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Team Blog #2

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Team Blog #2
September 18, 2019

COMPLETED:

This week, the team came together to discuss the direction we would take regarding the small scale project. Currently, our idea for the project was to make improvements on the track that had already been built, along with refining the controls and bogie to get it all to work properly. However, after discussing with Mr. Swenson about alternate ideas that he had to the project, we debated on taking a different direction by building even smaller tracks made from laser cut material.

PROBLEMS:

 There are several problems with both the options that we have discussed. Originally, the small scale track as seen in Figure 1 was created from last years small scale team. This design has many imperfections, but we already know all of them. Of course, with all those defects there must be some type of solution, but the problem with that in itself is figuring out which part to focus on first: bogie, controls, or track?
Figure 1. Small Scale Track 
Figure 2. Alternative track

Figure 2 represents the alternate idea that we had pitched to us by Mr. Swenson. By discarding the problems from the track and sticking with an alternative design for the small scale guideway, we could focus more on the bogies and controls. There has already been designs and progress for this small scale track, but the only downside is that it would be hard to realistically scale up in the future.

We approached Professor Furman about both topics, and he gave us significant advice on how we should decide on what steps to take next. 

NEXT STEPS:

we will be holding a meeting over the weekend to further discuss the final approach we will take for the Small Scale Project. Once we have decided what path to take, we will then create a Gantt Chart and presentation, begin designing ideas using CAD and other software, as well as creating a bill of materials for future reference.






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