XLIX

Engineering Design Firm

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223
Transmittal
Date:
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Section
:
To:

1201 004
Bill Lindsey
Alexis Carswell

From:

Sarah Grempels, Craig Berwick, Parker Correll, Ludgi Eugene

Subject
:

Innovation Design Package

We are
submitting:

Memorandum

Design Package

Problem Set

Report - Draft

Test Data Sheet

Extra Credit

Report - Final

Other: Enter Other Item

Date

Description

12/3/15

Innovation Project Test Data Sheet

12/3/15

Innovation Project Design Package

These are transmitted as checked below:

Individual
Assignment
For grading
For review/comment
Other: Enter
Description

Team Assignment -- Team No.

__1______-_

Innovation Design Package

Ludgi Eugene
Craig Berwick
Sarah Grempels
Parker Correll

Introduction to Engineering Practices and Principles 1

1201-004
Thursday, December 3rd, 2015

We have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed any violation
of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.

Date: 12/3/15
Problem Statement
The purpose of this project was to develop, construct, and test a cargo transporter with a team. It will
require research to find the best transportation methods for the cargo transporter. There are a variety of
requirements for this project, which include having the transporter be able to travel between 16 and 22
feet, while being able to carry the load specified by the project description. The cargo must be able to start
and stop at the specified distance without human assistance. For this project, the cargo that the transporter
is supposed to carry is five 1 inch diameter ping pong balls, stacked in a pyramid. For the design to be
successful, the performance requirements on test day, have to be taken into account. The list of
requirements and constraints include:
The cargo transporter cannot exceed 16L x 5H x 8W.
The cargo transporter can only be made with the materials from the discovery box and Arduino.
The transporter must travel the distance provided by the client.
The transporter cargo fence cannot exceed 0.25 inch high.
The total cost of the transporter cannot exceed $15.00.
The vehicle must stay on the road, which has a width of six feet, three feet on each side.
The cargo cannot be physically attached to the transporter.
The cargo transporter must travel a given distance without spilling the cargo.
The assumptions for this project are that the materials, which are being supplied, are in good and working
condition. Another assumption is that the surface on which the cargo transporter will be tested on is
smooth.
Research
The group was not familiar with much of the project so a lot of research was required in order to get a
well working car that could be reliable. One big question was how were the ping pong balls going to get
held on the car without falling off during the run and while keeping the container under .25 inches tall.
Looking it up, an image was found on the web showed a popsicle made basket with alternating layers
(Popsicle). The group decided this would be the best structure to hold the balls and only spend a little
amount of money. Next the group needed to figure out what was going to power the motor. With the many
options the group had, the best choice was to use the Arduino program. The Arduino is an open-source
prototyping platform that will read inputs and turn it into an output (Arduino). The Arduino can be used to
do things such as turning on an LED, publishing something online; or what applied to this project, turning

a motor on and off (Arduino). While looking up other projects made with Arduinos, the group found a
picture of a 3-wheel robot that had an appearance of a car (Arduino master class). It sparked an idea for
the group that led to the final design that the team built. The next thing that needed to be answered was if
the group was going to use glue or tape to bind things together. MIT engineers say that the intermolecular
forces of glue hold things together with a much stronger force than tape (MIT). The group could not argue
with this statement, but the price of tape was much cheaper and unless glue had to be used, the team used
tape. MIT says glue is good but also says that it is irreversible because once something is glued, it can't be
changed unless it is torn apart (MIT). Therefore, when experts 123 says that it is a personal choice on the
2, it really is because tape is better in some situations and glue is in others (Whats). With all these
different sources put together, the team designed and created the final product.

MS Visio Drawing

15

3.5 Tall

Figure 1.1

Engineering Calculation
This project used specific calculations to determine how long the motor would run. To test the distance
the transporter would travel in a certain amount of time, the team would run the motor for 50 seconds and
then measure the distance it traveled. Equation (1) was used to find how many seconds it takes the
transporter to move one foot.

Velocity=Seconds / Distance/3.125 sec/ft =50 seconds/16 ft

(1)

Equation (2) was then used to find the velocity, to determine how long the motor needs to run to travel the
required distance.

