Bandbeesten: The Legacy Goes On

The Bandbeesten project is back yet again at the University of Idaho. This project is a Kaizen event (continuously improving) involving the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Vandal Marching Band. This marks the seventh consecutive year of the collaboration. This year incorporates improvements to the former platform as well as design and fabrication new fixtures for the marching band's new sousaphones.
==Background==
The Band-Beesten project was started in 2011 by Dr. Edwin Odom, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Daniel Bukvich, Professor of Percussion and Music Theory. The goal of their collaboration was to create a full drum set that could easily be played and moved by a single person during marching band performances. Since then, the project has been revisited every year with new goals to improve old design and create a new product for the Sound of Idaho. The 2016-2017 acedemic year will be the 6th consecutive year of the project.
Work in the fall of 2011 consisted of researching ideas for a powered platform to assist in parade and marching band performances. The team worked solely on research for a proof of concept and did not build a physical prototype. For more in depth design details refer to the Team Drum Roll webpage.
The design team of 2012-2013 made progress with the BandBeesten's design. Dan Mathewson, a UI graduate student, designed a robotic power driven front ball wheel to enable the machine to receive commands through the operator's body movements. More information on this design can be found in Dan Mathewson's thesis . The 2012 design team made significant progress in designing a human interface and powered movement for the BandBeesten.
In the 2013-2014 academic year, a new team started designing a BandBeesten design that would be light weight and have low friction wheels. This design relied only on man-power and did not have any assisting motors. The team also produced a marketing video for the UI Marching Band using 3D printed models, Legos, and a stop-motion video design. More information about this design can be found at their page.
In the 2015-2016 academic year, a team made great progress updating the BandBeesten's platform. The base was redesigned and now includes three motors that each spin an omni wheel assembly. A wireless remote control now commands the platform. An Arduino microcontroller inputs the direction of the joysticks and outputs signal to the motors. More information about the design and project can be found on the Bandbeesten Legacy' page.
In the 2016-2017 academic year a new team completely redesigned and fabricated a new piano structure as well as made improvements to the motor driver code and wiring harness. 
More information about the design and project can be found on the Bandbeesten: The Legacy Continues page.
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==Sousaphone Stands==
===Problem Statement=== 
Along with the motorized piano, this year's Bandbeesten project catering to the sousaphone players of the marching band. The Band Department purchased twenty brand new sousaphones for the marching band in the summer of 2017 and need a way to keep them safe in the bleachers of the Kibby Dome while the they are not in use during the football games. The fixture will be rigid and stable enough to hold the 30-40 pound instrument while still remaining compact enough to transport easily and attach to the bleachers in the Kibby Dome.
===Design Specifications===
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===Sousaphone Stand Prototyping===
Prototype Version 1 	Prototype Version 2 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Initial Prototype Versions
*Version 1 helped give us gain an understanding of the stresses the frame would be under during regular use
*Version 1 also helped us realize that the base of the stand required substantially more rigidity and strength than the adjustable clamp offered.
*Version 2 gave us a better awareness of where to put points of contact
*Both versions also gave a better understanding of center of mass until the 3D cad model was completed.
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Advanced Prototype
*New laser cut wooden base was designed to be easily attached to the bleachers in the kibby dome
*Non adjustable and lacked rigidity.
*Several hole patterns were tested before the final hole size and dimensions were set in the final version.
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===Final Sousaphone Stand Design===
Photo 	Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Final Protoype
*Easily attached to Kibby Dome bleachers
*Rigid and user friendly
* Professional appearance and offers padding on all three contact points
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===Sousaphone Stand Production===
Photo 	Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Early Production
*Each stand base utilizes laser cut 1/4" birch wood.
*Each clamp is composed of 2 1/4" clamps glued together to increase rigidity, strength, and longevity.
*Laser cutting parts was the biggest bottle neck in the production process. 
*30 small camps could be produced per 1 sheet of 32"x 18" sheet of ply wood. This resulted in 7.5 complete sets of small clamps per sheet
*10 large clamps could be produced per sheet of plywood. This resulted in 2.5 full sets of large clamps per sheet.
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Mid Production
*Bases were pained black and shafts were sanded for a brushed aluminum finish
*Hook angle was increased from stock dimensions to increase stability.
*All hardware is 1/4"-20 to reduce production time and insure that all parts are interchangeable.
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Final Delivery
*Delivery went smoothly but would be nice to develop an easier way to carry all 20 stands more efficiently.
