Hack the North 2022 Project
For usage: open serial port, type "o" and return to open, type "c" and return to close
We were inspired by projects that were mainly for humor, and not for real necessity.
The Punch Machine when ran releases the scissor lift that then is pulled down by weights (the water bottles) and the scissor lift is then extended and performs a punch.
We first created the scissor lift, by using the materials provided to us and going to Home Depot for other materials that were needed. We then laser cut the plastic materials to fit screws and put nuts over them so it is stable. We then attached the machine to the cardboard. Afterward, we wrote the Arduino code to perform the release of the scissor lift and finally added the Arduino and motor to the cardboard.
We ran into several challenges. We were not sure we would do a hardware hack, so when we decided to go through with the Punch Machine idea, most of the items we thought we needed (Motor Drivers, Diode) were either unavailable or were being used by other teams. Therefore, we improvised and worked with just the Arduino and the motor, making the project work.
We are proud of creating a working scissor lift, with no previous experience and finding the materials needed for it. Additionally, the fact that we improvised with the Arduino for it to run the motor without certain parts was a great achievement of ours.
Half of our team was unfamiliar with Arduino and the other half has not worked with Arduino in years. As a team, we learned Arduino, both the code aspect and making sure all of the wires are connected correctly. Not only were we working with Arduino, but we also created our own physical model, which required a whole level of engineering of its own. We have learned a lot about how to do a hardware hackathon (planning in advance and the different types of labor required) and we are excited to implement it in the future!
Our plan for the Punch Machine is to focus on the Arduino code, and have the Punch Machine throw a punch because of a reason (coming home too late on a school night, not finishing a homework assignment on time, etc.). Afterward, we would optimize the punch.