Independent Work - Proof of Concept (2)

Following on from the previous blog post, once we had sorted out a couple of ways to put the magnet inside of the projectile (in this case, the ping pong ball), I then proceeded to make us a basic cardboard catapult, which would be a simple yet effective way of showing proof of concept for our design. That way when the catapult is loaded, the magnet is touching the reed switch, and the buzzer is making no sound. Once the catapult releases the ball/magnet, the alarm will begin to sound, until the ball returns to the loaded position.

The catapult was made with double layered corrugated cardboard for stability, with the arm being created with a pencil, and then cardboard to hold the ball in place. The tension for the catapult arm was created from a rubber band, which stretched across the width of the structure, and was twisted countless times to increase the tension.

I have attached a video below, showing how the basic catapult structure works. We weren't too focused on the distance the projectile was thrown as this stage, as we were more just looking at showing the effect the magnet has on the reed switch, and using the catapult as extra proof of our conceptual design.

Once I had come up with this catapult design, and created it to a functional standard, we then went on to look at positioning the breadboard and arduino in a way that would allow us to have the ball/magnet touch the reed switch once the catapult had been loaded. Once positioned, I took a video of the catapult in action, which shows the buzzer start sounding once the ball has been fired, and then the sound turns back off once the ball returns to the catapult arm.

We will present this proof of concept in class tomorrow, and see what feedback we get. We will look to refine our storyboard, along with create our short video demonstration early next week, ready for hand-in.