Minutes

March 3, 2011

  • Calvin wrote a simple data storing program in python for us to build off of.
  • A specific job was given for each member to complete by the end of the week. These included:
    • Contacting Roland for additional information
    • Creating testing patterns (sine waves, steps) in mastercam
    • Converting these patterns into g-code
    • Setting up the continuous data saving file in python
    • Looking into using pydaq c as a middle step between the real time data, and the data being saved in python
    • Writing a new draft of our group's sponsorship letter

March 10, 2011

  • We went over the space delimited g-code that will generate our sine wave.
  • We decided that for a pretest, it is easier to manually move the load cell to meet the sample for now.
  • We're in the process of fixing the three programs we need to test.
  • We will meet next week Wednesday to possibly do pretesting and put our midterm presentation together.

March 16,2011

  • Calvin fixed the problem with continuous data saving in python and CNC movement in g-code
  • The continuous saving program now collects data from the load cell and stores it in a csv file along side a time stamp (See an example excel file of acquired data on our programming page)
  • Supplementary python programs (pyDAQ tools, etc.) were installed on two laptops in order to run the the program along side the CNC machine (Unfortunately these are not functional yet)
  • The program for CNC movement was successful ( The video of the program in progress can be seen in the following video)
  • The home screen for this new device is now being designed to allow sample parameters to be input and to provide a user friendly screen to control the tests.
  • Each step was tested seperately and we plan to combine them in the near future.

March 31,2011

  • Our sponsorship letter was edited by the writing center and is now in the final stages of revision.
  • It was discovered throughout the last two weeks that Python 3.0 and editions above do not read our data saving code properly. We are working on making a compatible one.
  • Python 2.6 and all extra downloads needed were put on to a laptop so that we could test position, time, and load together.
  • The data acquisition program was made more concise by minimizing the time lapse between collecting and dumping data.
  • Tests were combined for the first time.
  • The new signal conditioner we have has not been calibrated with the load cell yet, so our load data from these first tests are not accurate.

April 7, 2011

  • The plans for the final step of the project were put in place
  • Our final product will include a video tutorial, a list of programs needed to duplicate our mechanical test, and the written programs to run a user friendly test.
  • The sponsorship letter was sent out to Roland.

April 14, 2011

  • We had difficulty getting the GUI (home screen) to work.
  • The GUI program will now be made in Python 2.6 rather than 3.1
  • The calibration and testing python programs worked and will now be split so that the GUI program can call upon them seperately.
  • A list of programs and downloads needed to run the tests were made, and it was discussed whether to list them online or provide them as a downloadable package.
  • The final stages include putting together the calibration code, testing code, and g-code converter with the GUI, and creating a help menu to setup the physical connections.

April 28, 2011

  • The GUI is now in the debugging stage
  • The website template now has over 20 pages which are being edited. It includes tutorials, information, etc.
  • The plan is to have a final video of everything working together made by monday. We will follow the finished tutorial to make sure that our instructions are concise and understandable.
  • Roland responded to our letter saying that their engineers could not share with us the information we need for the Creep Test. A clarification letter is being formulated.

May 2, 2011

  • The CNC Mechanical tester now works!
  • Four minor changes were made to the GUI code
  • The website is up and running!
  • Written and video tutorials are running as well.
  • The bulk of the project is complete, we will continue to troubleshoot as problems do arise. So far, data graphs for the packing peanut look promising.
 
classes/principlesofdesign/cncmechanicaltester/minutes.txt · Last modified: 2011/05/04 15:59 by nmuir
 
Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license:CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Recent changes RSS feed Donate Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki