Third Place Tidewater Community College Virginia Beach, VA

2002 ASEE Model Design Competition Montreal, Quebec June 17, 2002

TCC's entered two teams in this competition - the Car Team and Team Tank Car Team - (3rd Place) The car was actually TCC's backup vehicle in that the students spent most of their effort on the tank.  The car was built using a BASIC Stamp microprocessor to control two servos that powered the rear wheels.  Steering was accomplished by using four infrared sensors to detect the line position and to slow down or speed up the servos accordingly.  An additional sensor was used to detect when the car entered the turning and stopping area by counting line crossings.  The car was not very fast, but it was reliable and was able to capture 3rd place in the competition.  It posted times of 54s, 55s, and 54s on its three time trials. Team Tank - This was TCC's main vehicle and it completed the course dozens of times successfully on their home track.  One small mistake cost them dearly.  The barriers on their home track were cut on a table saw and thus had square edges.  The barriers on the track in Montreal were standard 2x2's and had slightly rounded edges.  As a result, the tank's track didn't grab as well and slipped.  In fact, the slipping during the practice run before the event caused the gearbox to strip.  The team had to pass on their first two trials as Captain Robert Sereno frantically worked to replace the gearbox.  On the 3rd attemp, the tank crossed the barriers going forward on the track, but slipped and could not climb the barriers on the way back.  A simple redistribution of weight would have fixed the problem, but there was no time.  The tank would have been a top contender as it was quite speedy.

Car Team Members: Craig Byl (Captain) Robert Sereno Jennifer Martin Mike French Jayson Humrich Josh Dart

Team Tank Members: Robert Sereno (Captain) Craig Byl Jennifer Martin Mike French Jayson Humrich Josh Dart

Faculty Advisors: Paul E. Gordy, PE (PGordy@tcc.edu) Steve M. Ezzell, PE (SEzzell@tcc.edu)

TCC Car Team Captain Craig Byl accepts the 3rd Place Award	TCC's car is inspected by the judges.	TCC's car followed the lines around the barriers.
TCC team members cheer as their car finishes.	TCC Car Team (Steve Ezzell, Mike French, Josh Dart, Robert Sereno, Craig Byl, Paul Gordy, Jayson Humrich, and Jennifer Martin (left to right)..	Car - Front View
Car - Side View	The car follows the line on TCC's home track.	Captain Craig Byl works on the body of the car.
TCC's Team Tank	Tank - Front View	Tank - Side View
Tank - Top View	Tank - climbing over a track barrier	Captain Robert Sereno works frantically to replace the gear box in the tank.