Getting Supplies and Testing Materials

Hey all, Ethan here.

Our group has put in a request for a number of items that should be useful or necessairy for the crossbow, or rather entirely useful, if not fully utilized all at once.

Spring Steel Standard Key Stock, 1/8" x 1/8", 12" Length

Impact-Resistant Polycarbonate Sheet, 1/4" Thick, 12" x 12", Clear

Motor Shield v2.3

8 x AA battery holder

Micro Switch w/ Roller Lever - Three Terminal

Stepper motor - NEMA-17 size - 200 steps/rev, 12V 350mA

Micro Servo - High Torque Metal Gear

DC Barrel Jack Adapter - Breadboard Compatible

DC Barrel Jack Plug - Male

 Hopefully out request clears and we are able to get covered for all the above under the Dean's Challenge, let alone get cleared on the request.

The Polycarbonate is for constructing gears out of for the gearbox that the stepper motor with drive, and the servo is to be able to push the motor into place and take it out before firing. The key stock will be for the gear axles, with the hope that they will better withstand any torque that is acted upon them.

The motor shield is to run the servo and stepper motor, and the battery pack will be for powering the motors directly rather than through the Arduino.

The DC parts are for if we are to get a 12V rechargeable battery pack, which would allow us to recharge the battery within the crossbow rather than having to open up and remove it.

With the remaining funds, we still have some wiggle room, which is good, considering we still plan on getting the following items:

Scheduled 30 PVC Pipe (Diameter varying)
1/8 in Nylon Cord
Fiberglass Stakes

We do have access to some of these already, but at least we know we have funds if we ever need more.

The PVC and Fiberglass Stakes are for the crossbow arms, and the cord will be for the drawstring.

Brendan got to making a mock up of what he envisions the crossbow will look like once made to full scale:

We will be testing the PVC to find the optimal draw length, so 2 ft. may be a bit much, but we won't know until we do tests.

That's all for now. Hope to post more soon.

Regards,

Ethan