Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Week 3: Communication and Presentation Preparation

This Spartan Superway class session has been one of the most productive thus far. As a group we now have a much better understanding of the Futran system. We do not yet have any design specifications from Futran but we now have a much better understanding of the system as a whole. The entire twelfth scale team has established a method of communication. Our team is going to have to be in constant communication with the bogie team to design a track that is manufacturable and that works well with the bogie. We are also going to have to spend some time talking to controls and identify a means for positioning. We spent some time talking to the bogie team today about the switching mechanism for our bogie and we all have reached an understanding of how the entire system will come together. By the end of the class session, we have a few specifications in mind. We are going to need to communicate more with the bogie team before the presentation day so that we are all on the same page regarding design and specifications. By the next class session we will need to have our presentation ready and at the minimum, some hand sketches of our track system.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Week 2: Lightning Talk

This week, all of the teams presented their project descriptions, specifications, and goals through the lightning talk presentations. After the presentation, Professor Furman provided us with input regarding the assembly of the track for presentation opportunities such as Maker Faire. Thus, we implemented this goal on our project specifications. Everyone in the team stayed afterwards to speak on possible improvements for this year's iteration of the 12th-scale track and the following tasks that need to be finished for the upcoming week.


Next Week's Objectives / To-do List:

  • Start designing for the Futran Railway System
  • Finish research on the Futran Railway System
  • Contact previous year's manufacturing/track team for help and advice
  • Evaluate weak points of existing track
  • Explore possible replacements for supports

Project Specifications (Initial)

         1. Create a new 12th scale model track using the Futran rail system
              a) Collaborate with other 12th scale teams

         2. Improve manufacturability of  track components 

         3. Speed up the assembly and disassembly process for presentations such as Maker Faire
              a) Ideally, we would like a track that could be set up in such a way that once the track is held level the ground posts could be adjusted so that the track remains in place.

Lightning Presentation: How, What, and Why