Week 11 Progress
- Attached clamping system to the lifting system directly at the secondary arm (no joints) for safe demo purposes
- Tested lifting ability – put on hold by the need to readjust the connection to the CG exactly + a few additional reinforcements
Week 11 – 22-25 Jul: Tidying it up & putting it all together
- Attached arduino + two dc motor controllers with all wires to housing on the primary arm
- Connected to the battery, placed on the base, instead of the power supplies
- Explored ways to attach clamping system to the lifting system – gear-joint system vs double-ball-joint system
Week 10 Progress
Week 10 – 19 Jul: Electrifying Success
- Wired all actuators with dc motor controllers + arduino, modified arduino code and tested the entire system (success!)
- 3d design and printed housing for arduino + two dc motor controllers and wires
- Soldered variable resistor to wires and testing in progress
Week 10 – 18 Jul: What’s a Bell Crank?
- Designed and added Bell Crank to double-actuator configuration to extend the range of angles available for the whole arm
- Added reinforcements to the arm
- Optimised configuration of actuators B and C (Bell Crank)
- Realigned pillow blocks
- Cut secondary arm to optimal length
- Added wheels
Week 10 – 17 Jul: Optimisation.
- Optimised the position of actuator B for maximum extension
- Designed and 3d-printed holder to fix variable resistor to the arms while allowing it to rotate’
- Found designs from Thinkiverse for rubber caps to coat the ends of 2020 aluminium profiles as spacers for the clamping mechanism
- Bought 2x 12v dc car batteries from pioneer point + more m6 8mm nuts
Week 10 – 16 Jul: Tony says “I Bit(e) You”
- Tested variable resistor together with 3d-printed mold to monitor position of pneumatic unit
- Arduino coding to configure variable resistor
Week 10 – 15 Jul: Can we clamp AND lift?
- Tried to lift pneumatic unit using the latest clamping mechanism we designed (success!)
- Arduino coding to configure relay system
Week 9 Progress
Week 9 – 12 Jul: Relay that info (manually)
- Wired and set-up relay system (with remote control) to manually control the actuators’ extension/retraction (no coding)
Week 9 – 11 Jul: The secondary arm is primary
- Strengthened the vertical support tower
- Tried to attach wheels to base but need the right adapter
- Double actuator configuration (incl mounting) to support and control primary arm
- Ensure that double actuator config allows space + mounting option for third actuator between primary & secondary arms
Week 9 – 11 Jul: How to control dis
- Elaboration of electronic controller system for controlling the actuators
Week 9 – 10 Jul: Actuator Algorithm
- Possible algorithm to control our lifting arm movement
Week 9 – 9 Jul: How to Control Actuators??
- Mr Raman is on leave 🙁 We can’t get/refine our rods
- Possible double ball joint configurations
- Deciding what kind of logic controls to use
Week 9 – 8 Jul: Please mind the Clamps
- Redesigned clamp grips were ready
- Optimised (adjustments + drilling/filing + reinforcements) ALL clamps to ensure they can fully tighten and secure the unit
- Ordered more aluminium rods from Mr Raman
- Starting to consider control method for the actuators in the lifting arm
Week 8 Progress
Week 8 – 3-5 Jul: Finding Support to Grip
- Cut the support tower (2 x 1.5m) and attached primary lifting arm with actuator
- Adjusted the base (shifted the two aluminium profiles) with the support tower in mind
- 3D-printed multiple custom clamp-grips, and paired them with appropriate clamps + redesigning those that did not fit optimally
Week 8 – 2 Jul: Progress Meeting 3: Affixing to our Fixation
- Presented significant progress on clamp mechanism, which is one of the critical obstacles we have been facing and the most important step to get right
Week 8 – 1 Jul: Toggling with Clamps
- 3 new clamps for the right side of the unit
- 3D printed clamps for wire tubing
- 3D printed ball joint holder
Week 7 Progress
Week 7 – 28 Jun: A clamp-lete overhaul…
- Clearance problem for clamps haunted us until…
- A complete overhaul of clamping from SIDE of unit rather than TOP of unit
- Started assembly of new clamp mechanism, including drilling of holes etc.
