Now this blog is supposed to be reflective, unfortunately we are not done yet, but here's what I think so far:
Wow. Just wow. It has been a crazy ride jumping from one commitment to the next, all while trying to stay on track with this thing.
I've learned so much too. Both of us have, and not just the hours upon hours of research about quadcopters that preceded the design and building but about time management, electrical and mechanical work, and design work.
I definitely feel I pushed my ability to design to a level I had not previously reached, only to be pushed further by the competition that interrupted this project. I learned how the power and output of batteries relate to the power consumption of the internals and motors works as well as how to solder the needed parts into a working system. The actual assembly and making of the aluminum plate were their own lesson to be learned.
The biggest struggled proved to be time management. Richard and I are both very busy people who are quite active in and outside of school with advanced classes and extra curricular. It was difficult for both of us to get together and work and even separated it wasn't always easy to find time to work on this. The whole project was riddled with interruptions from important concerts to standardized testing to our win a state competition.
The most important thing I learned about was probably my own love for creating. I've done other projects and made other things in the past and enjoyed it however with something this big comes with many opportunities to grow and learn and with those a huge sense of accomplishment even when finished smaller parts. I really hope to be able to continue doing things like this in the future as I love the feeling of creating.
Well, here's to hoping that we get this thing in the air by the presentation! Wish us luck!
