CUBLI - The Self-Balancing Cube

In our final week, the Cubli project reached its culmination. We prepared for our inspection, showcasing our work alongside the comprehensive poster designed to encapsulate our journey. This week was a testament to our dedication, technical skills, and collaborative spirit. 

This week, Yuanpeng Li and Feijie Jia led our debugging efforts with remarkable precision. They focused on the Cubli's persistent motor issue, employing an oscilloscope to capture and analyze signal discrepancies. The images collected from the oscilloscope were crucial; they provided visual evidence of the PWM signal abnormalities affecting motor performance. This hands-on approach not only demonstrated their technical acumen but also brought us closer to resolving the Cubli's challenges. Sidharth focused on the documentation while cordinting with wong for the software. Together, we designed some software tests to diagnose our project.

This week was all about calibration, software optimization, and poster design. Li and Jia worked closely, running tests to fine-tune our Cubli's sensors. Their dedication was key to improving its balance and responsiveness. Meanwhile, I focused on two major tasks. First, I continued designing our project poster. It's becoming a vibrant summary of our Cubli journey. Second, Wang and I tackled configuring the software environment. This was crucial for our next steps. In Week 3, we found a major issue with Cubli's motor causing imbalance. We thought the problem was with the motor's encoder. To check, we made the microcontroller (MCU) prioritize showing motor angles. Tests showed the encoder was fine. Then, we suspected a missing motor phase. Testing showed normal resistance, ruling out motor issues. Next, we found one PWM signal missing, indicating a problem with the motor driver or MCU signal. We hit a roadblock with the software. A communication glitch between the ...

In the second week of our project to remake the Cubli, our focus shifted towards finish making our model. The initial tests of the motors were conducted. We were now working under the guidance of Prof. Barry Smith. The development phase proved to be tough on us. Yuanpeng Li's expertise in hardware integration became invaluable as we encountered mechanical challenges. Our team manager kept us on track. His knack for precision set a solid foundation for its operation. Shaoxiang Wang and I delved deeper into the software. We refined the algorithms that would dictate our Cubli's balance. I also started work on the project poster. The week was not without its hurdles. We faced issues with sensor calibration and motor synchronization. The Cubli was just a collection of mechanical parts a few hours ago. Today was the beginning of turning those parts into something tangible. We are filled with anticipation for the next phase of our project. With the foundation laid an...

Embarking on a Robotic Revolution This blog encapsulates our journey of making the Cubli. Our team comprises of Yuanpeng Li, Feijie Jia (team manager), Shaoxiang Wang, and myself, Sidharth Babani. Strategic Planning and Role Distribution In our first week we did majority of the planning. Roles were assigned according to the strengths of each member: Yuanpeng Li , our hardware engineer, is in charge of the assembly. His precision and attention to detail were the main reasons he got this role. Feijie Jia is the team manager. He orchestrated our efforts with his technical insight. His role was crucial in mapping out our project timeline and ensuring resources were aptly allocated. Shaoxiang Wang was tasked with software development. He studied the coding fundamentals required for this project. His programming skills are set to bring our cube to life. Sidharth Babani , besides documenting our journey, I delved into system desig...