature of the solidworks DWG editor I ran into more speed bumps today while finishing up the part drawings. However they are now fully drawn and properly formatted so that the plasma cutter will be able to correctly acknowledge the outer profile and the interior cuts as different entities. I plan on going tomorrow at some point to the plasma cutting facility to actually create the parts (asusming that the operator is availible).

2/6/08 John Buzzi

7:15-9:15pm

1) Created wheel shaped designs in the CAD models of the rolling elements (30min)

2) Created drawings from the rolling models and worked on preparing them for plasma cutting(1hr 30 min)

---------------------

1) The rolling elements until this point were totally solid octagons and hexagons. I took the models and removed material so that a bicycle wheel pattern with "spokes" was left. I did this for four different models.

2) I took the newly finished models and spent a good amount of time learning how to properly format the drawings in solidworks DWG editor so that the plasma cutter can work as expected. About half the time was spent familiarizing myself with the program which is much different than solidworks itself. The other half of the time I spent fully preparing one of the 4 models to be cut. The rest will be done tomorrow and then plasma cut on friday hopefully.



Note: I also spent time (1 hour) yesterday testing the designs that were laser cut to determine which we should try out on the plasma cutter. I decided to to one hexagon and one octagon, the reason I dont have an official post is because I had just about finished writing it but then the computer went to the blue screen of death, so this is my makeshift post for that work. (Carlos witnessed this occurance)

Simulation: Modeling of ranger

Simulation group meet 02-04-2008

Why simulation?
a) Develop, test and demonstrate new control ideas.
b) But in order to simulate one needs a good model

This meet was about b)

Robot model features:

Mass and dimension:
1) Inner leg similar to outer leg?
Issue: Control of asymmetric legs is much difficult as compared to similar legs.
Soln: Try controllers on symmetric legs and than move on to asymmetric legs.

2) Inertia and mass of feet is zero?
Issue: During swing phase, motor and tensioning spring have to swing the feet up and down after push off and just before heelstrike respectively.
Soln: : Trivial calculation to check if motor and tensioning spring can swing the feet at the right speed incorporating the dynamics of the feet and motor model.

3) Feet profile circular?

Springs and Motors
4) Cable Elasticity?
Issue: Cable elasticity adds compliance between ankle joint and ankle motors
Soln:: Modeled by introducing a degree of freedom at the motor joint.

5) Dry Friction in motor?
6)Gear Play?
Issue: Leads to hysteresis and instability
Soln: Include later.

7) Motor free or locked in heelstrike.
Soln: Ankles motors irrelevant due to cable elasticity (compliance). Hip motor should be kept free.

8) Motor Inertia:
Issue: Reflected inertia and hence limits on maximum accelerations. Adds another degree of freedom.
Soln: Include inertias in the motor model

9) Include Hip Spring?
Soln: Add Hip Spring. Improves energetics if tuned properly.

10) Tensioning spings in drive side and back tension?
Issue: Affects the ankle foot lift off and keeps the cable from unwinding.

Collision and Friction
11) Feet bottom are rigid?
Treat all bodies as rigid and don't allow for any deformation.

12) friction is infinite?
13) No slip
Leads to friction paradox in simulations. See Tad McGeer's paper on Wobbling, toppling and forces of contact.

02/05/08 Hajime Furukawa

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

1) Worked on MotorController Board (3h)

------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Discussed with Jason how more the the wires on the board are supposed to be connected up. Looked for a proper AND gate integrated circuit to add to board design. Made component for AND gate IC. Also read some data sheets on the motor controller and other various components.

2/5/08 Carlos Arango

11:30-12:00p again 1:00-2:00p

1. Attempted setup of loadcell on lab computer

2. planed Rail design for center battery box.

--------------------------------------------------

1. Bram and I tried to open a labview program to interpret data from the loadcell, but we found we are missing drivers. We initiated a download for these drivers, of total 780MB size.

