Team:Sherbrooke/Notebook

Notebook

Winter 2015 Summer 2015 Fall 2015

Week 1 (January 14 to January 21)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Each part of the Project Overview Statement (POS)
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Assembling the Project Overview Statement
    • Starting to acquire knowledge
    • Starting to build the OPENTRONS's robot
  • Problems encountered
    • Assignment of the POS's parts to team's members
    • Internal communications not efficient (Too much posts on the Facebook wall)

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 2 (January 22 to January 28)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Assembling the Project Overview Statement
    • Thinking about an efficient way to organise internal communications
    • First mecanical designs of the modules
    • First experimentations done on Peltier elements
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • First experimentations on magnets
    • Starting to write individual parts of the Project Management Plan (PMP)
    • Optic density circuit board up and running
  • Problems encountered
    • No Instuction received from Opentron to build their robot

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 3 (January 29 to February 4)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Preliminary mecanical design of the MC96
    • Finalizing the reserch on Peltier elements and photoreceptors
    • Choosing microcontroller used in each modules
    • Meeting with Opentrons
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Continuing experimentations on magnets
    • Starting to write individual parts of the Project Management Plan (PMP)
    • Optic density circuit board up and running
    • Starting to order pieces for first prototypes
  • Problems encountered
    • Disagreement with Mecatronix team about the microcontroller choice
    • Machining of some metal parts are too complex for university's tools

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 4 (February 5 to February 11)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Experimentations and order of magnets
    • Modeling of the turbidity function
    • 3D modeling of all modules
    • Heat transmission simulation of the TAC
    • Split the Project Management Plan (PMP) into individual parts
    • Correction of the individual parts of the Project Overview Statement (POS)
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Starting to write individual parts of the Project Management Plan (PMP)
    • Assembling the corrected parts of the Project Overview Statement (POS)
    • Heat transmission simulation of the MC96 and MC1.5
    • Order Peltier elements
    • Peer review of team's performance
  • Problems encountered
    • Difficult choice between multiples 3D designs for the MC96
    • Difficult choice between different types of magnets, due to many constraints (mecanical and physical)

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 5 (February 12 to February 18)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Starting to write individual parts of the Project Management Plan (PMP)
    • Assembling the corrected parts of the Project Overview Statement (POS)
    • Heat transmission simulation of the MC96 and MC1.5
    • Peltier elements received and characterized
    • Peer review of team's performance
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Finishing Heat transmission simulation
    • Starting electrical plans for the TAC
    • Finishing Project Management Plan (PMP)
    • Midterm project audit
  • Problems encountered
    • Courses overload for 4 members of the team

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 6-8 (February 19 to March 11)


Instrumentation

  • Done These Weeks
    • Electrical design of the H bridge for the Peltier element
    • First iteration of the User Interface
    • Peltier element heat transfert experimentation with an aluminium piece
    • Serial communication to the microcontroller
    • TAC function implemented on the microcontroller
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Build the H bridge circuit
    • Begin the electrical design of the module circuits
    • Adapt Psoc4 microcontroller code to Psoc5 microcontroller
    • Replace the air cooling system on the MC96 with a more powerful liquid cooling system
    • Communication USB to User Interface
  • Problems encountered
    • The heat sink does not sink enough heat from the Peltier element
    • First electrical design for the H bridge not conclusive

Mecatronix

  • Done These Weeks
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 9 (March 12 to March 18)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Simulation of Peltier Element electrical behavior
    • Adapt Psoc4 microcontroller code to Psoc5 microcontroller
    • 3D Design of the liquid cooling system for MC96
    • Second iteration of the User Interface after the client feedback
    • Programming of the Rasberry pi 2 in Python language
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Building the H bridge
    • Starting the PCB electrical design
    • Peltier element heat transfert experimentation with same aluminium piece as the TAC
    • Establish communication between User interface and microcontroller
  • Problems encountered
    • Aluminium piece for the TAC arrived late
    • No electrical simulation model for desired H bridge pieces

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 10 (March 19 to March 25)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Adapt PWM output of the H bridge to a steady DC level for Peltier element
    • First TCP communication between User interface and Rasberry Pi 2
    • Peltier element heat transfert experimentation with same aluminium piece as the TAC
    • Starting Programmation of the Rasberry pi 2 in Python language
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Design a PCB to adapt the Banana Board output for Peltier element
    • Peltier element heat transfert experimentation with same aluminium piece as the MC1.5
    • Establish communication between User interface and microcontroller
  • Problems encountered
    • New Peltier elements are not yet arrived

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 11 (March 26 to April 1)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Meeting with Acrolab Ltd. to discuss about heat pipe prototyping for the MC96
    • Improving User interface
    • Improvement of the 3D design of the MC1.5
    • Programmation of the Rasberry pi 2 in Python language
    • Starting the scientific paper about the project
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Design a temperature control algorithm for the TAC
    • Implementing the turbidity function in the TAC
    • Programming the microcontroller for the TAC
    • Ending the improvements of the 3D design of the MC1.5
    • Continuing the scientific paper about the project
  • Problems encountered
    • Heat pipes very expensive (about 90$ per heat pipe)
    • Heat sinks are not yet arrived
    • Holes in the aluminium piece for the MC1.5 are too tight for the 1.5 ml tube

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 12 (April 2 to April 8)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Writing of the scientific paper
    • Prototype circuit for the turbidity function of the TAC
    • Implementation of the turbidity algorithm in C language
    • Shopping for a new linear actuator
    • Modeling of the thermal system of the TAC
    • Improving User interface
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Design a temperature control algorithm for the TAC
    • Implementing the turbidity function in the TAC
    • Programming the microcontroller for the TAC
    • Finishing the writing of the scientific paper
  • Problems encountered
    • One Peltier element was faulty
    • The remaining Peltier element emit too much heat for the available heat sinks
    • Problems with the Psoc5 libraries

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Week 13 (April 9 to April 15)


Instrumentation

  • Done This Week
    • Writing of the scientific paper
    • Calibrating the turbidity measurements in the TAC
    • Preparing the end of session project audit
    • Shopping for a new linear actuator
    • Correcting the 3D design of the TAC
    • Correcting the 3D design of the MC1.5
    • Improving User interface
  • Objectives for the Next Week
    • Design a temperature control algorithm for the TAC
    • End of session project audit
    • Integrating multiple functions of the TAC on the microcontroller
    • Finishing the writing of the scientific paper
    • Peer review of team's performance
  • Problems encountered
    • End of session exams

Mecatronix

  • Done This Week
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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Summer 2015 (April 16 to August 26)


Instrumentation

  • Done during Summer
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

Mecatronix

  • Done during Summer
  • Objectives for the Next Week
  • Problems encountered

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