Project Complete!

So I finally assmebled the whole project, with the 3d printed part, laser cut piece, and everything else to go along with it. Good news, it looks pretty good and the code runs as well. Bad news, as previously mentioned, the dc motor is not powerful enough/does not have enough torque to lift the bridge. However the prototype still looks good and the attempt was semi successful as the bridge lifts properly when pulled on. Overall if we used a more powerful motor, say a stepper, the project may have been more successful. Below is a panorama of the final product! All that is left is to present.

Late at Night, Still Going

So I got the 3d printed part for our project earlier today. The dimensions seemed to be a little off but nothing a little shaving and gorilla glue on the motor to connect the it couldn't fix. I tried the servo motor but it seems that it only turns 180 degrees which is not nearly enough for the size of our bridge. So back to the dc motor it was, but the problem with that now was that the connecting wires of the motor snapped. Both of them. Luckily I had a soldering iron and was able to put them back together which put us back in business. The motor isn't puling the bridge right now, since it lacks torque, but I put the final touches on the project and will see how it goes tomorrow at the expo!

Laser Cut part Recieved!

So I (Tahmas) received the laser cut part today and it came out great (will post a picture below). One problem with the project so far is that in talking to others, the dc motor for the bridge may be inadequate as a few of my peers said it does not have a lot of torque. Will have to see for myself and also will mess with the servo motor to see if it serves (get the pun?) any better. Will keep posted. In the meantime enjoy rowdy...

Parts and Code

So the parts we needed 3d printed and laser cut have been designed and sent in to be manufactured.
Below are the dropbox links to both pieces.

1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/42pbx4b0yeig5r0/3d%20printed%20part%20for%20Bridge%20Ghani.SLDPRT?dl=0

The 3D printed part will be a cylinder that attaches to the motor that will spin a string attached to the bridge to raise and lower it.



2.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7mhdfilld1p3wot/Laser%20Cut%20Part%20for%20Bridge%20Logo%20Ghani.SLDPRT?dl=0

The laser cut part serves no special purpose but is more for school pride as it displays the UML logo and also fulfills the project requirement. It will be mounted right on the bridge with glue.

After these are created the simple assembly of the bridge and these pieces coupled with code should do the trick!

Below is also a link to the code
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zc7x3cax5ytjss9/Bridge_Code.ino?dl=0

Bridge Constructed!

Got the two parts of the bridge constructed from the aforementioned materials. They ended up looking pretty symmetrical as they had the same dimensions and construction and they also seemed pretty strong as wood glue was used for all the joints. Here's a pic:

Materials and Design

So far we have decided to build a simple truss bridge with cardboard, glue, and Popsicle sticks. We will most likely use laser cutting and or 3D printing for the motor assembly which will connect on to the bridges themselves. 

-Three Musketeers

Decision Of Project

Hey Guys,
So our group decided we wanted to do something practical and simple as well as fun. After extensive conversation and brainstorming we decided we would work on making a drawbridge. Our early idea is to make a simple to part bridge that can be raised or lowered to allow for traffic to go underneath. More info to come.