2. The center rails provide a design challenge, as there are no top screws to mount the rails under. Jason has suggested I may install screws on the mesh, but I will explore other options first

2/4/08 Carlos Arango

1:15-2:55pm

1. Helped Bram with code(1 hr 20 min)

2. Started setting up load cell on other lab computer (20 min)

---------------------------------------------------------------

1. As an exercise, Jason asked Bram to write a buffer reading function, and me to watch and offer my input.

2. After we finished with the programming, Bram asked me to hook up the load cell to the computer in the back of the lab so he could take some readings from Ranger

2/5/08 Gregory Falco

10:00Am- 1:00PM

1. Blog (1.5hr)
2. Accounting (.5hrs)
3. Schedule (.5 hrs)
4. Presentation Schedule(.5hrs)

----------------------------------------------------
1. Invited new members to lab blog and sent an instructional e-mail regarding what the purpose of the blog is and how to use it properly.
2. Prepared a statement of food for the accounting office with everyone's names present at the meeting. Then allocated funds to 8712 and brought receipts to accounting.
3. Created a schedule sign up sheet for the lab meeting tomorrow.
4. Created a presentation schedule for lab meeting. This will prove to be an effective way of ensuring people prepare their presentations for the lab meeting as they will have proper notice time.

2/4/08 John Buzzi

*on 2/1/08 (last friday)

1:00-3:00

1) Met with ranger group to discuss what needs to be done (1hr 15min)

2) Made the ankle cables stiffer by replacing a portion of cable with a metal rod (45 min)

------------------------------

1) Initial projects were discussed to get the walker back on its feet, my first project is going to be to machine the gears so that they snugly fit onto the new servo motors for the steering system.

2) Brom and I soldered a long metal rod in series with the existing cables that run down the legs to the ankles. This was done in order to increase the stiffness of the control system.

------------------------------

Today 2/4/08

10:00-11:00am and 12:20 -2:45

1) Finished the laser cutting drawings of the rolling elements

2) located and purchased acrylic from clark hall

3) Cut elements using laser cutter at rand hall

4) examined and did some preliminary tests of the elements as well as discussed possibilities of plasma cutting

--------------------------------

1)Converted the solidworks drawings of the rolling elements into the laser cutting format and set them up as per the template supplied.

2) Went to clark hall to measure and cut the necessary amount of acrylic. The acrylic was purchased from the machine shop for $5.08 cash.

3) laser cutting of the rolling elements was completed at rand hall on the spot

4) The laser cutter seemed to do a decent job of acurately cutting the shapes. The octagons in general rolled better than the hexagons (which was expected). Both the concave and convex octagons rolled when the incline was steep enough, but they acheived the desired effect on a more level surface. The hexagons behaved nicely on the steeper incline than they did on the more level slope. I intend to investigate the plasma cutter either today or tomorrow in order to determine if it makes sense to try making the shapes using that method.

2/3/2008 Gregory Falco

1:00PM-1:30PM

1. Colts/Blog Update (.5hrs)

----------------------------------------------
1. Made a digest for hours worked in lab for recent pay period using blog. I am trying to figure a way to do this automatically because it takes a while by hand.

2/1/2008 Gregory Falco

12:00PM-1:00PM

1. Project Team List (.5 hrs)
2. Doodle (.5hrs)

--------------------------------------------
1. Consolidated list of student project teams and sent e-mails to each team with instructions as to who their leader is and when they should make their first meeting by.

2. Wrote an e-mail with explicit instructions as to how to use the meeting maker website Doodle.ch It is a great and efficient method for making meetings everyone can do.

1/30/2008 Gregory Falco

2:00PM-5:00PM , 5:30PM-6:30PM

1. Installed Acronis (.5 hrs)
2. Found and Installed Labeling Templates (.5 hrs)
3. Labeled SMD (2 hrs)
4. Lab Meeting (1 hr)

---------------------------------------
1. Installed Acronis software on New Computer near window. It does not seem to read the external drive so we spent a while trying to reconfigure--- it's a work in progress.
2. Since the old computer had been discarded, we didn't have the appropriate labeling software on the system anymore. I had to find new software compatible with our sized labels.
3. Labeled SMD parts and have begun to reorganize binder
4. Lab Meeting

2/2/08, Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Friday 2.30 pm - 6.30 pm
Saturday 6.30 pm - 7 pm, 9.30 pm to 11.00 pm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Derived equations for the Simplest Walker model (2 hrs).
2. Implemented simplest walker algorithm using Python (4 hrs).

2/01/08 Carlos Arango

10:00 am-12:30 pm again 1:00-2:10pm

1. Looked at code with Bram (10 mins)

2. Filed-to-fit box mounting rails (20 mins)

3. manufactured 2 more rails (2 hrs)

4. Organized connectors (1 hr)
-----------------------------------------------------------

1. Bram was already here and was looking through the robot code slightly bewildered. I attempted to understand what was going wrong, but I have not spent enough time with this particular code to understand.

