10/23/13 Update

Meeting on Wednesday with George Sullivan

Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-46Wb6HXkEEZnQtVHp6UnRueDg/edit?usp=sharing

Problem: Stepping down 9V to 5V for the motor.

Voltage divider using resistors
Based off the multimeter the stepper motor pulls about 1.1A on a 5V rail. In the calculations we set the current to 1.5A just to be safe. This method uses a lot of power. The battery would only be able to power one motor for about 15 minutes. So we turned back to buck converters.

Buck converter package
The problem with buck converters is that some require additional pieces, so we had to find something that already had everything together. George found this one: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/V7805-1500/102-2171-ND/2352130 It satisfies our 5V and 1.5A requirements.

Software
We broke down all the things we would need to program for the microprocessor into a program map. Now one to two people can work on each block of code. George showed me how to make a function for the forward motion. I'll work on the three other functions for the backward, right, and left action over the weekend and Monday.

Real Time Operating System
On the second page of the notes, George was explaining how the RTOS works. He said that if a function accidentally has an infinite loop, the program will never be able to get back to the main loop and do any future functions.

Chassis
The chassis was 3D printed Friday. It should be ready for pick up Monday before we meet at 4 PM. Also, I'm asking the HKN treasurer if we can have about $40 so we can get a moving mouse soon.

10/21/13 Update

Software & Mechanical
On Wednesday, I met with George who helped me set up CCS for the Stellaris. We got some sample code from TI's website working; just basic blinking LEDs. Then, instead of toggling the LEDs, I changed it to a toggling output pin, making a basic voltage square wave come out of the pin. Finally, I attached the Stellaris and motor to the motor driver and I was able to get the motor to step very slowly. 

The motor was getting hot very quickly. Originally, we drove the motor and motor driver around 400 Hz and a 5V to 0V square wave with the function generator. The Stellaris was inputting a 3.3V to 0V square wave, therefore that didn't seem to be the cause of the heat. The frequency in the Stellaris code was increased in order for the motor to rotate smoother. This seemed to fix the heating problem.

Stellaris Help
There are senior design meetings Monday from 8 to 11 AM (I think this time is correct) and Wednesday from 2 to 5 PM in Zachry 111B and 111C (senior design labs) near the equipment room. The TAs are covering the Stellaris and code composer. Whenever they aren't busy with their students, Dr. Villareal said we could ask them our questions.

Funding
Dr Villareal is asking companies and his associates if they are willing to help fund our project.

10/14/13 Update

Software - Still trying to fix the missing header file issue with the Energia environment. 

Some of the members attended the IEEE workshop and learned some basics about the MSP430 and Code Composer. A switch to CCS is up for debate. 

Mechanical - Finalized the file. We made sure that everything was inputted correctly. 

Front: http://i.imgur.com/uK0acG7.png

Back: http://i.imgur.com/auCvphv.png
Everything together: http://i.imgur.com/zgEYd9p.png

10/7/13 Update

Mechanical - Added in section on the chassis for the motor drivers. The motor drivers will require a breadboard to attach wires. Added sections for infrared LED detectors.

Software - Still cannot get some basic code to work and we need help with the libraries. The basic code simply makes the motors spin, but there were errors. Unfortunately, one of the more experienced software members could not make it.

There is an IEEE microprocessor workshop next week. The meeting will help members learn some basics with the MSP430 and Code Composer. At the end of the session, we will be able to ask the mentors questions about our concerns and for advice.

9/30/13 Update

9/23/13 Update
We just kept working on our projects; nothing too new happened. 

9/30/13 Update

The sessions are pretty good; a few volunteers are still coming. 

Chassis:

We have almost finished designing a chassis on Inventor for a prototype. I just received the 3D printing form from Dr. Villareal. 

Software:

A few guys are working on the MSP430 and a few others on the Stellaris that Dr. Villareal let us use. The pin out for the motor driver and how to connect it to the Stellaris has been determined. They attempted to upload some code to the Stellaris, but were not able to. The next step is to determine how to get the code onto the board, as well as discovering what libraries are need. Lastly, they will further work on developing an algorithm to solve the maze.

Motor Driver Testing: 

The motor driver was tested and the signal was analyzed on the oscilloscope. They found that the output was the correct signal and that the driver was working properly. They have suspicions that the driver was being driven incorrectly in the past. The next step is to try to get the driver to work efficiently with the motor and to test and improve the motor driver.