Gear Array

Project Brief

The goal of this stage of the design process is to gain information on what the project is. This is when you find out the constraints and goals of the project.

In this project, during the brief stage we got the images below, as shown in the first entry of the section. These images gave the constraints which guided the rest of the project, most importantly the part about having one rotation to two opposing rotations.

Cardboard Automaton

Above is the indtoductory picture for our project, that introduces the idea

Learning Goals

Above are the learning goals for this project. It is a list of the things that we will know by hte time we finish

Constraints

Above is a list of constraints for the project. This is the part that actually describes the project, by giving the characteristics of what we are going to build

Inkscape Practice 1

Above is a drawing of a face. I used Incscape to create this picture, practicing using it. I used a variety of tools to create this. First, I used the circle tool to create the base of the face. I used a spiral tool to create the eyes, and a line drawing tool to create the eyebrows and the line of the mouth. I used a star tool and a truncating rectangle to make the fangs in the mouth. I also used a hand-drawing tool and color fill to create the hair.

Inkscape Practice 2

Above is a gear shape that I created. To make it, I used the circle tool several times to create the main lines in the pattern, along with the circle tool to create the circles connected to it. I used the path_union tool to make the pattern one piece, and the tilted clone tool to replicate it in a circle. I then imported a gear picture, and edited it to the correct size using the scale tool. I then used the align tool to make them line up, and the path_difference tool to make the pattern take its shape out of the gear.

Research

The goal of this stage is to gather information on the methods that will be used to meet the constraints given in the Project Brief stage. This usually means looking up examples of other, similar projects.

In this project, we looked at examples of similar kinetic sculptures, and then analyzed how they function, as can be seen below. This gave me an idea of the mechanics that allowed these structures to function, which helped be in the next stage when I planned out how I would meet the project constraints.

Dancing Digits

This device has lights moving up and down, powered by five motors, one for each light. Each motor turns a cam, and when it turns it pushes the bolts on the lines. This causes them to move upwards, and then fall back because of gravity when the cam turns away, converting the rotational motion of the cams into linear motion. They move through the mechanical slot on the device, which it a slot for them to stay attached to so that they do not move off course. The linear motion moves the lights up and down.

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Ms. Whites' Kinetic Sculpture

This device has one gear that is turned by the hand crank, this is the drive gear,. However, the drive gear is double layered, allowing two different paths to be created, and all connected to the turning of the drive shaft. Below the drive gear, the connecting gear is being turned by the lower gear, and then turning the bottom gear of the double-layered large gear. Above the drive gear, the gears are connected to the top layer of the drive gear, and turn the top layer of the large gear. With each gear, the direction of rotation is reversed, so the bottom layer of the large gear, which is two gears away from the drive gear, turns in the same direction, while the top layer, three gears away, turns in the other direction. This opposing directional rotation is one of the possible ways to complete this project. Additionally, there is a layer of spacers in the center so that the friction does not stop the device from functioning.

Idea Development

The purpose of this stage is to prepare for the creation of the final product by brainstorming and creating plans.

In this project, for this stage I first experimented with different gear designs, to get an idea of how to make them. I also practiced the construction of gear arrays to see how they are put together, which finally led to me making my first prototype of the final design, which was used to make the final product. The steps taken in this stage can be seen in the entries below, listed in chronological order.

Decorative Gear

In class we made a gear through Inkscape. This is my, lightly modified, version of that gear. To make this gear, I first used the circle tool and path difference and union to make the one segment of the design, then I used the create tilted clone tool to multiply it into the circle design that occupies the gear. I brought in the gear design from an outside source, and after cutting a circle the middle of it, fused the gear with the design.

Second Decorative Gear

I made a second decorative gear through inkscape. Similar to the one above, I did it by creating a shape and using a cloning tool, and then subtracting it from the gear. Unlike the last gear, however, this one was made by using the path effects method of cloning around an object, in this case a circle within the gear.

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First Gear Challenge

The first challenge we received was to make an array of gears where the drive gear turned another gear in the same direction. As you can see in the video above, this requirement has been met.

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Second Gear Challenge

The second challenge was to have the drive gear turn another gear at 1/2 of its speed. To do this, I needed a gear with twice as many 'teeth' in it as the drive gear. This could only be accomplished by changing the drive gear, as shown in the video above.

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Cam Challenge

In class, we worked on making an array of gears and cams that would convert rotational motion into linear motion, as can be seen in the video tot he left

Prototyping

The goal of this stage is to make early versions of the product, which will later be refined into the final product.

In this project this stage involved creating an early version of the final product using practice gears, which would be used as a model for the final design. I also created the gear designs in this stage, though it was not documented until it was finalized, so it is under the next stage. I also made the circuits that would be used in the final product in this stage, as can be seen in the entries below.

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My Functional Prototype

Today we were required to plan out final project using the materials in our kit. First, we decided which direction we would be going. i decided to do the one rotation to two opposing rotations. Meaning that I will drive gears in an opposing motion using one drive gear. An example of this can be seen in the first entry in the Research section. My original prototype, that only completes the requirements, is displayed in the first video. Below that is a second version I made when I had some free time to tinker with it.

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Motor Video

Above is a video of my working motor in the circuit. The code used is below in the drop-down.

Circuit Diagram

Above is a circuit diagram I made of my working motor circuit.

Functioning Motor Code

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Video of Sensor and Motor

Above is a video of my Ultrasonic Sensor controlling the motor to turn, based on the distance it detects.

Circuit Diagram

Above is a circuit diagram of my ultrasonic sensor and motor.

Ultrasonic Sensor Controlling Motor Code

const int motorPin = 3;int Speed; //Variable to store Speed, by default 0 PWMint flag; //Variable to store Flagconst int trigPin = 9; //defines the pin that sends the pulseconst int echoPin = 10; //defines the pin that receives the pulselong duration; //defines variable for how long it takes for the sound to returnint distance; //defines variable for distance away
void setup(){ pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input pinMode(motorPin, OUTPUT); //Set pin 3 as an OUTPUT Serial.begin(9600); //Init serial communication //Print a message: Serial.println("Give a number from 50 to 255."); //Why minimun value 50? Because with values below 50 the motor doesn't spin ;) Serial.println(""); //Blank line}
void loop(){ // Clears the trigPin digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW); delayMicroseconds(2); // Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH); delayMicroseconds(10); digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW); // Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH); // Calculating the distance distance = duration * 0.034 / 2; // Prints the distance on the Serial Monitor Serial.print("Distance: "); Serial.println(distance);
//Check if incoming data is available: // if (Serial.available() > 0) // { // // If it is, we'll use parseInt() to pull out only numbers: // Speed = Serial.parseInt(); // flag = 0; // }
//Valid range is from 50 to 255// if (distance <= 10);// { //Send PWM value with analogWrite to Arduino pin 3 and print a message to serial monitor// Speed = 100;// analogWrite(motorPin, Speed); // Place additional code here to make your motor have at least 5 speeds. // }if (distance < 110){ Speed = distance + 55; analogWrite(motorPin, Speed);} if (distance >= 110) { Speed = distance/2; analogWrite(motorPin, Speed); } Serial.print("Motor spinning with "); Serial.print(Speed); Serial.println(" PWM"); // flag = 1;
}

Evaluation and Testing

The goal of stage is to take what you have from the prototyping stage, and test it, and improve it, until you have a final product.

In this project I assembled all of the final pieces in this stage, first with a hand-crank system for powering the drive gear, and then with an actual motor. In this stage I added all of the circuits, and replaced and repaired broken pieces in the gearbox.

Final Acrylic

Above is an image of the Acrylic I designed to be cut out in inkscape. It has holes for each gear, and will be used to hold everything together when it is made. There is a second, nearly identical version for the front, that has two large holes in it for the ultrasonic sensor to be placed in.

Wood Pieces 1

Above is the first part of my wooden cutouts for my gears. On it are nearly all of the gears I will need when I assemble my final product, and spacers and spare pieces are in every available space left.

Wood Pieces 2

Because not all of the needed gears and pieces fit onto the first wooden cutout, I made aa second one for all of the leftover pieces, as can be seen above.

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Hand-Crank Gears

To the left is a video of my functioning gears, being turned with a hand crank. It is not finished yet, I still have to incorporate the electronics and one more gear, but it is functional. The video on top includes an explanation, while the video below is just the gears turning.

Production

The goal of the production stage is to have the final product, and distribute it if it has been made to be sold.

In this project, the production stage was very short, and only really consisted of finalizing the gearbox and documenting it functioning. This can be seen below, in the final video for my project.

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Functioning Gearbox

Above is the final video of my gears functioning on their own, without being touched. It is very short, and just shows that the gears are operational when powered by the motor.

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Gearbox Tour

Above is a video of my gears, with me showing each part of the gearbox, front, back, enclosure, and electronic components. This video does not show the gearbox functioning, that is in the video to the left.

STEAM Reflection

Science

This project incorporated science through its connection to technology, since any technology was developed through the use of science, so the connection to technology also forms a connection to science

Technology

This project incorporated technology very clearly, in two main ways. First, the final product used many technological components to function, including an ultrasonic sensor and motor to turn the drive gear. Secondly, the gears were all cut and designed using technology, like a computer to design them, and a laser cutter to cit them out of wood.

Engineering

We incorporated engineering into our project through the design process. We followed the process to create the final product, by first Briefing, then Researching, then developing Ideas, then Prototyping, and then Evaluating and testing.

Art

This project incorporated art through the gear designs. Each gear in they final product had a unique, artistic design cut into them, with varying patterns and shapes. Through this, art is part of the project.

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Math

This project's connection to math is much weaker, at least from my perspective. There was math involved in the calculations for the size of the gears and the distance they had to have from each other when we were designing them. There was also math involved in the creation of the enclosure for the wires and electronic components, in calculating how to adjust for the thickness of previous walls in the construction.

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