- Even more arrivals: 4 x 300mm Actuators (5000N ones); 100 x brackets for 2020 profile (clamping mechanism)
Week 7 – 27 Jun: More Actua-l Progress
- Met Jie Huang, our newly assigned MnT mentor to discuss
- But still not sure on clamping mechanism (clearance problem)…
- More parts that came! 3 x 500mm Actuators (finally!); 8 x Actuator brackets and 2 x Heavy Duty Ball Joints
- Slight hiccup with actuators being 750N instead of 1500N but not a big issue as these are for the secondary arms, not the main arm, and we already overestimated
- Salvaged many nuts, screws and brackets from Terence’s prototype from last year (with his permission, of course)
- Decided how to secure ball joint to lifting arm – custom-fit 3D printing of ball socket
- Built framework for base of the lifting system
- New measurements from Fadzuli, our friendly SMRT technician
- 2020 Aluminium brackets and M5 screws came! This allowed us to build a solid framework for the clamping system
- New clamp types
- Ordered more parts! 20 x push-type clamps and 12 x adjustable hinge joints for 2020 aluminium profiles.
Week 7 – 24 Jun: Basic Beaches
- Calculated Centre of Gravity for our lifting arm and pneumatic unit
- Determined suitable wheels placement length and breadth
- Determined suitable base length and breadth
- Designed mold for one of the attachments on pneumatic unit
Week 6 Progress
Week 6 – 21 Jun: A pneu surprise!
- Finally successful delivery of the latest model of the pneumatic unit!!
- In for some nasty surprises
- Redesign of clamp was NECESSARY
- Unsuccessful train pneumatic unit delivery
- Refined clamping system design for upside down rotation
- Contacted our new mentor – Jie Huang
- Procured pillow blocks with 30mm bore diameter
Week 6 – 19 Jun: Progess Meeting 2: We Craned our Necks
- Redesigned lifting arm
- Calculated torque of fully extended lifting arm (worst case, maximum torque scenario)
Week 6 – 17/18 Jun: Trying to Lift
- Iterations of less-than-suitable designs
Week 5 Progress
Week 5/6 – 10-14/17 Jun: Getting a Grip
- Creation of our toggle clamp prototype
- Why toggle clamps and aluminum profiles
Week 4 Progress
Week 4 – 5-7 Jun: Safety First
- reconsidered our first lifting arm design (extruding arm + worm gear)
- use of linear actuators rather than worm gears as linear actuators can safely lift much heavier weights and withstand higher torques
- use of 2/3 arms instead of one extruding arm for greater ease of use, maneuverability and sleekness of design
Week 4 – 4 Jun: Measure Up – Second Train Depot Visit
- measurements taken – in detail w photos
- fadzuli brother contact
- in talks to loan pneumatic unit
- informed that it will be difficult for us to get the actl actuator
Week 4 – 3 Jun: Pneu Problem with Pneumatic Unit
- Collected pneumatic unit from the SMRT-NTU Smart Urban Rail Corporate Lab
- Realised that the SMRT-NTU Lab unit has different dimensions from the Tuas Depot unit
- Brainstormed about train and depot measurements to take tomorrow
Week 3 Progress
Week 2 – 4 – 23 May – 3 Jun: First Flex
- inspirations: camera lever, 3D printer, jib crane (pick up trucks), other camera lifting arms
- first lifting arm design (worm gear + extruding arm) in solidworks
- details about this design
- but unfortunately, unable to insert dimensions bc we didn’t include that in our first visit to depot
- introduced to GrabCad
- decided to focus on using SolidWorks rather than Generative Design as SolidWorks can be used for motion study and assemblies while generative design is mostly used for the refinement of a single part.
Week 2 Progress
Week 2 – 22 May: First Train Depot Visit – Training to be Flexers
- introduced to technicians
- train depot tour
- pneumatic unit replacement overview
- mobile crane demonstration
- in talks to get dimensions and blueprints
Week 2 – 20-21 May: Generate us some Creativity
- experimented with fusion 360 and generative design
- not very fruitful because we didn’t yet have an idea in mind
- experimented with SolidWorks