Update 05/24

The potentiometers are regulating the voltage that is going to the steel rod. The potentiometers are going to control the direction where the ball will be moving. The power supply will be supplying 9 volts and from than 9 Volts it will go to the potentiometers. The potentiometers are going to regulate the 9 volts that go in the steel rod. This week the bases of the project will be completed.

Update - 5/17

This past week, we gave each steel rod 640 turns of copper wire, then 15 volts of direct current was applied, and each steel rod was able to carry a steel ball. This upcoming week, the potentiometers will be applied and the base of the structure will be built. A video post is coming soon, showing the effectiveness of the rods. 

Update-05/08

This week, our group was able to use the materials bought online to construct a base for the coils. The base is made from wood cut into an 8" by 8" square, with siding that is 3" by 7.5". This will house the wiring and other electronics for our project, as well as provide support for the coils mounted on top and the switches mounted on the siding. Pictured below is a 3-D rendering of the base, (Fig. 1) and further below is one of the steel rods with copper wire wrapped around it (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Update-05/03

During this past week we realized that more supplies and higher quality materials were needed, so research was conducted on what materials would work better to create a more efficient electromagnetic field. We learned that steel would act as a better magnet, and as a result a pack of four 6 inch steel rods were bought at Home Depot. The steel rods were also tested to see if they truly worked better than the aluminum rods we previously bought, and when wrapped in copper wire the steel rod did act as a better magnet. We also selected a large piece of wood that will act as the platform for the electromagnetic field and measurements were taken to determine where to place the steel rods and the potentiometers.

Update - 04/26

This week we received the majority of the supplies we needed. We received a pack of 7 aluminium brazing rods, each of which are are 17 inches long and 1/8 inch wide. We also got a 195 piece of assorted wood screws and a spoon of 3.000 feet of copper wire. Lastly we received 5 potentiometers each of which are 1.25 inches long and 0.7 inches wide. The total price of this materials was 36.46$. We attempted to meet on Saturday but our meeting had to be cancelled because of tours. We can now start building the part 1 of the project which is the electromagnetic field.

Update - 4/19

The research has been done, as of now we have started gathering supplies to build the first part of the project. The first part of the project that is going to be built is the electromagnetic field. We will begin building and testing the electromagnet during week 3 and week 4. More supplies still needs to be gathered such as the copper wire and the metal. One group member has in possession a power supply so we can test the electromagnet with various voltages to find out which one will best suit the needs of this project.

Update - 04/12

This past week, our group met and discussed the different aspects of our project. First and foremost, the design proposal was developed. When writing to fulfill the different requirements of the proposal, we had to discuss the different ways the project could come to fruition, as well as a great many constraints and limits that we as engineers have to work around. During the process, an outline was made for the progress of the overall project, for the timeline of research, mechanical and electrical design, testing, and presentation. After writing the proposal, our group has a much better idea of the future of this project and what it will require.