Seconds=Velocity Distance/62.5 sec=3.125 sec/ft 20 ft

(2)

The final calculations were then entered into the Arduino code to program how many seconds the motor
needs to run for the specified distance required.

Description of Final Design

The final design picked by the group was based on eliminating the most random variables. The final
design has 3 wheels, one wooden wheel in the front and two larger gear wheels in the back. The front
wheel spins freely, while the axle stays in place. The back wheels are connected to the axle so the axle
spins with the wheels. The motor used is a servo motor that is powered by a 9V battery. The motor is
controlled by an Arduino control board, which is also where the battery is plugged in. The motor turns a
20 tooth gear that directly powers one of the back 60 tooth gear wheels. These back gears work as the
back two wheels. The back axis is held in place by two paper clips that hold it to the body. The front axle
is held in place by two close pins with washers next to the front wheel to keep it in place. The cargo hold
is made out of ten Popsicle sticks put together in a Lincoln log style. An example of final design in MS
Visio is displayed in Figure 1.1.
Decision Matrix

Evaluati
on
Criteria
Cost
Ease of
use
# of
Random
Variable
s
Ease of
Change
Size
Total

Relativ
e
Weight

Cargo
Transporter 1

Cargo
Transporter 2

Cargo
Transporter 3

10%

.3

.4

.5

20%

.6

2d

.4

.4

50%

2.5

1.5

15%

.6

.3

.45

5%
100%

.2
4.2

.25
3.35

.25
3.10

The final design was chosen because it eliminated most of the random variables, such as stopping, turning
as it travels, and always starting. The power source for model 1 was a servo motor, so it is very easy to

change the code of the servo motor for each distance it needs to travel. The cost for model 1 is around $13
which is $2 less than the max. The model 1 is all around a good transport truck and the team all agreed
that it is the model that should be used to transport the airplane cargo in the most efficient manor.
Bill of Materials

Name of Item
Plastic Tie Wraps

Price of Item

# of Items

Total Price

$0.10 each

$0.10

Duct Tape

$0.03 per inch

12 inches

$0.36

Foam board

$0.05 per square inch

58 square inches

$2.90

Wooden Wheels

$0.30 each

$0.30

Wooden Toothpicks

$0.05 each

$0.05

Clothes Pin

$0.25 each

$0.25

Popsicle Stick

$0.05 each

$0.30

Metal Washer

$0.05 each

$0.25

Metal Shaft

$0.25 each

$0.25

Paper Clips

$0.02 each

$0.04

20 Tooth Gear

$0.50 each

$0.50

60 Tooth Gear

$0.60 each

$1.20

Wooden Dowel

$0.25 each

$0.25

Servo Motor

$1.50

$1.50

9V Battery

$0.50

$0.50

9V Battery Snap
Connector

$0.25

$0.25

3 Small Screws and 4

Micro Horns

$0.05 per horn

1 horn

$0.05

Glue Joints

$0.50 per joint

$3.00

7 Jumper wires

$0.10 per wire

$0.30

$1.50

$1.50

SparkFun RedBoard
Total Cost

$13.85

Citations
"Arduino - Introduction." Arduino - Introduction. Accessed December 3, 2015.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction.
"Arduino Masterclass Part 4: Build a Mini Robot - APC." APC Arduino Masterclass Part 4 Build
a Mini Robot Comments. May 7, 2013. Accessed December 4, 2015.
http://apcmag.com/arduino-masterclass-part-4-build-a-mini-robot.htm/.
"MIT School of Engineering." What Are the Basic Forces behind Tape and Glue? Accessed
December 4, 2015. http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/what-are-basic-forces-behind-tapeand-glue.
"Popsicle Stick Wood Basket Handmade Vintage Folk Art 50's 60's." Etsy. Accessed December
3, 2015. https://www.etsy.com/listing/91115412/popsicle-stick-wood-basket-handmade.
"What's Better, Glue or Tape?" What's Better, Glue or Tape? Accessed December 4, 2015.
http://www.experts123.com/q/whats-better-glue-or-tape.html.