Arduino info

Here is a download link for code for several Arduino projects in the Sik guide:

sparkfun.com/sikcode

And the guide is here:

http://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/datasheets/Kits/SFE03-0012-SIK.Guide-300dpi-01.pdf

Better copy of homework

hard to read

A couple of numbers on the homework are hard to read.

Between a and b, there is a 1 ohm resistor with 8-V over it.

I'll also put a paper copy of the HW in your mailboxes.

HW to turn in Monday at beginning of class

Please also read the remaining electricity notes and download the Arduino software, if you can.

Problem

HW

Test correction

Bridge

Bridge Design – Using West Point Bridge Designer

Now that you have at least a little understanding of how trusses work, it’s time to play around with some bridge building. The United States Military Academy—hereafter referred to as West Point—has been running a Bridge Design contest for high school and middle school students for more than 10 years. Students design a bridge that must satisfy certain specifications, while minimizing the overall cost. Cost is, of course, a real-world concern since materials and labor cost money. While we will not be entering the West Point contest, we can use the software to play around with bridge design and learn, we hope, some more about some basic engineering principles.

The link below is to the website where you can find the bridge design software. After you go to the website, you should see in the middle of the screen a link to the download area. Once you get to the downloads area, read carefully so that you’ll pick the correct link for downloading (basically, you need to know whether your Macintosh computer has Apple Java). After you install the software come back to this document.

http://bridgecontest.org

There’s a 26-minute video tutorial that you can view at the bridge contest website. You can find it under the “Resources” tab at the top. After going through this video, you’ll need to learn one more thing about the program, so open up the program and load up the sample design for the continuous arch. Select one of the members—remember that a “member” is a bar or cable. On the right side of the screen you should see the member you selected highlighted in blue. At the top of that window where the member has been highlighted is the tab “Member Details”. Click on this tab. You should now be seeing more detail about this particular member, including information regarding the member’s material properties, dimensions, and cost.

1.     As a check of your understanding, find the member numbered 10 and write down its mass density, moment of inertia, and member cost.

2.     Start up a new bridge design in the program.  Try to design a bridge that doesn’t look exactly like one of the pre-loaded designs. Make sure to test it out so that it will pass the load test. Lastly, print out a copy of your design.

Now, build a truss-style bridge, either based on this design or an entirely different one.  You will use basswood and gusset “plates” made from manila folder material.  We will test it to failure using a method described in class.

Sketchup time!

Google Sketchup

For our CAD platform, we will use Google Sketchup.  You may find it online  (http://www.sketchup.com/) and download the free “Make” version.  Alternately, use a school computer equipped with it and start to play around.

If you find Sketchup too limiting, feel free to try one of the many available alternatives.  See this article, for example:

http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2011/02/25/3d-design-software-101/

Run the video tutorial 1.  Here are things to keep in mind:

v Pick a template.

v Be mindful of the (default) units.

v Choose your starting views (ISO, or isometric is great for 3D).

v Get used to “click and release.”

v Get used to Edit (undo).

Start drawing – note the dimensions and scale.

Also note these features:

v Inference points

v Push/pull tool

v Eraser

v The flexibility of using a 3 button mouse (scroll, to change viewing size)

v Orbit

v Pan

v Rotate

v Move tool

v Shift and mouse

v R G B axes (for alignment)

After you are sufficiently comfortable making designs, go through the other tutorials at your leisure.

Your first project is to do a mock-up of a building (your house or a favorite structure), to scale and (3D) printed.  Take photographs first and work from these.  The 3D print process will be described in class.

HW

FYI

http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/paralyzed-patient-walks-using-brain-wave-system-150924.htm?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=DNewsSocial

Practice problems

Homework for Thursday

Homework reminder

Make sure you do the 7 problems on the unit conversion page in the Student Guide.  Not all are pure unit conversion problems, but most require you to think about slightly weird problems.

Welcome to Engineering!

Hey everybody.  Please start out the year by taking this brief survey for the science department:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2015summerscience