2. I had not realized that the screw holes needed to be offset slightly to accommodate the box in between the rail. Too fix this, I simply expanded one of the holes laterally by hand. The rail mounts beautifully now

3. Although a lot smoother than yesterday, the process today was not much faster despite my best efforts. However, I am very confident in the resulting pieces.

4. New battery connectors came in today, so I placed them in bins and labeled all of them

01/31/2008 Hajime Furukawa

2:00 - 3:30 PM

1) Set up Prof. Ruina's wireless (30min)

2) Worked on Motor Controller board (1h)

--------------------------------------------------------

1) Re-arranged the wires that connect to the wireless router so that they are not visible. Set up some administrative stuff for the router.

2) Connected the remaining components that I believe are correct. Added some comments about what is not connected and other various things. Emailed Jason the latest board with libs.

1/31/08 Carlos Arango

12:00-3:00 pm

1. Tried some designs for box mounting rails, measured out final design (1 hr)

2. Machined prototype mounting rails (2 hr)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Although we already sort of knew what the final design was going to be, Jason and I looked at the stock we purchased to make slight modifications. I cut some stock and did rough measurements, and decided that the design we came up with is feasible


2. Machining the stock was more difficult than I thought, particularly because we seem to be missing a small center drill in the machine shop. I made two rails, so the first box is ready to be mounted as soon as I talk to Rohit about mass balance.

01/30/2008 Hajime Furukawa

4:30 - 5:30 PM

1) Worked on Motor Controller board (1h)

------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Almost finished adding the current sense resistor, and amplifiers that go along with those resistors.

1/30/08 John Buzzi

1:30-4:30

1) Revised solidworks drawings of the Octagon and Hexagon rolling parts (1 hour)

2) Created additional models of the rolling elements ( 1 hr 30 min)

3) Met with the laser cutting TA who will be on call Thursday night and requested that I be added to the queue (20 min)


---------------------------------------------

1) Originally the only drawings I had of the rolling elements were a group of 6 of them that were all attached, because it made perfect sense for setting them up to be CNC machined, however now it was necessary to recreate models of those elements individually so that they can be laid out however i need to for laser cutting.

2) As stated there were originally 6 elements (3 pairs), I decided to draw up an additional 10 models to be laser cut and tested, i did this using the solidworks 3d modeling software.

3) Fortunately it turns out that I know the laser TA for Thursday so I met with her to discuss the project and let her know that I will be stopping by.

1/29/08 John Buzzi

Yesterday:

1) Came up with a plan to laser cut octagonal and hexagonal rolling elements out of an inexpensive plastic for testing purposes (10 min)

2) Spoke to laser cutting TA to schedule cutting times and discussed possible materials (20 min)

Today: 10:00am-11:00am

3) Investigated where to purchase Acrylic most conveniently and for the cheapest price (1 hr)

------------------------------------------------

1) Originally the plan to create and test multiple hexagon and octagon shaped rollers would have involved extensive use of the CNC machine in Emerson machine shop and large amounts of aluminum stock. In order to save money and time I came up with the idea of using some sort of plastic or wood and have it precision cut using a laser cutter. These plastic versions could then be tested in order to determine which geometries work the best. Then only the best geometries would be CNC machined and go through final testing. This overall will save money (because acrylic is cheaper than aluminum) and time (because laser cutting is faster than CNC).

2) I spoke to the laser cutting TA's down at Rand Hall in order to see their materials list and available times for laser cutting. My tenative plan as of right now as long as I can get the required stock in time is to cut Thursday night. I have already acquired the necessary software and template for the laser cutting as well. It was also decided that Acrylic was the best option for my purposes.

3) I searched a few different sources in order to find out where to get the Acrylic from including McMaster.com, the Cornell store, and the machine shop in the basement of Clark Hall. Clark turned out to be the best option by far, they had plenty to choose from and it was only ~$3.50 per square foot of 3/16" acrylic. I would have purchased the stock today but their band saw was temporarily broken, I will return tomorrow to retrieve the material I require.

