Marble Sorter Challenge

For the marble sorter challenge I was first in a group with mostly seniors. However, they left before we could build the marble sorter. So I moved to the group with Sean, Matt, Timmy, and Teddy. In this group we successfully finished the marble sorter even though we had limited time.  We were able to sort the 15 marbles.

We earned a total of 13 achievements.

1: Organize it!  This is my blog post of the marble sorter. 

2: Brainstorm!   This is an image of our sketch and ideas



3: Enter the Matrix  This is the decision matrix we made

We used this matrix to determine the rankings.  From this ranking system we should have gone with the first solution but we decided as a group to go with the second because we wanted to try and use the programming to actually sort the marbles


4: Design Solution This was our first design sketch we drew




5: "I've Made a Few Special Modifications..."  
        (Quote is from Han Solo)
Here is a picture of our marble sorter
One part of the marble sorter I helped with was the design of the first part of the sorter. I put a PVC pipe at the beginning of the sorter so the marbles could stay in line.


6:  Final Implementation

Here is the programming for the marble sorter  


One key feature for the sorter is the start, we had a way to single out each marble.
Another key feature is the moving basket at the end of the sorter.
A final feature is the sensor that could detect the different marbles.

7 Final Implementation - Video!
This is a video of the marble sorter.


8: Reflection 

+: This project was very challenging but also fun. I learned about programming and step by step problem solving.
- : One thing I would change is the amount of time we had for this project. If we had more time I think I could have done more to make the marble sorter better. 
? : I would ask if we could spend more time learning to program.
! My idea for this project would be to make one marble sorter in the whole class with other groups building small parts.


9: Reference
    We used this YouTube video to help us design our marble sorter. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4RFQ_weI_I 

10. Process 15 marbles in less than 1:30 minutes.

11. Process 15 marbles in less than 1:45 minutes.

12. Process 15 marbles in less than 2:00 minutes.

13. Use at least one motor

NXT Robot

Our NXT robot in action

Feed the Speed Prop Car

This is our prop car we built. We called it the bull shark. We chose this design because it was wider and would not flip over when it turned. Overall it worked well at first. Then we ran into a few problems. First we had trouble with the wheels.On race day, we had problems with the motor. We couldn't fix it, so we never finished the race.

               

Manila Folder Bridges

My team and I were able to create the strongest manila folder bridge in 6th period. The total amount of magazines it held was 49.

Truss worksheet 2.1.7

Solving the Truss Problems Worksheet

Since I wasn't able to print the worksheet, I had to do the work on a separate piece of paper.

Our SeaPerch in action: