The last few weeks have been busy here for the members of Project ADC. We did some planning, coding, rapid prototyping, and attended the dean's prototyping showcase.
In order to make a motor draw the crossbow, a code had to be written. The code activates the stepper motor at the press of button 1. Then motor continues to draw until another input is given. If button 1 is pressed again, this acts as a kill switch. The motor stops drawing, but retains holding torque just in case something were to go wrong. Another press of button 1 releases the holding torque. Hitting the button one last time restarts the cycle. If button 2 is pressed this also stops the motor. This button will be placed at the fully drawn position of the crossbow, that way it is activated when the string contacts it.
For the rapid prototype, gears were laser cut out of lexan, and a rudementary gearbox was created out of cardboard, using the key stock for the axles. The final gear is on an axle that also houses a spool. As of now, a stock to mount everything to has not been manufactured, but we do have a functioning bow arm with the appropriate draw strength. This process deserves its own post, and shall be visited at a later time.
This is just a video of everything we have working together, for the most part.
I will conclude by stating that we learned a lot from attending the showcase. We learned that our current motor isn't quite up to the task, perhaps due to power or coding issues, but more likely because it isn't strong enough. This is being addressed, and hopefully everything will come together within the next week.
-Scruffy Out.
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