Goldberg machine: There is more than one way to skin a cat; everyone has heard this although not

everyone has thought about all the different possibilities that can achieve the same task. Although, as engineers, we are accustom to looking at problems as working or not working, right or wrong, black or white yet we must still maintain our creative side and understating of engineering as we solve our tasks and as we are confronted with new problems. For this project; teams are assembled to use their knowledge and understating of engineering to achieve the same task. As there are not two people with the same idea, the overall outcome will result in having a multitude of different steps ending with the result of kicking a soccer ball into a goal. Stating point: Transitioning between steps can be at times complicated and hard to coordinate, as there are a required number of steps these transitions were great obstacles which we had to overcome. This was very difficult when the entire team came together to assemble the entire mechanism. For some parts, the intent to slow down the action and reaction of elements was attempted. This would allow the viewer to better observe what is going on, without leaving a sense of what just happened? During the brainstorming of the steps, there was a realization that each step cannot always be lower than the previous step. In a sense there was a need to overcome gravity, and although it is impossible to make an object roll up a hill, different ways to move objects up vertically had to be devised. Using pulleys and levers, motion was transferred in order to accommodate steps that required a high starting point. Although there were some complications there was a need to alter design to make steps function properly. Another main constraint we placed on ourselves when designing the steps, was to use the least amount of moving parts as possible. With a larger number of moving parts there is a greater chance of error, and to minimize the error, the attempt was made to use very few moving parts. Although that might sound contradicting to the overall project, it was found that having objects moved or activated through contact or hinged parts creates a smooth transition and minimizes the possibility of error. When building, there was an immediate change in design as pricing of material became very important. As material cost increased, the overall design stayed the same with a minor change in components and objects used. Although it would have looked better having all the components made from solid oak wood, readily available ply-wood was used. As material changed there was also a need to change design to support all the new/changed parts. As the build proceeded there was also change in design as there were steps not functioning properly.

Ramps had to be created, some components had to be made larger and therefore altering design, yet still maintain the same overall concept. As mentioned the first obstacle was material, yet because of material and tools the school has available the overall parts and construction of the machine was maintained to a minimum. Some obstacles that came with building were making steps run smooth. As there is a need to continue the motion and transfer of momentum, steps need to flow and travel smooth. Another problem that was kept in mind when building was: how will the end of step not interrupt any following steps, other than the one untended. For example if a box falls on an object what will stop it from continuing falling and activating other future steps Not everything you think of, or draw on paper can be made. Even when things can be made and built as planned there is no guarantee that it will work with the other steps. The most important thing I learned when working on this project was the importance of testing. Although steps might function and have a favorable result there are always ways to perfect your design or better the efficiency of each step. For some parts of this project a trial and error approach was taken to make a step completely work properly. As there is a need to see how a part/step should work before it can be perfected a design to testing then back to design approach to final production is a must.