Saturday, June 27
What is an engineer?
Engineers are individuals who combine knowledge of Science, Mathematics, and economics to solve technical problems that confront society. It is practical knowledge that engineers are masters of Science and Mathematics.
We describe engineering as “The art of doing. …Well with one dollar, which any bungler can with two…”
Although engineers must be very cost-conscious when they are making ordinary objects for consumer use. Thus, engineers can be viewed as problem solver who assemble the necessary resources to achieve clearly define technical objective. We can expand this to say engineers are ingenious problem solvers. In a sense, all humans are engineers. A child playing with building blocks who learns how to construct a taller structure is doing engineering. Although engineers use knowledge generated by the scientific method, they do not routinely use the method; that is the domain of scientists. The goal of scientists and engineers are different. Scientists are concerned with discovering what is, whereas engineers are concerned with designing what will be. To achieve our goals, engineers use the engineering method, which is, briefly, stated:
1.Identify and define the problem.
2.Assemble a design team.
3.Identify constraints and criteria for success.
4.Search for solutions.
5.Analyze each potential solution.
6.Choose the “best” solution.
7.Document the solution.
8.Communicate the solution to management.
9.Construct the solution.
10.Verify and evaluate the performance of the solution.
Engineers are individuals who combine knowledge of Science, Mathematics, and economics to solve technical problems that confront society. It is practical knowledge that engineers are masters of Science and Mathematics.
We describe engineering as “The art of doing. …Well with one dollar, which any bungler can with two…”
Although engineers must be very cost-conscious when they are making ordinary objects for consumer use. Thus, engineers can be viewed as problem solver who assemble the necessary resources to achieve clearly define technical objective. We can expand this to say engineers are ingenious problem solvers. In a sense, all humans are engineers. A child playing with building blocks who learns how to construct a taller structure is doing engineering. Although engineers use knowledge generated by the scientific method, they do not routinely use the method; that is the domain of scientists. The goal of scientists and engineers are different. Scientists are concerned with discovering what is, whereas engineers are concerned with designing what will be. To achieve our goals, engineers use the engineering method, which is, briefly, stated:
1.Identify and define the problem.
2.Assemble a design team.
3.Identify constraints and criteria for success.
4.Search for solutions.
5.Analyze each potential solution.
6.Choose the “best” solution.
7.Document the solution.
8.Communicate the solution to management.
9.Construct the solution.
10.Verify and evaluate the performance of the solution.
Thursday, June 25
RC servos
Small R/C servo mechanism
1. electric motor
2. position feedback potentiometer
3. reduction gear
4. actuator arm
RC servos are hobbyist remote control devices servos typically employed in radio-controlled models, where they are used to provide actuation for various mechanical systems such as the steering of a car, the flaps on a plane, or the rudder of a boat.
RC servos are composed of an electric motor mechanically linked to a potentiometer. Pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals sent to the servo are translated into position commands by electronics inside the servo. When the servo is commanded to rotate, the motor is powered until the potentiometer reaches the value corresponding to the commanded position.
Due to their affordability, reliability, and simplicity of control by microprocessors, RC servos are often used in small-scale robotics applications.
Whats a Servo?
A Servo is a small device that has an output shaft. This shaft can be positioned to specific angular positions by sending the servo a coded signal. As long as the coded signal exists on the input line, the servo will maintain the angular position of the shaft. As the coded signal changes, the angular position of the shaft changes. In practice, servos are used in radio controlled airplanes to position control surfaces like the elevators and rudders. They are also used in radio controlled cars, puppets, and of course, robots.
Wednesday, June 24
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