Final Adjustments And Testing

Final Robot

Chassis: Our robot has a two level chassis, with the upper level keeping our breadboards and arduino in place. The breadboard with the potentiometers is mounted on the back of the chassis by two little hooks, which makes it easier to change the PID values. The lower level of the chassis holds the motor shield, batteries, and the motors themselves, keeping the design small and concise. 

Light Shield: We 3D printed a light shield that completely covers our protoboard housing our photoresistors except for a slot for the cables to connect back to the breadboard on the upper level of the chassis. This light shield makes sure that our potentiometers get good readings and that no outside light is affecting the readings. 

Photoresistors: Our photoresistors are off of the main breadboard and instead soldered onto a protoboard in line. This protoboard also has three LEDs that improved our photoresistor readings so that the robot was not getting any interference from ambient lighting/shadows. 

Final Week Improvements (4-6 Sentences)

During the last week, most of our improvements focused on making sure that our robot followed the line, and that it followed the line fast. This week, we added a light shield with LED's so that the readings on the photoresistors were more accurate. Before we added the light shield, our robot was relying on the shadows of the track, so in darker environments it could not tell the difference between the white parts of the track and the line. By adding the LED's we eliminated this issue.  We also added rubber bands around the wheels to increase the amount of traction that the robot had so that it did not slip as much on the track. If we had more time, me most likely would have soldered our breadboarded elements so that our potentiometers were more secure and less wobbly, while also improving the overall look of the robot. 

Competition Placement: 

Loop:  6 laps completed in two minutes

Frequency Sweep:  Robot completed past mark four in 18 seconds

Drag Race:  Eliminated in Semi Finals of Losing Bracket