Project 3

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Project 3

• Rapid Fire Racquetball Ball Launcher

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Problem Statement
This project entails proposing, designing,
analyzing, constructing and reporting on a device
that will propel racquetballs. Each ball will be
required to remain in flight for any distance
from ten feet to a maximum of fifteen feet. The
target will be a 3 by 3 square with an 18
diameter hole cut in the center. It will be
inclined at a 45 degree angle from the horizontal
facing the shooter. Balls passing through the
hole without bouncing first score 4 points, balls
hitting the target without bouncing first score 2
point. Your device should be able to launch up
to 10 racquetballs within a 1 minute period
autonomously.
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Illustration of Demonstration
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General Requirements

• Each team must submit a preliminary report,
  detailing your proposed solution to the problem.
• You must construct your launcher and demonstrate
  its performance in class.
• You must write a technical summary describing the
  project, your solution and any lessons learned
  from the experience.

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General Requirements

• Fair market value of all components used in your
  design must not exceed 50.00.
• Your launcher must fit within a 15 x 12 x 10
  tall box. The box will have a 4 x 4 hole cut
  in each of the 4 vertical surfaces as shown

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General Requirements

• The balls must fly independently (i.e. one action
  by the user may not launch more than one ball)
• The design must be able of operating without any
  user intervention other than initiating the
  firing. This allows for the user to cock the
  launcher before each shot, but this must be done
  without opening the box. Any design which does
  not require individual cocking actions will be
  awarded a 5 point bonus on their demonstration
  score.
• All batteries used must be dry cell batteries.
  The total battery rating cannot exceed 10 Ahr.
  This is about 8AA, 5C, or 2D cell batteries,
  depending on type.
• The maximum air pressure allowed in your launcher
  is 40 psig.
• Your launcher must be fully contained within the
  box (with cover in place). To do this a wire or
  string can be extended out one of the 4 4 x 4
  holes, however nothing (i.e. air, water, other
  fluids, electrons) can be pumped into the box.
  Any batteries you use must be inside the box,
  with just a switch outside the box.

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General Requirements

• Components that may be disconnected from your
  design prior to placing the launcher in the box
  (bicycle pump, etc.) do not count towards the
  cost of your design, but must be included in your
  proposal. Those that are required for the launch
  (and therefore inside the box during launching,
  e.g. air tanks) MUST be included in the cost and
  in your budget.
• No design that must be plugged into a wall
  socket, even briefly, will be accepted.
• The ceiling height is guarantied to be at least 8
  feet.
• Reaching your hand in through one of the holes
  immediately disqualifies your team for the
  demonstration.

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Project Demonstration

• The target will be placed a distance of between
  10 and 15 feet from the firing line.
• A standard 8 x 8 x 16 cinder block will be
  placed 5 feet from the firing line standing
  upright.
• Each team will have 1 minute to set up their
  launcher and place it in the box.
• Your launchers will then have up to 1 minute to
  launch up to 10 balls towards the target.
• The first 10 balls to exit the box will be
  considered the shots. Any ball that does not
  leave the box will not be counted as a shot.

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Grading of the Project

• Preliminary report - 30 points
• Trial results - 40 points
• Technical Summary - 30 points
• Innovation 5 points

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Basic Timeline

• Problem ID, Preliminary Ideas, and Refinement,
  Analysis, Decision and Conclusion are due during
  Class 19.2
• Project demonstrations will be held during Class
  22.1
• Technical Summary is due on Class 23.2

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Requirements for Preliminary Report

• one cover page similar to the example shown in
  the plate book. This must include the column
  labeled participation
• one copy of Problem Identification
• one copy of Brainstorming
• one copy per team member of description of best
  ideas and sketches
• sketches are not just rough sketches, but
  should reflect a degree of professionalism.
• They must be submitted on engineering paper

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Requirements for Preliminary Report

• 2 (or more) copies of Refinement
• Scale drawings with a few critical dimensions
• Verbal descriptions of the designs
• 2 (or more) copies of Analysis, one for each
  Refinement
• You may following the format in the workbook or
  determine categories that are appropriate to your
  design. All analyses must use the same
  categories.
• 1 copy of Decision
• Complete a decision table including each of your
  refinement ideas
• 1 copy of Conclusion
• A verbal statement of which idea you all are
  choosing to implement and why.

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Demonstration

• The demonstration will measure the accuracy of
  your launcher when the ping pong ball is
  launched.
• The target will be placed a distance of 10-15
  feet from the firing line.
• A standard 8 x 8 x 16 cinder block will be
  placed 5 feet from the firing line standing
  upright.
• Each team will have 1 minute to set up their
  launcher and place it in the box.
• Your launchers will then have up to 1 minute to
  launch up to 10 balls towards the target. The
  first 10 balls to exit the box will be considered
  the shots. Any ball that does not leave the box
  will not be counted as a shot.

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Demonstration

• During the demonstration any opening of the box
  will deduct 5 points from your score. You may
  not manually load any balls (or other things)
  through the holes during the launch. Any attempt
  to reach in through one of the holes will
  immediately disqualify your team and they will be
  awarded a grade of zero for the demonstration.
• Points will be awarded as follows
• 1 point for each ball which successfully leaves
  the box, up to a maximum of 10
• An additional 2 points if the ball hits the
  target board, but does not go through the hole
• An additional 4 points if the ball passes through
  the hole
• These additional points are contingent on the
  ball not bouncing prior to reaching the target

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Technical Summary Content I

• Overall
• is well-organized into logical, separate report
  sections
• uses a clear system of highlighted headings to
  identify sections
• clear and concise
• Includes a Table of Contents which reference the
  sections

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Technical Summary Content II

• Content
• begins with a clear introductory section
• thoroughly reviews the methods by which the
  product (the launcher) was developed
• documents the results of the test trials
• discusses (analyzes) the product's (launcher's)
  performance, indicating strengths and weaknesses
  and comparing expected results to actual results
  
• includes any conclusions or implications drawn
  from the work

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Technical Summary Content III

• Writing Style
• uses clear sentences with active wording,
• uses well-structured paragraphs
• is consistent in style and flows well (doesn't
  sound like it was written by four different
  authors)
• uses general audience terms where possible and
  appropriate (no unnecessarily complex writing)
• no errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation

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Technical Summary Content IV

• Graphics
• must be titled and labeled (e.g. Figure 1
  Orthographic Views)
• must be referenced in the text and explained as
  needed

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Technical Summary Content V

• Required Elements
• measurements of horizontal range as a function of
  any variable launcher parameter(s)
• a comparison of experimental data to theoretical
  predictions, as well as a discussion of error
  analysis
• complete cost analysis for the construction of
  your design, including copies of ALL receipts
  included in an appendix
• what did you learn and how could it have been
  made better

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Innovation

• Innovation is the quality of producing something
  which is new.
• Many ideas have been tried over the years which
  are not innovative, to encourage thinking out
  side the box, 5 points will be awarded for
  innovative designs.