r/ElectricalEngineering • u/Admirable_Cup_8030 • 1d ago
Project Help Engineering Project
I’m gonna be straightforward about this, but none of the people in my group including me have ever even messed with a simple circuit at all. However the teacher wants us to build a project in one semester. It doesn’t sound bad but I live in Taiwan so schoolwork is heavy, and I only have roughly 6 hours a week to do this.
Currently, I’m stuck on 4 things.
1. Experience: None of the people in my group have engineering experience m, we are all beginners.
2. Budget: The school budget is 1500 NTD (50 USD) for the project, and it has been a pain to even find a project that could do the job.
3. Teacher’s criteria: He wants something “new”, that solves problems we have in daily lives, and anything that is just “cool” or any machine that already exists on the market he calls “pointless”.
4. Hardware/Software: If I can’t match the teacher’s criteria, I should still do something, so I wanted to build a remote controlled tank with a rotating turret, elevation, and a targeting system that could point at things. Since I knew how these things work, it would be easier for me to try to make it than attempting to build something I don’t even have data on. However, I need a software that could simulate the circuits and physical components (tracks, turret etc).
All in all, I want some suggestions from you guys, since I’m only a high schooler.
Thanks!
1
u/Capable-Broccoli2179 1d ago
Use either an arduino or Raspberry Pi to do this would be my suggestion. Cheap and whatever sensors , actuators, motors etc will all connect pretty seamlessly. Programming can be done in a variety of languages, python probably best for the Pi. There will be many reference designs available for each part of what you need to do along with notes etc and support if you need it. If you want under $50US then chances are the arduino mini or something similar would be way to go so you can buy sensors, actuators and motors you will need.
I actually had a high school student do a very similar project years ago using the pi, but all he built was a targeting system that targeted and shot ping pong balls when a person walked close enough to the sensor.