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Team Vision for Subsystem Level Build & Test Phase
For the Subsystem Level Build and Test Phase, our team planned to:
- Finalize the budget
- Complete the board design in order to cut deck from foam material
- Finalize the PCB (turn 1) design, have it set to order
- Receive batteries and configure a way for them to fit on to the board
- Get truck components' costs confirmed and set plan for 3D printing
During this phase, the following was actually completed:
- Finalized the budget up to date
- Completed foam mold of the board
- Tool paths created and verified for board prototype manufacturing
- Finished PCB design, got verification from a professor
- Completed research on magnetic connectors
- Purchased materials to manufacture the rails
- Completed a deep dive into scheduling and worked on utilizing Wrike program
For this phase, our team was able to meet with the necessary people who aided in verifying correctness of design. This helps to progress the group towards purchasing the needed tools and components of the board.
Test Plans Summary
Since our team has the task of manufacturing a completely new design which has never been done before, most of our sub-systems are being designed and manufactured 100% by a team member. Because of this, a lot more testing is involved in order to make sure the components designed perform as expected. During this phase, a plan was created for each sub-system in order to verify the capabilities of each design.
Rails/Collapsible
Once the rails have been manufactured here on campus (in the machine shop), they will be tested by:
Seeing if both sides of the mechanism articulate properly.
Look for misalignment's on the rails, any type of ridge or uneven section that would cause there to be problems with how the parts fit together (You can use a caliper to help measure this)
No jams within the subsystem.
Foam/Wood Board
Threaded insert integration
Test tear-out strength by putting a few of the threaded inserts into a wood/foam body, insert a bolt into the threaded inserts, then use a tensile tester to rip the inserts out of the bodies and analyze forces recorded.
Structural strength
Foam Board - Will be difficult to test because it is a composite, however simple testing can be done by applying a known force on the finished product and measuring the deflection.
Wood Board - Tested by running a finite element analysis on SolidWorks. This is still somewhat tricky as wood has a grain meaning its material properties are somewhat dependent on the orientation of the force applied, however it could still be analyzed in a worst case scenario.
Cam Based Trucks
Baseplate
- Cut in 5-axis CNC using 6061 aluminum
- Hanger
- 6061 Aluminum cast around a Tooling steel rod
Install on the foam board prototype and measure the turning arc achieved, making sure there is a full range of motion without locking up or breaking.
Use a finite element analysis on SolidWorks in order to identify structural weak points.
Power Contacts
- The power contacts will be tested for correct geometry and alignment.
- Furthermore, they will also be Hi-Pot (high potential) tested.
Latch
- Latch will be subjected to finite element analysis on SolidWorks.
PCB fabrication verification
- Through electrical testing will be preformed with an ohm meter in order to verify that there are no misconnected traces, shorts, etc on the boards.
FSR Testing
- Weights will be placed on the assembly with the FSR in various spots in order to determine how responsive the FSR array is to changes in weight distribution.
- These results will be used to calibrate the FSRs for our actual application.
Risk
For this project, one of the biggest risks that can and has risen is the timing/schedule of the project. Since this design has a lot of in depth, custom created and manufactured sub-systems, there is not a lot of time prior to the end date of the course to finish everything necessary. As the time progresses, it has come to light that there is not a lot of semester left to complete all of the sub-systems and have them tested properly.
In addition, the budget given to this project is proving to be a struggle for the group.
While our risk assessment has remained fairly consistent throughout the last few phases, there have been a few outstanding risks or risks which have slightly changed this past phase.
Having a Bill of Materials that has a higher cost than our allotted budget.
The project timeline becoming smaller with lack of our board having been ordered/manufactured for testing due to changes, unknown specifications or costs.
An added risk of assembling the PCB board on campus.
Having an unclear way of how all of the components will connect over the jump of the board.
Not having enough space on the board for all of the electronic parts and needed mechanical parts.
