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Sparty Tank Proposal

ECE 480

Spring 2008

Team 4

Alex Lai Christopher Ballard Timothy Tran Danny Tran Kyle Koepf Blake Gower Adam Sneller Bryan Grinnell

Executive Summary Team 4 is designing an MSU-themed tank capable of shooting T-shirts into the crowd at Spartan sporting events. The tank will be capable of launching multiple T-shirts with a range great enough to reach the upper deck of a basketball arena. In comparison with the previous tank, the new design will feature improved maneuverability, versatility, as well as an increased capacity for T-shirts. A high resolution wireless camera mounted on the tank’s turret will be able to have a live feed to the arena display. Overall, it is hoped that the new tank design will be able to motivate and rally the crowd as well as provide a possible method of advertising MSU at professional sporting events.

Introduction Rick Church (MSU Intercollegiate Athletics) proposed a challenge to our design team to design a new T-shirt-launching tank that features notable improvements over the original tank. An outline of suggestions for improvements to the tank was provided by Mr. Church and tank operator, Louis Katz (MSU Sports Broadcasting) formed the basis for our new design. The Michigan State University athletic venues that are intended for use by the new tank include the Breslin Center, Spartan Stadium, and Munn Ice Arena. The broad range of surfaces on which the tank must be able to operate will necessitate greater versatility in the traction than did the previous design, and this poses a new design challenge to the team. One major objective in the design concerns the aesthetics: the tank must feature MSU-spirited decoration and be attractive to any spectators. The wireless remote control will be made more user-friendly and the tank will be made to respond quickly and effectively to the operator, allowing for the tank to be able to perform its task in a relatively short amount of time with fewer navigational and firing errors. The biggest complaint about the previous tank’s operation was that the tank was lacked maneuverability. To address this problem the tank will be driven by wheels concealed underneath, and the treads will remain only as non-functional aesthetic ornaments. The original tank featured a battery with a charger enclosed in the chassis. The new design will utilize an external charger to decrease the tank’s weight, and an easily accessible battery to allow for a quick change in case of emergency. An improved battery will be implemented due to the lack of power showcased in the original tank. This battery will have an external charger and will be easily accessible if a replacement is needed. The battery will supply the power needed to increase the speed of the tank from approximately 3 mph to 7-10 mph, allowing the tank to travel across the venue in a timely manner. As did the original tank, the new tank will feature a stuffed Sparty doll to improve the

aesthetics and the school spirit of the tank. Safety will also be a large factor in the design. An upgrade in the original safety features was one of the main focuses in the new design. The remote control will feature a kill switch that will disengage the tank’s firing sequence. Brighter and more visible lights will be used to alert onlookers that the tank is about to fire. A wireless camera will be mounted onto the turret that will feed an image onto the arena’s display, broadcasting the general direction that the next t-shirt will be launched. Background In the spring of 2007, an interdisciplinary design team composed of seniors in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State University designed and built a tank that was intended to be used to launch T-shirts into the crowd at athletic events. The project was a success and the audiences loved it. The original tank features treads powered by four DC motors, it can fire approximately 10 T-shirts to the upper deck of the Breslin Center before emptying the tank of its pressurized air. However, there were shortcomings with the design. The tank lacked both in maneuverability and speed, which are necessary to ensure that the tank could get on and off the court in a timely fashion. The battery of the tank lasted for about two hours before being completely discharged. It would be preferable if it could last for the entire game. Due to the tank’s size, space was also an issue and only a small-pressurized air tank was use, limiting the T-shirt shots to only ten before recharging. Another major concern is that the treads occasional fall off the tracks while the tank is turning. In the spring of 2008 a new ME/ECE design team will be designing and building a new tank that addresses the aforementioned problems in addition to providing new features. The tank will be aimed at

5. Fake Treads The new tank will be running on four hidden wheels underneath the tank. The treads’ speed outside the tank will be synchronized to appear to be moving at the same speed as the tank. With the tank running on four wheels, it will allow the tank to turn with ease. Conceptual Designs First Design The first design taken under consideration is inspired by such vehicles as a Humvee or Jeep. This design would be highly maneuverable and swift; however aesthetic tradeoffs would have to be made. The T-shirt launching cannon mounted on it would be large, possibly requiring aesthetic tradeoffs such as eliminating the Sparty doll from the design. Another option would be to permanently mount Sparty behind the cannon to make it appear as if he were firing it, but then it would be necessary to sacrifice most if not all of Sparty’s movement. Second Design The second design that was considered is more in the likeness of a battleship. It would be highly feasible to have T-shirts being launched in multiple directions by several different cannons simultaneously. The additional loads induced on the frame by the multiple cannons would require an increased rigidity in the tank, which would likely increase the overall mass. One major drawback of this design is a possible decrease in crowd appeal compared with a more traditional tank design.

