Automated System Project
Group Members:
Shaun Eiler
Scott Frazier
Randy Howerton
Kyle Wanke
Assignment Brainstorming Design Phase 1 Design Phase 2
Final Solution Cost and Parts Conclusion
Our assignment was to design and build a working automated mass production sytstem.
Our project started out by the four of us sitting down and brainstorming possible ideas. We came up with ideas such as:
An automatic clay pigeon thrower
An automated ping pong server
An automated putting machine
We looked at each one of these ideas, and thought about its advantages and disadvantages. Each one had something we liked about it, but many of the disadvantages out weighed the advantages. After further consideration, we decided to go with the automated putting machine. We felt that its design and fabrication would fit us best.
The next step was to start brainstorming what exactly our putting machine was going to look like, and how exactly it was going to work. The following is a list of ideas that we came up with for our machine:
The use of pneumatics to push the ball back to the person putting
The use of gravity because it is reliable and constant
A wheel assembled to two small motors in order to spin the ball down a ramp
One small motor with a dowel rod attached to it, to force the ball down
One small motor with a wheel attached to it, with nails in the wheel
One large motor with PVC pipe with screws in it, attached to the motor
PVC pipe to return the ball
Artificial turf to cover the plywood
A raised platform to make assembly easier
A switch to activate the motor
The use of batteries to power the motor
Next, we had to ask ourselves some questions. We had to figure out which ideas were going to work the best in order to get the golf ball back to the person putting. We asked questions such as:
How tall do we need to make the machine?
What angle should we make the ramp at?
How much force is it going to take to get the ball down the pipe?
How many nails should we use and how far should they be spaced on the motor wheel?
How many switches do we need to ensure the motor will turn on?
How many batteries do we need, and what size should they be?
After the brainstorming process, it was time to move on to Design phase 1.
We now had an idea of what direction we wanted to go in. We built the frame for the putting machine, and all that was left was to decide how to get the ball back to the person putting. We decided that we would use one small motor with a dowel rod attached to it to spin the ball off. We also wanted to place a switch on the PVC pipe so that when the ball rolled down to it, it would activate the motor and turn the wheel with nails in it, and this would force the ball down the pipe. We also decided that the best battery to use would be a 6 volt. The following is a picture of the first motor we intended to use:
We first wanted to place a ramp at the end of the putting hole, this would then lead down the the motor and the switch that activated the motor. We encountered many problems with design phase 1. We could never get the ball to hit directly on the switch. The motor would never activate, and this in turn would lead to the ball never getting back to the person putting. Another problem was that the dowel rod kept falling off the motor, we could never really find a way to attach it. The surface area of the dowel rod was also to small. The chances of the ball landing exactly on the dowel rod were slim to none. We now had to rethink our method of returning the golf ball. It was time to move onto design phase 2.
We now decided that it would be best to use the wheel with nails in it, in order to force the ball down the pipe. This would allow more force, and a better surface area. We also thought it would be best to use two switches at the bottom in order to allow a better chance of the ball activating the motor. We then tested this design out. The ball was still not hitting the switches like we wanted it to. Our next idea was to put a small piece wood chip on the end of the switches in order to provide more leverage. We felt it would take less force to get the ball to activate the motor. Design phase 2 also did not work the way we intended it to. The motor was too small to force the ball down the pipe. The surface area of the wheel was still too small to allow the ball to land squarely on it. Another problem was the the ball was still not hitting the switches where we wanted it too. We were also having problems mounting the small motor in a place that would allow the wheel to turn freely. After all these problems, we decided that our best work was yet to come.
For our final solution, we decided it was time to make some changes to our original idea of how to get the ball back to the person putting. We decided to use a larger motor for our driving force. The following picture is of our chosen motor.
This motor also allowed a more smooth revolution. The smaller motor had a jerking motion to it, when it would first start running.
We next decided that a PVC pipe mounted on the motor would give the ball the best surface area to land on. We put screws into the pipe in hopes that they would kick the ball down the ramp. It worked, but not like we wanted it to. We found that less is more. We took some of the screws out, and only used four. We spaced them equally and this seemed to work great. We also found that mounting the motor above the platform that the ball lands on, would increase the chance of this project working. It made things much easier by mounting the motor where we did. The following picture shows the screws in the pipe, how the motor is mounted, and where the ball lands before it is forced down the ramp.
After further testing, we found that we would have to use two balls for this machine to work. One would be on the landing platform and the other would be putted into the hole, it would then activate the motor pushing the other ball down the pipe. The ball that was putted would then land on the landing platform. Our next renovation was to move the switch from the landing platform, to the ramp where the ball rolls down from after it falls out of the hole. It seemed to work ok, but it was still not 100% accuracy. We took a piece of aluminum and taped it to the switch. This allowed the motor to stay on longer in order to push the one ball down the pipe, and allowing the screws to reset so they would not be in the way when the ball that was putted came down the ramp. The following is a picture of how we mounted our switch. You can see the aluminum piece and how it was taped down:
We decided to go with two 6 volt batteries instead of one. We felt this would give the motor more power to ensure that the ball would be forced down the pipe.
We found that about one out of every ten shots, one of the screws would get in the balls path of getting to the landing platform. We decided it would be best to mount a reset switch next the the person putting. This would allow them to reset the ball on the landing platform without them having to walk over and bend down, in order to get the ball where it needs to be.
The following picture is of our final solution:
This project did not cost us anything. To us, this was a "junk drawer" project. Everything we needed we found around the lab. The parts were simple and easy to find. The frame was constructed out of wood, and the ramps were made out of aluminum and PVC pipe. The hole was constructed out of a plastic piece that was found laying around. Nails were the main source of assembly along with a lot of hot glue. The artificial turf was taken out of a basement.
Overall, we really liked this project. We did a lot of trial and error in trying to reach our final solution. There were times were this project become frustrating, but we managed to get through it. The chemistry of the group was great, and this helped out a lot. We each shared equal time, and everyone carried their share of the load. It took a lot of time and effort to get this project up and running, but in the end it was worth it. We are very pleased about how this project turned out.