How to Make an Award Worthy Engineering Notebook

1. How to Make an Award Worthy Engineering Notebook By: Payton Chase Blodgett

2. What is it? • A tool to use throughout the design and build process a reference for the team. • The Engineering Notebook highlights the entire design and build process of the robot. • Though it’s not required for the VEX games, the engineering notebook leads to you being noticed by judges and opens up the possibility for recognition. • It allows for critical life skills, project management, time management, brainstorming, and teamwork.

3. What They Should Include • Team biography • Practice analysis • Pictures following build • Drawings • AutoCAD drawings • Programming • Math used • Design process • Billing/receipts • Fundraising • Sponsors • Competition notes • Assembly • Testing

4. Team Biography This should include: • Name and grade of all members • How many years of VEX experience • How many years of Worlds visitation • Given job on team Ex: Buttercup Utonium: She is a Kindergartener at Pokey Oaks and has 2 years of VEX experience. She is the main engineer and programmer for team Powerpuff Girls.

5. Practice Analysis This is done after every practice and should include: • Date • Start and end time • Attendance • Objectives • Accomplished

6. Format Date: May 14, 2056 Start Time: 10:00am End Time: 4:30pm aAttendance: • Objectives: • Accomplished:

7. Pictures Following Build All aspects of the robot’s build should be documented to show the design process and modifications made throughout the build

8. Drawings • Judges absolutely love drawings displaying the design process of your robot. They like these drawings, especially when they’re good, because they display the presence of the right brain, the creative artistic side. They say it’s not often that they see these drawings because the people that are in engineering programs have the left brain strength only.

9. Drawing Key Points • Use graph paper • Title page • Date drawn • The artist signs the bottom of page • Witness signs as well • Multiple views of given object • Label specific points • Give measurement

10. Drawing Example

11. Drawing Example

12. Drawing Example

13. AutoCAD • These drawings display the left brain, the more analytical logical side, because they’re all done on the computer, versus the hand drawn. Judges like when both drawings are present since they display both sides of the brain working in unison. • This program allows for teams to design robots prior to the hands on build.

14. AutoCAD Drawing

15. AutoCAD Drawing

16. AutoCAD Drawing

17. Programming • All programming, including autonomous, should be placed in the notebook

18. Math • Any and all math used throughout the build should be documented and placed in the notebook. Judges like this because it shows that there was thought process behind your motives for the design.

19. Design Process Includes: • Possible ideas • Sketches of prototypes • Pros and Cons of designs

20. Billings/Receipts • When parts are ordered you want to keep the parts request along with the receipts received with the order so you can document money spent throughout the VEX season. This part is more for the team than the judges, but they do appreciate this feature because it’s extra.

21. Fundraising • Judges like to know how the money is acquired. They especially like teams that don’t solely depend on sponsors funds but rather work for their money in an assortment of fundraising events.

22. Sponsors • All current sponsors should be listed and updated throughout the year.

23. Competition Notes • These are what you learned from your experience at the competition and what you have learned from other teams. You want to do an overview of how well your specific team did at the competitions and what modifications will be made to your robot.

24. Assembly • Listing all parts used on the robot will allow for future team reference, parts tracking, and judges appreciate this because it takes more time then some teams would like to spend.

25. Testing When testing your robot you want to test against the requirements, not your hunches. You want to think about what you need to play the games as efficiently as possible. • Are you tall enough to reach all the tubes? • Do you have an efficient arm and intake? • Can you carry more then 2 cubes? • Can you build the skyrise?

26. Testing Continued During testing you want to record how long it takes your robot to do certain tasks. • From starting tile, robot can pick up 1 cube in 2.5 seconds -with this information you can determine that your robot can pick 2 cubes in 5 seconds • Robot can lift arm in .5 seconds with 1 cube -with prior knowledge you can conclude that you can score I cube in about 4 seconds

27. Testing Continued • If you fall short during testing you need to decide whether to revise the requirements and/or strategy and/or design/implementation; and you iterate. • If you are doing well, you add to your requirements and/or strategy.

28. Criteria for Design Award • Evidence of a clear design methodology – The team has found an efficient way to organize and manage their team to allow the best utilization of team resources. • Professionally laid out such that it can be easily understood – Regularly updated, documenting all team efforts – Information is easily found, making the notebook a useful tool to all team members – Evidence of an iterative design process, highlighting the various phases through their robots development.

29. Criteria for Design Award Continued • Key Criteria- 1)Engineering Notebook is clear, complete document of the team’s design process 2) Team is able to explain their design and strategy throughout the season 3) Team demonstrates personnel time and resource management throughout the season 4) Teamwork and interview quality.

30. What You Need to Remember Pay careful attention to what the award criteria asks a judge to look for. Even if the judges aren't clear about what to look for, you will be wise to create a notebook that would contain what the VEX judging manual says so you can make the notebook into a tool instead of a diary that you will forget.

31. Key Points • Never spell out numbers in your notebook • Document everything concerning your robot • Don’t treat the notebook as a chore • Have fun with your notebook • Make it reflect the quality of your robot and team

32. I Know What You’re Thinking… • Now I know you think this task sounds as daunting as building the robot itself, but it’s really not. If you think in terms of using a couple pages for each item listed, it’s not that much.