Besides the constraints in management, the technical risks are outlined in documents and tables below.
| Risk Category | Risk | Cause | Effect | Risk Prevention | Contingency Plan | Period Until Switching to CP | Lead Time | Likelihood | Severity | Importance | Owner(s) |
| Technical | Deck can't fit all the Necessary Components | Too many large components in too thin of a body | Functions may have to be demonstrated on separate testbeds | Design subsystems with the intention of integration but on separate testbeds to prevent roadblocks | Subsystems stay on seperate testbeds | 7 weeks | N/A | 6 | 5 | 81 | Erik |
| Technical | Failure of Force Sensors | Damage to sensing surface or blocked transmission of force to sensing surface | Complete loss of motor control/unexpected motor response | Thoroughly test force sensor installation | Use remote to control motors | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | 3 | 9 | 27 | Matthew G. |
| Technical | 3D Printed Base Plate Failure | Does not meet stress/impact requirements | Does not meet stress/impact requirements | Simulate stress requirements using an FEA analysis in solidworks | Buying Trucks | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | Conner | |||
| Technical | Hanger Experiences Bending | Too much weight | Bending/Warping | Simulate stress requirements using an FEA analysis in solidworks | Buying Trucks | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | Conner | |||
| Technical | Truck design failure | Trucks don't work as designed | Danger to the rider of falling and hurting themselves | Conduct tests of trucks over full range of speeds with differing loads. Redesign Truck Assembly | Buying trucks that are stable | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | 3 | 9 | 27 | Tanvir M. Connor F. |
| Resource | PCB design does not work | Lack of experience with PCB design. | Non-functioning PCB. | Get Eric's friend to verify design and make sure design follows general design of VESC | Purchase a second turn of a new PCB design. | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | 3 | 9 | 27 | Matthew G |
| Technical | Product failure or part malfunctions | Miscalculations during design process | A non-functioning product | Mechanical Design Leads must be consulting each other | Consult with Mechanical Engineering Professor. | 2 weeks | N/A | 3 | 9 | 27 | Tanvir M. Connor F. Erik L. |
| Technical | Control system causing unexpected outputs (malfunction) | Incorrect inputs were put in the system | Incorrect Outputs/System Failure | Follow microchip whitepaper exactly and verify code on controller func | Have a micro-controller system expert look over the system | 3 weeks | N/A | 1 | 9 | 9 | Matthew G. |
| Technical | Electronic components protection | Exposure to external environmental factors (water,rocks, etc.) | Damage to the battery and other components | Ensure proper location and protection of electrical components. | Have a guide for a particular environment that must | 3 weeks | N/A | 1 | 3 | 3 | Kristin O. |
| Safety | Pinch points in the mechanism | Folding Mechanism | Damage to hands and fingers of riders. | Proper outlined guide for Hand Placement | Wear protection gloves | 3 weeks | N/A | 1 | 3 | 3 | Tanvir M. Connor F. Erik L. |
| Safety | Overall integrity of collapsible parts | Weak focal point | Collapsible mechanism does not have a long life span and the board is damaged after few uses | Determine the best and most applicable collapsible mechanism. | Hinge system | 3 weeks | N/A | 1 | 9 | 9 | Tanvir M. Connor F. Erik L. |
| Resource | Lack of additional funding (Budget) | The budget we were given was too low from the outset | Unable to finish design or a low quality product | Get budget increase | Cut costs where necessary and/or fund with personal funds | 3 weeks | N/A | 3 | 3 | 9 | Deirdre A. |
| Resource | Customer manufacturer quality and accuracy risk | Bad quality deliver | Low quality product | Make sure to order from reputable manufacturers. | Change suppliers | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 1 | 9 | 9 | All |
| Resource | Lack of experienced riders to test prototypes or data collection | Lack of exposure to longboard riding | Lack of essential knowledge on the design of the longboard | Have a team meeting for instruction on how to ride the longboard | Interview experienced riders | 3 weeks | N/A | 1 | 1 | 1 | Erik L. |
| Resource | Team Members Being Absent | Exceptional Circumstances (Sickness, etc.) | Falling behind on deadlines and not being able to create longboard. | Make sure at least one person on the team has a good understanding of what the abstentee was doing, | Assign the another person the absentee's task depending on how important the task is. | 3 weeks | N/A | 9 | 3 | 9 | All |
Problem Tracking
