4/27

Before class today I felt there was endless work to be done in order to finish our project, but Robert and I were able to accomplish so much during class (we stayed an extra hour) that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! We started by continuing our efforts with installing the line follower from last week. We were having trouble with our far right sensor. It sensed black, even when we put it on a completely white paper. It was really frustrating! After switching out the sensor and the  corresponding wire, Robert and I decided to look for an option to use only 3 sensors for the line follower. We found a video of a line follower using only 3 sensors so we knew it was possible. Then we found a website that had the exact instructions and diagrams for what we wanted to do and it included the related programming. After reconstructing the whole line follower system and entering the programming, we tested each of the sensors and they worked! It was really exciting! We moved on to programming the Boe-Bot so that it would "follow" the line by moving along a black line on a white surface; however, when we tested the programming our Boe-Bot wouldn't move at all. We went back to the basics and tested the servos (wheels) and they didn't work. That was super frustrating, but we checked all of our connections and found out that our VIN, VDD switch was broken. The switch had chipped earlier in the project and now it wasn't functioning at all. Robert and I scrounged around the room for extra parts and we found an unused Boe-Bot so we switched the switches. We tested the line follower programming again and our Boe-Bot moved the distance of the electrical tape. It was so amazing to see our hard work....well working! We spent the last minutes of class planning out the obstacle course. Robert had brought in foam core and lego buildings to help us visualize the course. We searched online for the actual NC driving test route on Google Maps as remembered from experience and we started marking roads on the posterboard. We're nearing the end of the project and I'm really excited to present our final prototype! On Wednesday, Robert and I are going to construct and test the obstacle course and delegate report responsibilities.