Prosthetic Design and Fabrication

Project Events

Kickoff

Date/Time: Friday, October 20 / 2:00 - 3:30

Location: Fillauer

2710 Amnicola Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37406

Final Presentation

Date/Time: Thursday, December 7 / 11:00 - 12:00

Location: Fillauer

2710 Amnicola Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37406

Sponsor Info

Sam Hale - Director of Product Development & Education - shale@fillauer.com

Bryan Cuervo - R&D Engineer  - bcuervo@fillauer.com

Traci Dralle - Director of Marketing & Sales - tdralle@fillauer.com

Unit Plan

PBL Pacing Guide

Final Presentation Rubric

Additional Project Information

Kickoff Slides

STEM Project - Simple Externally Powered Hand - Bryan Cuervo

The R&D Process - Sam Halle

Pololu Motor Driver

Bryan Cuervo recommended the Polulu motor driver to interface between the Arduino and the motor.  See this website to learn more about this motor driver: https://www.pololu.com/product/2511

Arduino Motor Driver Sample Code

Bryan Cuervo has shared a simple code that works with a Pololu motor driver and an Arduino Uno.  He recommended it as a starting point for you to learn how to interface with this motor driver.  Copy this code into your Arduino IDE:

Motor and Battery Options

As you consider your motors and battery options, I recommend reviewing this website for guidance on choosing the appropriate battery:  https://www.powerstream.com/battery-capacity-calculations.htm

The general process I recommend is:

1) Use the DC power supply to test various motors

2) Note the required voltage and current (Amps) required for the motor

3) Calculate the Amp-Hours required for a battery (see website with more info)

For example, if you find your motor requires a current of 0.01 amps and you want the battery to run for 30 days (720 hours), you will require a battery rated for 0.01 amps x 720 hours = 7 Amp-Hours (Ah).  This is a quick example and is definitely overrated since the motor would not run for 24 hours a day for a month but it’s also a good idea to include a safety factor in your calculations.

I highly recommend consulting your sponsor, Mr. Cuervo, for his recommendations on motors.  Remember that weight is an important consideration.  The ideal motor would be nearly weightless, run on nearly no current, and provide sufficient torque.  That motor doesn’t exist but you should consider those factors in your search.