Course credit for DC2008 -
Students are encouraged to participate in DC2008 for the learning and fun of it. Credit is available if desired, as follows:
- The ME, BME, and EECS departments offer a 395 credit for DC. Students in other departments may also sign up for these credits. Note to EECS students regarding uses of this credit. Credit in other departments may also be possible to arrange.
- The credit will be for Spring 2008 (Winter can be arranged instead, for special cases)
- Recommended Winter courses, for another credit, include ME333 Intro to Mechatronics, and the new ME233/395 Electronics Design
- Team members may be of any year. Credit & non-credit students may mix on a team, but three is the maximum team size if any member is registered for credit. However, a for-credit team may add one additional non-credit member who is a 1st year student, creating a team of four or fewer.
- Teams must pass a milestone at the end of Winter quarter to be eligible to register for 395 for Spring quarter. Non-credit teams also must pass the milestone in order to continue.
- The usual one-week add deadline and four-week drop deadline will apply to 395 students.
- A brief final report is needed at the end of Spring quarter for 395 students.
- A grade of A is expected for students producing a successful robot and a report; lower grades will be given for lesser attempts.
Requirements for credit -
Team size may be no more than three (or four, if one is a non-credit first year student)
Expect to register for credit for Spring quarter, as a 395 or 399 course.
Your team must demonstrate proficiency with the Quick Start materials by January 27 in order to proceed, and to receive a microcomputer and other resources for building a robot.
Complete three hours of machine shop training - required if for-credit, available if not-for-credit. This is more extensive training that EDC shop training. If you have already had the greater training (perhaps in DC last year) sign in on the shop-training-signup sheet, at the bottom.
Your robot must be able to navigate convincingly, locate the steel balls if not collect them, target goals, and aim if not shoot, by the end of Winter quarter.
Your robot must prove itself a fully competent contender by two weeks before the competition day: successfully find the balls and shoot them into the goals.
Competition day: good luck!
Grading criteria -
Prepare a final report (one per team.) Your grade depends in part on this report. This should mainly be a narrative describing strategy and principles of operations, evaluating actual performance, and discussing your methods and what's been learned. It should include mechanical drawings (good drawings by hand, or CAD), electrical schematics (use Circuitmaker or other software), and code listing (well commented). It's due by the end of the quarter (before exam week).
The quality of your robot construction is also a factor in your grade:
- Mechanical: Nicely built parts: good. Mostly tape and glue: not so good.
- Electrical: PCB or solderboard: good. Tightly wired protoboard: OK. Unreliable and embarrassing rat's nest: not so good.
- Software: Well organized and commented code: good. Code that just grew: not so good.
Finally, there are your design decisions and the technical approach that you undertook. A fragile strategy such as timed 90 degree turns is less impressive than use of encoders to control an accurate 90 degree turn. A robot that can find lost balls is more impressive than one that can't. A robot that can target the goals optically is more impressive than one that can't. Be sure you highlight your technical accomplishments in your narrative.
There's no reason every team shouldn't get an A in this course. It will take consistent, quality work to make that happen.