Assembly, testing, and Problem identification

kwilllia 2016-2017 AFRL Thermal Orientation Test Bed

This week the team worked to assemble the inner frame of the test bed in order to test the programming for our motor. During assembly we were able to identify some major and minor problems that will affect how the test bed can handle its loads. After putting together the test bed we were able to identify more issues and figure out improvements for the test bed on the software side of things. During testing the code, our controls teams optimize it so that we can control the test bed to find an equilibrium set point. After the set point the bed will orient to the correct position. While this part of the code works, we still need to optimize the machine so that it is as accurate as we need it to be. Looking forward we will improve stability in the mounts of the machine , which have been shakey, and will look to optimize the gear ratio to accommodate the large load the test bed will experience.