Embedded Files
Overview
Overview
When a marble is dropped into the the track above the waterwheel, a light sensor goes off and the wheel rotates counterclockwise, delivering the marble to a track, emptying out into a basket. When a subsequent marble is dropped in front of the sensor, the wheel switches direction, and the marble is pushed onto a separate track that leads into a different basket.
When a button is pressed by the user, it overrides whatever direction the wheel is rotating, and switches the direction.
Design Challenges
Design Challenges
Of the many design challenges our group encountered throughout our build, the most notable was regarding the moving waterwheel-esque mechanism. It turns out, there weren't any marble-fitting, Lego-compatible, notched wheels in the little drawers at the workshop so we had to lasercut our own custom pieces.Â
Another issue we had to resolve was satisfying the build criteria assigned. A huge limitation was the requirement that we use no more than one motor. Originally, we planned to have multiple moving parts in our design; one to sort marbles into lanes, and another for a sensor-activated ball-catching basket mechanism. After finding out about the criteria after drawing up all the sketches for the build, we had to rethink our entire design to accommodate a sensor while incorporating our printed wheel.
Programming
Programming
Our code turns the wheel one way when the sensor detects one color, and the other way when it detects a different color. The user interface portion consists of a button that is programmed to override the default code and allow the user to control which way the wheel turns at their leisure. Personally, I have no clue how the programming works. I don't know how to program. This is why I'm by myself in the computer lab typing this up while the rest of my group is in the workshop doing something.
Results
Results
Below is a side-by-side comparison of our Working Moel 2D simulation and our actual sculpture.
2-D Simulation
2-D Simulation
Above is a simulation of the waterwheel section of our sculpture. The light blue box represents a light sensor detecting the presence of a ball and telling the motor to switch directions.
Mini Sculpture
Mini Sculpture
In comparison, this is the physical mechanism in our sculpture. We incorporated walls and a ball drop piece to ensure marbles do not slip out of the wheel.
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