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IEEE SouthEastCON 1999
Hardware Design Contest
This section will be updated periodically as more questions are posed. All rules and specifications will updates will be finalized as soon as possible in the rest of the web page.
Q. What specific type (ie. brand, reference code) of paint should be used for the board base, horse pavillion, walls, lines and other surfaces of the board?
A. The white paint appears to be glossy enamel and the green and black paint appear to be flat.
Q. Will the city landscape be exactly as the one pictured in the rules, or will it be random? If it is random, will there be a certain number of lines before the ATM button?
A. It will be exactly as it appears on the web page
Q. Regarding the sandpaper for the ramp, will it be nailed or glue down? What type of nails or glue will be used? What will be the grade of sandpaper?
A. It is screwed down on the sides with phillips head screws
A. One coat of paint
The track AutoCAD file that I downloaded from this link: http://www.engr.uky.edu/student.orgs/IEEE/SouthEastCON_99/hardware/schematics/schematics.html does not have any dimensions on it. Do you have an AutoCAD or equivalent file that has the dimensions and such? Do I have the correct link for that matter?
Yes you do have the correct link. I am sorry there are no dimensions but this picture was just meant to be a general overview of the board. I am sorry if I had previously mis-lead you about this picture.
Q. Is there really beacons to get to the horse, sales pavilion, and back to the white line?
A. No there will not be
Q. How will the mine be scored?
A. If the car does not fully complete the first turn (a full 180 degrees) it will loose 25 points. If the car does not make the last turn and break the exit beam then the car will loose another 25 points.
Q. Regarding the rules of the car expanding in size.
A. No you cannot split your car into separate pieces tied together by fishing wire or any other substance. This is absolutely not what was meant by your car expanding in size. As stated before there will be a steward at the contest (I don't know who) which will decide whether the cars have stayed in the spirit of the competition. If this person does not believe that you have, then you WILL be disqualified. For the sake of your own good I would not do anything to "bend" the rules. This is just my personal opinion so take it as you will.
Q: Are digital images available on the web page?
A: Digital images are in the Schematics section under Pictures.
Q: Where does the white line go throughout the track?
A: An accurate definition of the white line can be found in Schematics in the Autocad drawing of the track.
Q: What is the width of the center line, ½" or ¼"?
A: The width of the center line is ½" which has been updated in the Official Rules section.
Q: What is the height of the break beams?
A: The break beams are all 4" from the playing surface except for the break beam at the top of the mountain which is 2½" from the mountain top surface.
Q: Where is the track painted black and where is it painted green?
A: The track is painted black on the following:
The track is painted green on the following:
Q: What is the height of the walls?
A: The height of the walls is 8" which is the same all around except for on the Mountain where they are 4¼" tall.
Q: Will UK provide a template for painting the white lines on the table? If not, when will more specific painting direction be posted?
A: There will not be a template provided. Use your best judgement when painting.
Q: What grit of sandpaper will be used on the ramp?
A: I have no idea but I will find out soon
Q: What is the size of the starting area?
A: The size of the starting area is 11¾"x9¼" as is now correctly stated in the Official Rules section.
Q: What are the specs on the start break beam mirror?
A: Coming soon...
Q: What are the specs on the buzzer in the start buzzer circuit and where does it go in the circuit?
A: The start buzzer is a Radio Shack 273 - 060A 4 - 28VDC buzzer. It can go where ever you wish to put it in the circuit as long as it buzzes
Q: The first stage said it has a ful 2'x4', but the ramp prevents this. What is the first stage size?
A: The frist stage size is 1'11¼"x3'11¾" and is now stated correctly in the Official Rules.
Q: What is the actual size of the building?
A: Actual size of the building is 22"x6¼"x12¼" and is now stated correctly in the Official Rules.
Q: Is there really a ¼" line around the building?
A: No, this has been removed from the Official Rules.
Q: What is the part number for the ATM button?
A: Coming soon...
Q: What is the height of the horse stand? 3" or 5"?
A: 5"
Q: Is the horse stand at a random or fixed location?
A: It is at a fixed location... more information coming soon...
Q: Is there really beacons to get to the horse, sales pavilion, and back to the white line?
A: No. Instructions for building these will be removed from the web page.
Q: What are the specs on the ball bearing horse?
A: The ball is ½" diameter carbon steel ball from McMaster-Carr cat. no. 96455K56. Additional specifications can be found at http://www.mcmaster.com/.
Q: What are the dimensions of the horse pavilion?
A: The dimensions can be found from the Autocad drawing and from the instructions on how to build the Sales Pavilion in the Schematics.
Q: What are the dimensions for the mountain turn-around area?
A: The size is 31½"x24½". Additional dimensions can be obtained from the Autocad drawing in Schematics.
Q: Has anything been done to verify the all vehicles travel the entire distance of the mine before scoring any points?
A: Yes there have been measures taken but they are not finalized as of yet. Next week check back to this page to see what we are going to do.
Q: When will complete diagrams be available for the mine?
A: Complete diagrams are available in the Autocad drawing in Schematics. Addition drawings are also available under Carpentry in Schematics.
Q: What are the specs on the spring for the door and is it available from a national distributor?
A: Coming soon...
Q: Will the door swing back on its own with the current spring configuration?
A: Yes, if it does not bind with the floor or roof (which is a possible construction problem)
Q: How can only one break beam in the mine (besides the door switch) determine if the vehicle makes the complete loop around the mine?
A: It can't.