*Marching band sousaphone musicians were impressed with build quality and happy with how they functioned.
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==BandBeesten Piano==
===Problem Statement=== 
The Bandbeesten project was handed down to this team as a functioning assembly. That being said there are many improvements that can be made. The structure of the piano needs to be reinforced if there is any plan for extended use. The wiring harness also needs to be simplified and well labeled to avoid confusion during set-up, operation, and shut-down. Lights and possible fog machine also be added to the assembly to improve showmanship and flare to the halftime performance.
===Project Goals===
*Maintain Bandbeesten from previous projects.
*Refine designs to ensure they are robust enough for a possible "hand-off" to the marching band.
*Design a cost effective, ridged way for the marching band to hold sousaphones in the bleachers when not in use.
*Add LED lights to the piano to enrich showmanship and attract attention.
===Design Specification===
 	
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===Improvements===
====Stress Analysis====
Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	Overview
*All of the weight of the body of the piano is supported by two legs. This posed the question of exactly where the stress is the highest. 
*The highest stress that the piano legs see is 160 psi and the yield strenght is 290.1 psi so the piano should not break just by sitting still.
*Adding a support to the base of the piano helps ensure that the piano legs will not break during performances.
Assumptions:
*Piano is made from one solid piece of wood
*Used balsa wood instead of birch wood
*Legs are hollow and have no support structure inside of them
*Static loading with jut the hanging weight of the wood is the only force applied
*Neglected weight of the keyboard
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====Piano Reinforcement====
Photo 	Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Overview
*Because the body of the piano has started to sag, a new memeber was fabricated to relieve some of the stress that occurs in the legs of the piano. 
*The memeber connects at the metal frame and in the center of the body of the piano.
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====Illuminated "I"====
Photo 	Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Overview
*Existing "I" was reconstructed from opaque white acrylic using the laser cutter
*LED light strip circuit was built to syncronize with the marching band goofy glasses
*The multicolored, flashing lights were triggered at the climax of the performance as the piano started to spin
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====Motor Driver Switches====
Inital 	Final 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Overview
*Initial version of switches held up for 2 shows. They melted when subjected to a larger load after the second halftime show.
*New high amperage switches were purchased to handle an increased load to insure reliability in the future.
*Laser cut box strategically placed for quick access during the halftime show.
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===Next Generation Concept===
Our plan for this semester was to design, assemble, and program a fully functional scale model of the system. The design was built around VEX Robotics Mecanum Wheels. The main purpose of our scale model is to demonstrate the functionality of the system to Dr. Odom and future senior engineering students to create interest in this potential senior project and to get funding for a full scale version. Our design is simple, we need four VEX Mecanum wheels, four Motors, four motor-controllers and a base to be machined out of extruded aluminum. We spent the majority of the last few months of the semester designing, coding, and testing this unit so we could present this working prototype.
Photo 	Photo 	Overview
frameless|center|500px|	frameless|center|500px|	Design Specifications
*Motor Maximum Voltage: 8.4V
*Motor Stall Current: 4.8A
*Powered by external variable power supply
*Wheel Diameter: 4"
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==Team Members==
Photos 	Bio 	Discipline
center|300px|	Chris Baker: I am a senior mechanical engineering student at The University of Idaho. I am from Coeur d’ alene Idaho and plan to stay in the Northwest after I graduate. I plan on working in the automotive or aerospace industry but am open to working in other areas. My main interests include hiking, hunting, snowboarding, and anything automotive or motor sport. 	ME
center|300px|	Naif Bawayan: I am currently senior student in mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho, from Saudi Arabia, graduating in August 2017. My goal is to find an opportunity in company that will allow me for personal and professional growth, where I can use my education, skills of engineering. During my free time, I love to spend time with my family, love the outdoors, travelling, and I am passionate for rides on a motorcycle.	ME
center|300px 	Riley Yager: My name is Riley Yager and I am currently a senior Mechanical engineer at the University of Idaho. I grew up in Tacoma Washington, and once I graduate in the fall, I plan on moving back and starting work somewhere in Seattle. My other hobbies include playing intermural basketball and lifting weights, otherwise you’ll find me somewhere in the Gauss-Johnson engineering building. 	ME
center|300px 	Huijie Zhang (Jay): I am graduating Spring 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, from China. I will go back to China after graduation. I chose this major because I like designing things and I enjoy building things. I love soccer and I’m a big fan of Real Madrid. 	ME
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==Document Archive==
===Design Expo Presentation===
===DFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis)===
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