Spartan Superway Half Scale Suspension 2017

This week, the test frame design was finalized and we are building it. In addition, we are finishing the welds on the suspension, making sure all parts fit well. At this point, the suspension is almost completely finished. Also, we ran some preliminary tests on the test frame which confirmed that our actuator works perfectly with the frame. Once the test frame is done, we will run more complete tests with the suspension. Our work is on schedule to be completed by Tuesday, May 8.

This week, we are working on the last few parts in preparation for putting everything together. Salvador has begun welding some pieces together. Joshua also got the test frame code done, which leaves Colin with the task of completing the actual test frame design for Maker Faire. As we enter the last couple weeks of school, everyone on the Spartan Superway team will need to use all their effort to show the Maker Faire that we are committed to creating a sustainable and reliable transportation network here in San Jose.

This week, we brought our parts to the machine shop on campus. Salvador continued his work on drilling holes. Joshua was responsible for finishing the parts by sanding and filing. Colin cut the pieces to size. We are on schedule to finish our project! Joshua and Colin working on parts Salvador pricking the bar before drilling Next week, we will begin finishing the parts and Joshua will finish the Arduino code.

This week was spent preparing the final slides for Presentation 2, and actually presenting of course. This was the first presentation day in which every team participated. In addition, we had guests from London attending our presentation. We wish every team good luck as we all enter the final phase of the Spartan Superway project. Next week, we will continue our work at the machine shop. Below is our presentation.

This week, we are preparing for Presentation 2. We are also beginning to drill the holes into the steel bars. Bearings also arrived so we are making sure they fit snugly in the bars. Salvador has been working on the parts in his garage shop, but his tools are somewhat limited. We are planning to go to the on-campus machine shop to finish the parts.  Salvador filing a bar in his garage shop Fitting the bearings

This week, Joshua worked on the Arduino code while Salvador acquired more materials for the suspension. Colin continues to work on the test frame and how to us the track linear actuator to achieve rotational motion of -17 to +17 degrees. Spring Break is next week but we all plan to put in a little bit of work.

This week, we explored ideas for the design of the test frame. We want the test frame to accommodate an angle of -17 to + 17 degrees, so we need a way to rotate a bar that the suspension would sit on. We determined that the optimal method is using a track actuator that was just lying around the Spartan Superway garage. The challenge will now be to convert linear motion to small angle rotation.

This week, we began acquiring the materials needed to build our suspension. Salvador picked up bar stock for much less than we expected to pay. We also took a battery from the Superway garage for powering the actuator with. Now that the process of acquiring the materials has begun, we will begin to build our suspension.  1" x 1" Steel bar Actuator battery Next week, we will acquire the other materials.

This week is Spring Break, so we will use this time to relax. Next week, we will prepare our slides for Presentation 2.