Christian Jurki Maker Portfolio
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Physics Golf Ball Launcher Project
Date
December 21, 2023
This project was made for my grade 12 physics class in the energy and momentum unit. I decided to incorporate motors and electronics so it could automatically reload itself and change the angle of launch all with a simple interface. Potentiometers check the position of the linear actuator when reloading to have 4 different power settings that can be chosen with a rotary switch. A gear relation where the bearings pivot the barrel of the launcher spins another potentiometer which can accurately measure the angle of launch and be adjusted via a joystick. The angle of launch and power setting are displayed on an Arduino-powered LCD. The Arduino takes the data from the potentiometers and runs the linear actuator until it is in the correct position based on the current power level. The launcher can be armed and disarmed with 2 buttons and will allow you to fire using a big red button once the arming sequence is complete. Once fired, the 2 springs pull a carriage that holds the ball and stops at the end of the range of travel, sending the ball flying.