ACV Design
Picture of Atolled You So!
The mechanical design of our Atoll Capture Vehicle (ACV) is broken down into two main components: the hull and the paddle wheels. The final designs were a result of intense prototyping, making our boat optimized in both weight and speed. Please see the design pages for the hull and paddle wheels. You can also check out how we waterproofed all of the electronics on board. Also, check out the ACV Electronics, State Machines, and Code pages for information on other aspects of our boat.
Below are mechanical performance specs of "Atolled You So!":
Size:
Length 17 inches
Width 16 inches
Height 6 inches
Weight:
~2 lbs
Drive Motors:
Lego Mindstorms Brushed Motors (9V nominal)
Power:
12 AAA batteries (900 mA-h)
Speed:
2.5 ft/sec
Chassis/Hull:
1/2" Low density foam (platform)
2.0" Low density foam (pontoons)
Below are mechanical performance specs of "Atolled You So!":
Size:
Length 17 inches
Width 16 inches
Height 6 inches
Weight:
~2 lbs
Drive Motors:
Lego Mindstorms Brushed Motors (9V nominal)
Power:
12 AAA batteries (900 mA-h)
Speed:
2.5 ft/sec
Chassis/Hull:
1/2" Low density foam (platform)
2.0" Low density foam (pontoons)
Fabrication
Nashua waterproofing tape
Very simple fabrication techniques were used in the building of our ACV. While other teams looked to use much more sophisticated, such as LaserCAM and painting, it was our firm belief that such techniques usually resulted in a heavy boat. Since we were pressed for weight, we built our boat using just a razor blade (hack saw for rough cuts), sandpaper, and waterproof aluminum foil tape. The foil tape was used because many teams had trouble with gluing foam, as the foam would sometimes deteriorate, especially with the low density stuff. For the same reason of incompatibility with low-density foam, our boat was not painted, in addition to the weight conservation.