Table 1. Design Decision Matrix Feasibility Criteria Criteria Weight Jeep/Humvee Tank Battleship Crowd Appeal 5 2 10 5 25 1 5 Mobility 5 5 25 3 15 2 10 Cost 1 3 3 4 4 3 3 Mass 4 4 16 4 16 2 8 Ease of Fabrication 4 1 4 4 16 3 12 Safety 4 4 16 4 16 3 12 Durability 3 3 9 4 12 4 12 Maintenance Costs 2 2 4 3 6 1 2 Ease of Operation 4 4 16 3 12 2 8 Transportability 2 4 8 4 8 3 6 Venue Versatility 3 3 9 4 12 1 3 Total 120 142 81 Proposed Design Solutions

1. Body and Frame The body will be modeled to resemble as closely possible a military tank. The under part of the body will be made from aluminum to reduce the weight. The upper part of the tank will be made from fiberglass and painted, resulting in a more professional look than if the entire tank were made of aluminum. The dimensions will be the size of a small go-kart, approximately 4’ x 2.75’ x 2’, and the tank will have a total weight up to 120 lbs. 2. Remote Control The Hitec Laser 6 Radio System R/C will be used to control the tanks motors and components. There are six channels, which is sufficient to control all of the tanks functions. The 75MHz version will be used because the tank is a ground unit and not an aircraft. 3. Launcher A T-shirt launcher will be mounted on top of the tank. This will be made out of 3” PVC pipe, and it will be able to launch two T-shirts before needing to be reloaded. Pressurized CO 2 will be

driving and firing the T-shirt cannon. The paint scheme is as of yet undetermined, but will be attractive and will display MSU school colors.

7. Control System The control system used to move the tank and fire the weapon is described in the block diagram of Figure 1. Figure 1. Block diagram of control system to be used in the design of the new tank Testing and construction The tank project will be broken up into separate components: Launcher, power-train, R\C, aesthetics\body, and treads. All systems will be tested separately before integrating Risk Assessment There are inherent dangers associated with developing a device which is capable of launching an object at high speeds that will be operated in areas with large numbers of spectators. Therefore, two separate risk assessments have been created. One of regards with safety issues of operating

and maintaining the Sparty Tank. The other risk assessment identifies possible problems that may be encountered during the design process. More attention is given to the safety assessment and ISO 14121 Safety of machinery - Principles for Risk Assessment is utilized in assigning a risk rating. As seen below no risk in either assessment is rated in a high category and our current design is adequate.

Budget

• Introduction……………………………………………………..………………
• Background…………………………………………………………..…………
• Design Specifications……………………………………………..…………….
• Conceptual Designs…………………………………………..…………………
• Proposed Design Solutions…………………………………………..………….
• Testing and Construction……………………………………………….………
• Risk Assessment…………………………………………………………….….
• Budget…………………………………………………………. .………….….
• Project Management…………………………………………...………………
• Facilities and Resource Requirements………………………..…….………….
• References…………………………………………………..……….…………
• Motor(s) $250. Drive Train
• Batteries $220.
• Gears $50.
• Wires $5.
• Power Supply $20.
• Aluminum Parts $200. Frame/ Body
• Bolts/ Nuts $52.
• Wheels $200.
• Fiberglass $500.
• Tank Treads $120.
• Onboard Transmitter $165. Controller
• Motor Controller $200.
• RC Controller $190.
• PVC Tube $55. Cannon
• CO2 Tank $290.
• Regulator Tank $325.
• Tubes $30.
• Solenoid $250.
• Digital Camera $250. Camera
• Transmitter $100.
• Total = $3,472.

Project Management This is the breakdown of each member’s technical and non-technical role for the project. Alex Lai Technical – Power System/Motors and Launch sequence Responsible for battery and setting up the motors to move the tank. Also setting up the microcontroller to receive correct commands when launching T-shirts. Non Technical – Management Christopher Ballard Technical – Transmitter/Receiver and Launch sequence Working a wireless controller to operate the tank. Also setting up the microcontroller to receive correct commands when launching T-shirts. Non Technical – Webmaster Timothy Tran Technical – Electronic Control System and Lighting Setting up the microcontroller to control the power of the wheels. Also setting up the LEDs for the safety warning signal and front/rear headlights. Non Technical – Document Preparation Danny Tran Technical – Power System/Motors and Electronic Control System Responsible for battery and setting up the motors to move the tank. Also setting up the microcontroller to control the power of the wheels. Non Technical – E.E. Lab Kyle Koepf Technical – T-shirt Launcher and Fake Treads Developing a working T-shirt Launcher. Also integrating the fake treads design to simulate movement at the same speed as the actual tank. Non Technical – Presentation Blake Gower Technical – T-shirt Launcher and Fake Treads Developing a working T-shirt Launcher. Also integrating the fake treads design to simulate movement at the same speed as the actual tank. Non Technical – M.E. Lab Adam Sneller Technical – Frame/Body and T-Shirt Automatic Reloader Molding/designing the frame/body of the tank. Also designing the T-shirt Automatic Reloader component. Non Technical – Document Preparation