Bandbeesten: The Legacy Continues

The Band-Beesten legacy continues as the University of Idaho Department of Mechanical Engineering and the University of Idaho Vandal Marching Band work together to create the ultimate drum machine. The Band-Beesten is a fully powered drum set created to be able to traverse a variety of surfaces such as astroturf, asphalt, and hardwood and be able to carry a load of up to 150 pounds. This year's team completely redesigned the frame, control system, and wheels to be able to reach all of the project goals.

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. The 2015-2016 acedemic year is the 5th 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. 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 and a stop-motion video design. More information about this design can be found at their page.

Project Goals

 * Maintain Band Beesten from previous projects.
 * Design a new Mobile Instrument Component called "Project Ivory".

Design Specifications (Project Ivory)
 * Make a mobile piano frame with an 88-key keyboard
 * Lots of lights for showmanship effects
 * Lightweight so people can carry it
 * Easy to assemble/disassemble and transport

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Wheels
The BandBeesten must be able to be moved in any direction on a moment’s notice to keep up with the marching band’s routine. Its wheels must allow maneuvers such as crab walking and rotation as well as straight motion. Designs considered are Omni-ball wheels, conventional casters, and Omni-wheels.

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Motor Controls
To control the power given to each motor, an arduino is used. The arduino sends a signal to separate motor controllers which in turn sends power to each motor. breakers, fuses, and an emergancy stop button have been installed for safety.

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Spring 2016 Design
Project Ivory so far consists of the re-wired base frame from the previous Bandbeesten, as well as a keyboard and anchoring box. Rough design concepts for the main piano body also exist.

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Team Members
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Document Archive
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