1/30/08 Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Hours :
--------
Wednesday 1/30 -> 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 1/29 -> 6pm - 8pm
Sunday 1/27 -> 2.30 pm to 3.30pm, 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm.

1. PyDSTool test scripts (1.5 hours)
2. Using Visual python & Editor (3.5 hrs)
3. Integrators and checking for Energy conservations (1 hour)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Tested the 'runa_all_tests.py' - a test file that comes with the PyDSTool package. There were some basic modules of this that did not work - such as 'Basic PyDSTool functions', 'PyCont' which I presume will be essential later. Spent time fixing some of the bugs, changing systems settings and installing dependencies for some PyDSTool modules to work.

2. Learnt my way around VPython which seems a handy animation tool for 2-d and 3-d situations. Tested various editors (with Gregg's help) and finalized on FTE. Used the editor to code and check simple physical situations in python (simple pendulum, a ball bouncing on a floor).

3. Tried the Euler and Verlet algorithms on the simple pendulum example (for updating theta and thetadot) - neither algorithm demonstrated conservation of energy. Will code either Runge-kutta into these or code my own integrator for more accurate results.

01/29/08 Hajime Furukawa

2:00PM - 4:00PM

1) Worked on Motor Controller board (2h)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1) Searched for and drew out circuit design for the Watch Dog Timer. Started to connect up the two half bridge motor controllers. Looks like a tight fit...

1/29/08 Carlos Arango

1. Looked for wiring options of batteries (1hr)

2. shopped Digi Key for connectors (1hr)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The new batteries include a separate wire for charging, so I had to research (eneded up calling the manufacturer) to see if it is actually a separate circuit. Turns out it is, so I have to get at least a 4-circuit connector

2. Digi Key is not the easiest place to shop from. I found out that the only 4-circuit pannel-mount connectors they carry are in an in-line configuration. This would not fit where we plan on mounting the connectors, so I had to shop around for the same type of 6-circout matrix connectors we currently have, since we know those mount well on pannels

1/29/08 Gregory Falco

10:00PM-1:00PM

1. Accounting (1 hr)
2. Blog Poster (.5 hrs)
3. Installed Software (1.5 hrs)

-----------------------------------------------------

1. Arranged and submitted necessary forms for pizza purchase. Spoke with Ms. Smiley about account information and arranged a meeting for early Feb.

2. Made an impossible-to-forget blog poster.

3. Installed Microsoft Office on Computer near window, as well as Lynksys. Wireless didn't work so I pulled out the PCI card and reinstalled card with software. It's all good now. Also, performed necessary updates for Norton Antivirus.

1/24/2008 Gregory Falco

4:30PM-8:00PM

1. Buy Pizza (1 hrs)
2. Buy Paper Goods (1 hr)
3. Set up room (1 hrs)
4. Signed up People (.5 hrs)

-----------------------------------------------------
1. After failure buying pizza online, ran to CTP and ordered 7 pies. Then bought 2 more pies after seeing packed room at info session.
2. With Avtar's help, purchased all soda and paper goods for meeting
3. Set up room for eating. Made garbage bags from plastic bags strung on chairs!
4. Got e-mail addresses of interested people for lab and what days they would be available for an interview.

1/23/2008 Gregory Falco

4:30PM-5:00PM

1. Flyers (.5 hrs)

------------------------------------------
1. Hung up flyers in Ag engineering school as well as Upson, Olin, Carpenter, Thurston and any other building that has engineering classes.

1/22/2008 Gregory Falco

10:30PM-11:45PM

1. Flyer Distribution (15 min)
2. Cornell Residential Program Certification (1hr)

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1. Hung up flyers on bullitin boards around campus where posting was permitted
2. Pursuaded Cornell Residential programming to authorize our flyers for distribution in Cornell Housing System. Stamped 65 flyers for North and west campus distribution.

1/21/08 Gregory Falco

5:00PM-7:00PM, 8:00PM-11:45PM

1. Lab Meeting (~2 hrs)
2. Flyer (3hrs)
3. Logistics (~1 hr)

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1. Lab Meeting
2. Created flyer for info session with many revisions
3. Planned what needed to be done before the infosession and what information had to go to what departments/people

1/28/08 Carlos Arango

1:20-2:50 pm

1. Removed burned out steering servo from Ranger (20 min)

2. Designed mounting mechanism for RadioShack battery boxes (1 hr 10 min)

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1. Steering servo burned out, and in anticipation of mounting a replacement, Jason had me take it off

2. Jason just ordered the new battery boxes, so I designed and re-designed mounting methods. We have picked one that seems like a good compromise between ease of manufacturing, ease of mounting and sturdiness.

