Organizing Your VEX Kits

To Organize your VEX Kits:

Step 1) Disassemble anything and everything (EXCEPT THE 2 CLAWS)

DO NOT TAKE APART THE CLAWS 

Step 2) Carefully empty the contents of one of your storage bins onto your desk 

Step 3) Place the empty storage bin slightly beneath your desk and place only the parts that belong in that storage bin, back into the storage bin.

Step 4) Carefully empty the contents of your second storage bins onto your desk 

Step 5) Place that empty storage bin slightly beneath your desk and place only the parts that belong in that storage bin, back into the storage bin

Step 6) Give your teacher your 2 battery packs, any controllers and VEX net keys

Step 7) Go through each compartment in your gray tray making sure that only the parts that are supposed to be there are there.

Step 8) Double check to make sure that the parts are where they belong and have your teacher sign off on your completion.
                               

Kit 1 - the metal parts and the gray tray

If this video does not load, watch it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/rn9J7-2P9Rw

If this video does not load, watch it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/kitrjGAvhNs

Kit 2 - the plastic parts and the electronics

If this video does not load, watch it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ulLF9GxAaUc

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is Sunday May 12th in the U.S. and Monday May 13th in Latin American countries.  If you finish up all other work for my class and would like to do something nice for your mom, moms, or mothering people in your life, please try the following project: 

YOUR REGULAR CLASSWORK MUST BE FINISHED FIRST

Step 1) Open Inventor and create a new part

Step 2) While that is opening, go online and find an image of a “Coloring Book Heart” use the snipping tool to save it somewhere that you will remember for use in a few steps.

Step 3) Once your part opens, create a 2d Sketch in the XY plane.
a) Use the Text tool to type your mother’s name.You will want to use a script font 1” high - Script MT Bold is one of the favorites.
b) If the first letter is not attached create two separate images, one with the the first letter, one with the rest of the name.
c) Act like you are going to draw a rectangle around your mom’s name, but just to get the length of the name, then hit Escape.
d) Finish that sketch

Step 4) Extrude each part of your mom’s name the length you found in Step 3c.

Step 5) Inside the Browser, click the little plus sign to the left of Origin to open up your planes.  Create a work plane inside the XZ plane offset by -1”.

Step 6)  Right click on the words Work Plane and select New Sketch
a) Using the Rectangle tool, draw a square around the entire work plane
b) Using the Image tool, bring in the heart shape you saved in Step 2
c) Resize the heart shape and get it positioned so that it covers all your mom’s name, but stays inside the square you drew in Step 6a.
d) Using Arc and Line tools, trace around the outside of the heart making sure all connecting points are green dots before you move on to the next one.  Any glitches here will prevent your extrusion in the next step and will lead to a lot more work on your part.
e) Make a triangle shape at the bottom to form a base / stand for the heart.
f) Finish the sketch

Step 7) Use Extrude “Cut” to remove all of the material outside of the heart shape.

At this point if the extrusion does not work cleanly, you will need to go back into the sketch from step 6 and edit the sketch so that it will cut correctly.

Step 8) Optional - Create a Work Plane on the side of the shape and give it a teardrop shape

Step 9) Export > CAD Format > change the .DWG to be .STL and save it into your documents

Step 10) Drag that blank white .STL file to a flash drive and eject the flash drive before giving it to your teacher.

If the video above fails to load, try watching it on YouTube at https://youtu.be/94Ymj6p1YGI 

2.3.4 Martian Automation Projects

For the lesson over the next weeks, you are going to use your VEX kits to build and RobotC to program robots

Trouble Shooting Guide for VEX and RobotC

Step 1) Open the worksheet for 2.3.4MartianAutomation@.  Read it all of the way through and make a copy into your GTT Turn in Folder to be turned in at the end of this project.  

Step 2) Watch the video below for an overview of what you will be doing then decide which robot your team is going to build first. 

Step 3) Using your VEX kits and working with your partner, you will build a solution to each of 10 tasks in any order you would like.  Each time you think you have finished, test to make sure it meets all requirements, then call your teacher over for final approval.  The Mechanical Engineer will record an image of the robot, The Computer Engineer will record an image of the program and the Electrical Engineer will explain everything your group did to your teacher. 

2.2.4 Pull Toy Construction

Step 1) Make a copy of 2.2.4 Pull Toy Construction into your GTT Turn in Folder. 

Step 2) This week, you and your partner will need to build a mechanism that takes the rotation of the wheels and converts that mechanical energy into another form to make an entertaining pull toy.  Step by step instructions will not be given, you are to work as a team to create an original design and will be graded using the Pull Toy Construction Rubric. 

Step 3) Each team member is required to do 3 rough sketches of what they would like the pull toy to look like.  You will then describe your ideas to your team and as a group, evaluate each idea based on the criteria your class comes up with.

Step 4) Once you decide upon the "best" design, you will then build and test your design as a team.  The color printer is available for any decorations that may be needed for your final product.

Introduction to the Pull Toy Project
Sorry - Layla is now a year old but in the video I say that she has not yet been born - I have not yet had a chance to redo this video correctly.  
 

2.2.2 Mechanical Gears

Step 1) Make a copy of 2.2.2 Mechanical Gears into your GTT Turn in Folder. 

Step 2) For each set of questions, you will need to build a mechanism similar to the one shown in the picture.  Step by step instructions for each build will not be given, so do the best you can based on the image provided. 

Step 3) Experiment with each build and answer the questions for that build before taking it apart 

Step 4) The videos below show you how basic VEX parts work together and how to build the base platform but will not give you step by step build instructions for the mechanisms you are exploring.

VEX screw sizes and how they are used


VEX metal parts and how they are used


Building the Base Plate

2.2.1 Observing Mechanisms

Step 1) Make a copy of 2.2.1 Observing Mechanisms into your GTT Turn in Folder. 

Step 2) You will need to read the worksheet to answer the questions, the video below just shows you examples of mechanisms that I found.

Step 3) Watch the video below or look up "mechanisms videos" using a search engine like YouTube to see videos of mechanisms similar to those in the conclusion questions of your worksheet.

Step 4) Answer the conclusion questions and turn in your worksheet online using Canvas.

6.1.7 Electricity - Review

Before we move on to the next section, we must first make sure that you understand the basics of electricity - 

To do this I need you to watch a video called 
"Electricity - The Invisible River of Energy"  - now, it says the copyright for this was from 1999, but some of the images shown were definitely from way before then. While watching and listening for the answers to the worksheet for today, see if you can find any references to really old technologies. 

Step 1 - Open 6.1.7 Electricity DVD and make a copy into your GTT Turn in Folder to be turned in before the end of class on Friday

Step 2 - Go to  http://mrjsroom.blogspot.com/p/electricity.html and you will find the DVD broken up into little pieces that should make it easier to find the answers you need. 

Step 3 - Fill in the answers as you watch and listen to the video - double check that all of your answers are correct before submitting the worksheet for grading.