DEMS - Solar Powered Remote Controlled Lawn Mower

          Over the period of Feb 5 to Feb 19 of 2022, group 19 has focused on finalizing our initial prototype of our lawn mower design. We got the last component needed for our charging system (solar panel wiring kit), and have confirmed the compatibility of all of our components. The chassis has been drilled for two drive motors and for the 2 free-spinning caster wheels, which have been mounted using bolts. After running some tests, we have realized the placement of the battery is crucial for our design. The battery is the heaviest component of our design, and is the biggest factor for getting sufficient traction in the drive wheels without lifting the front wheels off the ground under acceleration. The battery is currently temporarily fixed using partially screwed screws in the ABS chassis, to allow for future adjustment as we see fit. The drive system is assembled, with the two ESC’s and remote control receiver wired to control the power from the batter...

  Question 1: Over the time period of January 19 to February 5 2022, Team 19 focused on purchasing and receiving all of the main components for our execution plan. All of the major components have been received, and each part has been verified to be in working order (to ensure we do not need to return anything). We have split up our project into multiple subsystems: remote control, power, drive/steering, and cutting. The wheels and wheel hubs have been test fitted with our drive motors, and the motors have been tested with our battery and RC system. The live feed camera and monitor/receiver connect and display properly. The cutting weed eater has been tested, and cuts grass effectively for our purposes. Question 2: One obstacle our team faced in that same time period has been finding the exact connectors to connect our solar panel to our main battery. We knew this would be an issue, but decided to focus on main components first. The solution is an inexpensive wiring kit (~$20), whi...