01/25/08 Hajime Furukawa

1:30PM - 5:00PM

1) worked on motor controller board (1h)

2) got and setup wireless router (2.5h)

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1) Continued to look for and draw up components for the motor controller board

2) Went to the Cornell store to buy a wireless router and then set it up in prof. ruina's office.

01/24/08 Hajime Furukawa

12:00PM - 2:00PM

1) Worked on motor controller board

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1) Looked for and drew components that will be on the motor controller board. Also did a temp layout of major components.

01/22/08 Hajime Furukawa

3:00PM - 4:00PM

1) Discussed motor controller board with Jason.

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1)Discussed what we have to put on the motor controller board and various other things relating to said board, such as how it was going to fit in the small boxes.

1/25/08 Carlos Arango

1. Finished LabView interface fix (1.5 hr)

2. Helped Bram with robot calibration, cable stiffener and ankle encoder (1.5 hr)

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1. The interface now has a legend for the data channels, making it easier to select graphing data. The graphs also display the name of the data being graphed

2. One of the ankle encoders came lose, so I fixed it. I also helped Bram put a piece of rod on the cable of the left outer leg to increase its stiffness

1/24/08 Carlos Arango

4:00-7:30 pm

1. Helped Jason collecting data from Ranger (walking trial) (30 min)

2. Started updating Labview interface program for ease of usability (1 hr)

3. Lab Meeting (2 hr)

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1. Jason wanted to try to get Ranger walking a few steps. Using the old controller, it kept stumbling so we decided to graph some data to troubleshoot it. We have not found the problem

2. I was asked to make the LabView interface program a little less confusing for graphing data. I started looking at the program to understand it, and began trying out some ideas.

3. The amazing presentation by Prof. Ruina was a little longer than I expected, but I learned a lot about our lab I did not know before. It felt good to be approached by other interested students and be able to answer questions confidently.

1/23/08 Carlos Arango

12:00-2:40 pm

1. Installed vent cover I manufactured yesterday (40 min)

2. Discussed with Jason on battery box mounting, came up with a plan (1 hr)

3. Looked on Digi-key for connectors to use on battery cables (1hr)

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1. I used wood screws to mount the piece of plywood to the frame of the vent. It is sturdy and seems to provide a good seal

2. After finding out we don't have enough space inside the main boxes to attach the battery plug, Jason decided we will instead rout cables from each of the outside boxes to the top frame of the robot, while the inside box will become snap-on. I have come up with several mounting ideas, and Jason decided on the particular box he wants to use for the batteries

3. Because each of the outside batteries only requires 2 cables, I was given the task of looking for panel-mount 1-circuit connectors. I have had no success with digi-key, so Jason decided using the 3-circuit connectors will be easier.

1/24 Rohit Hippalgaonkar

Hours : 11 am to 2 pm

1. Resolved installation issues with package used (30-45 mins)
2. Testing sample files with SciPy and PyDSTool (2 hours)
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1. Resolved some installation issues with PyDSTool and its dependencies which had been bugging me for the past week.

2. Successfully ran a few sample animations (.py files) purely using SciPy (an open-source package in Python for scientific computing which supplements and depends on NumPy, another package in python that is good for fast manipulation of large arrays) - I picked up these programs (simple pendulum and the simplest walker) from :
http://pages.physics.cornell.edu/~myers/teaching/ComputationalMethods/

Also testing PyDSTool, running the test files that came with the installation package and so on. It might be possible to build a model using simply SciPy and NumPy, and we might not need PyDSTool. Will look in the coming days.

01/22/07 Carlos Arango

1:30-4:30pm

1. Constructed cover for wall vent (1.5hr)

2. Shopped around for new battery boxes (1.5hr)

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1. I made a plywood and foam cover for the vent on the wall above the windows, so the lab stops leaking heat. Beforehand I had attempted to construct it all out of insulation foam but found out we do not have enough for the whole window

2. Jason explained to me the requirements for the new battery cases and I have been shopping online at McMaster, Digi-Key, and finally RadioShack to find suitable boxes. I have finally found 3 models that could fit the robot