| Identifying & Selecting Problem PSP 1 | Analyzing Problem PSP 2 | Generating Potential Solutions PSP 3 | Selecting & Planning Solution PSP 4 | Implementing Solution PSP 5 | Evaluating Solution PSP 6 | ||
| Rating | R1 | R2 | R3 | Y4 | Y5 | G6 | |
| Motor Controller (Matt) | CRITICAL | PCB Design has incorrect outputs | Component Value is Incorrect/Connection made incorrectly | Consider Generating a Second Rev of Board and have it Looked over by two other individual | Generate a Second Rev of Board and have it Looked over by two other individual | New Boards are ordered | Test new motor PCBs on |
| Collapsing Mechanism (Erik) | Collapsing Mechanism Jams and Doesn’t Slide | Clear coat Resin on board is non uniform | Use CNC router to even out surface of the epoxy | Add post-machining to production process | post-machining tool paths are generated and executed | Does the collapsing mechanism move freely | |
| FSR (Matt) | FSRs aren't appropriately responsive to changes in weight distribution. | Identify the sensitivity of each sensor and generate plots of output vs force. | Simulate various calibrations using the data in PSPICE. | Determine the new resistors and/or DAC voltages that will be needed to implement the solution. Order any new capacitors and/or resistors that would be required. | Modify code and remove and/or replace the required components on the PCBs | Do FSRs respond appropriately? | |
| Jump Power Contacts (Tanvir) | MAJOR | The jump does not connect properly together to produce power. | Determine issues in the geometry of the jump and whether all dimensions are correct. | Consider purchasing custom made pins and sockets. | Determine if the jump properly connects. | Order custom pins and sockets. | Do they connect and distribute power? |
| Foam Board (Erik) | Only some foam boards are strong enough to handle the weight of the rider | Clear coat resin appears to be not full hardened in some spots | Experiment with different epoxy clear coat layering techniques and nylon weave wrappings | See if any of the new techniques consistently increase the structural stability of the foam long board deck | Implement new manufacturing techniques into board construction process | Determine if resulting boards following the manufacturing process update retain the same strength in stability that the test boards had | |
| Battery Pack (Deirdre) | ORDINARY | Battery Pack is assembled incorrectly. | Misunderstanding of how the battery back is assembled. | Consult with team members and other individuals to verify correct assembly of battery pack. | Fix any gaps in understanding or poor techniques. | Continue assembly with adapted plan. | Check for correct outputs once assembly is completed. |
| Cam Truck (Connor) | |||||||
| Latch Mechanism (Deirdre) | Latch Mechanism is not adequate for load needed. | Identify appropriate load needed. | Select new Latch Mechanism. Order and Re-work current latch mechanism. | Select and order a different latch mechanism as appropriate. | Order new latch. | Finite element analysis conducted on new latch. |
Functional Demo Materials
Rails/Collapsible
Models have only been slightly updated since the last gate review. Some reliefs were added to accommodate the full range of motion of the linkage however this will need more attention in the coming weeks. Current focus has been on producing a deck prototype as quick as possible.
Foam/Wood Board
Significant time these last few weeks has been spent on optimizing the deck design for machinability and interior volume while maintaining and ergonomic and viable form. Many hard edges were reduced to fillets to speed up the routing processes as well separate bodies combined and knit to make the model more palatable for other CAD software packages like Autodesk 360. A foam fixture for the board was designed so we can easily mount the foam boards in the CNC during machining.
Tool paths have already been generated for cutting out the deck and manufacture will proceed next Tuesday.
Cam Based Trucks
Power Contacts
Plans for next phase
For the next phase, the team plans to complete the following tasks:
- Order the PCBs designed by Matt.
- Finish the foam prototype of board.
- Begin manufacturing of the rails once dimensions and sizes are verified.
- Complete a battery pack design and begin the assembly with verified output.
- Test the structural strength and threaded insert integration.
- Complete the code.
- Have trucks either 3D printed or ordered from vendor.
- Continue using the schedule in order to foresee any problems that could arise.
Our current schedule for the rest of the semester can be found here.
Our current Bill of Materials for this product can be found here.
Individual 3-Week Plans:
Connor Ford Three Week Plan.docx
Erik Lydick Three Week Plan MSDII.pdf