Requirements

Requirements for everyone -

  • Each team will contribute to the organization and running of DC by taking on one or more of the "tasks for the common good" (see that page)

  • Teams may have no more than four members (for-credit teams are limited to three)

  • Successfully pass the milestones (see that page)

  • Your robot must prove itself a fully competent contender by one week before the competition day.

Students are encouraged to participate in DC for the learning and fun of it. Credit is available if desired, as follows:

Requirements for credit -

  • The course number is DSGN 360 (Spring).

  • Students in any department may also sign up for DSGN 360. Consult with your advisor regarding how this credit figures into your undergraduate requirements. Note to EECS students regarding uses of this credit.

  • The DSGN 360 credit will be for Spring. Teams must pass a milestone at the end of Winter quarter to be eligible to register for DSGN 360 for Spring quarter. (Non-credit teams also must pass this milestone in order to continue.)

  • Recommended courses for another credit include ME333 Intro to Mechatronics (Winter) and ME233 Electronics Design (Fall)

  • Team members may be of any year. Credit & non-credit students may mix on a team, but there is a maximum of three for-credit team members per team.

  • The usual one-week add deadline and four-week drop deadline will apply to DSGN 360 students.

  • A final report is needed at the end of Spring quarter for DSGN 360 students (one per student)

  • A grade of A is expected for students producing a successful robot and a report; lower grades will be given for lesser attempts.

Grading criteria -

  • Prepare a final report (one per student.) Your grade depends in part on this report. This should mainly be a narrative describing strategy and principles of operations, evaluating actual performance, and discussing your methods and what's been learned. It should include mechanical drawings (good drawings by hand, or CAD), electrical schematics (use Eagle or other software), and code listing (well commented). It's due by the end of the quarter (before exam week). The quality of your robot construction is also a factor in your grade:

    • Mechanical -- Nicely built parts: good. Mostly tape and glue: not so good.

    • Electrical -- PCB or solderboard: good. Tightly wired protoboard: OK. Unreliable and embarrassing rat's nest: not so good.

    • Software -- Well organized and commented code: good. Code that just grew: not so good.

  • Finally, there are your design decisions and the technical approach that you undertook. A fragile strategy such as timed 90 degree turns is less impressive than use of encoders to control an accurate 90 degree turn. A robot that can find lost balls is more impressive than one that can't. A robot that can target the goals optically is more impressive than one that can't. Be sure you highlight your technical accomplishments in your narrative.

  • There's no reason every team shouldn't get an A in this course. It will take consistent, quality work to make that happen.