Comprehensive Logbook Creation Guide

Logbook Overview

A competition logbook is a comprehensive record of your team's journey throughout the season. It documents your design process, coding decisions, team collaboration, and learning experiences. Judges use your logbook to understand how your team works together and what you've learned.

What to Include in Your Logbook

Essential Components

Documentation Types

• Written Descriptions: Explain your thinking and decisions
• Photos: Show your drone, attachments, team working
• Diagrams: Draw your designs and strategies
• Code Examples: Include your code with comments
• Screenshots: Show your programming environment
• Test Results: Record success rates and improvements
• Reflections: Write about what you learned

Recommended Logbook Structure

Section 1: Team Introduction

• Team name and number
• Team member names and roles
• Team photo
• Season goals
• What makes your team unique

Section 2: Mission Selection & Strategy

• Which missions you chose
• Why you chose them
• Your strategy for each mission
• How missions work together
• Challenges you anticipated

Section 3: Design Process

• Initial ideas and brainstorming
• Design iterations
• What worked and what didn't
• Photos of your designs
• Why you made specific choices

Section 4: Coding Documentation

• Code examples with explanations
• Why you used specific functions
• How sensors are used
• Error handling strategies
• Code improvements over time

Section 5: Testing & Iteration

• Testing procedures
• Success rates
• Problems encountered
• How you fixed issues
• Improvements made

Section 6: Team Management

• How you divided work
• Communication methods
• Decision-making process
• Conflict resolution
• Team meetings and planning

Section 7: Learning & Growth

• What you learned
• Skills developed
• Challenges overcome
• What you're proud of
• What you'd do differently

Section 8: Career Connections

• Careers related to your work
• Skills used in real jobs
• How this connects to future careers
• Interests sparked

Team Management Section - Detailed Guide

Judges want to see how your team works together. This section is crucial for demonstrating effective teamwork.

What to Document

Example Documentation

# Example: Team Work Division Log Entry

Date: October 15, 2024
Team Meeting: Mission Planning Session

Attendees: All 4 team members

Agenda:
- Decide which missions to focus on
- Assign research tasks
- Plan next practice session

Decisions Made:
- Focus on Autonomous Flight Skills and Piloting Skills
- Sarah will research sensor calibration
- Mike will practice piloting
- Alex will work on code structure
- Jordan will document our progress

Action Items:
- Sarah: Research by Friday
- Mike: Practice 3 times this week
- Alex: Create code template
- Jordan: Update logbook by Sunday

Next Meeting: October 18, 2024

Photos to Include

• Team working together
• Brainstorming sessions
• Team meetings
• Members helping each other
• Celebrating successes

Coding Strategies Section - Detailed Guide

Document your coding decisions, strategies, and thought process. Judges want to understand how you think about programming.

What to Document

• Code Examples: Include your actual code with comments
• Design Decisions: Why did you choose this approach?
• Sensor Usage: How and why you use each sensor
• Error Handling: How you handle failures
• Code Evolution: Show how your code improved

Example Code Documentation

# Mission: Autonomous Flight Skills
# Date: November 10, 2024
# Team Member: Alex
# Purpose: Navigate to waypoint using color sensor

from codrone_edu.drone import *

drone = Drone()
drone.pair()

# Strategy: Use color sensor to detect waypoint markers
# We chose this because it's more reliable than distance alone
# Color sensor gives us precise location information

drone.takeoff()

# Navigate until red marker detected
while True:
    color = drone.get_color_data()
    
    # Check for red (RGB values)
    if color[0] > 150 and color[1] < 80:
        # Red detected - we're at the waypoint
        drone.hover(1)
        break
    
    # Continue moving forward slowly
    drone.set_pitch(25)
    # Set forward power to 25%
    drone.move(0.2)
    # Move forward for 0.2 seconds
    drone.hover(0.1)
    # Stabilize for 0.1 seconds

# Perform action at waypoint
drone.set_roll(20)
drone.move(0.5)
drone.set_roll(0)
drone.hover(1)
# Stabilize for 1 second

drone.land()
drone.close()

# Reflection:
# This approach worked well because the color sensor
# gave us reliable detection. We tested this 15 times
# and it worked 14 times (93% success rate).
# Next time, we might add distance sensor as backup.

Documentation Template

Career Connections Section

Connect your work to real-world careers. This shows judges that you understand how your learning applies beyond the competition.

Careers to Explore

• Drone Pilot: Commercial drone operations, aerial photography
• Software Engineer: Programming autonomous systems
• Robotics Engineer: Designing and building robots
• Aerospace Engineer: Aircraft and spacecraft design
• Data Analyst: Analyzing sensor data
• Project Manager: Organizing team projects

How to Make Connections

Example Career Connection

Examples & Templates

Logbook Entry Template

# Logbook Entry Template

## Date: [Date]
## Team Members Present: [Names]
## Session Focus: [What you worked on]

### What We Did Today
- [Activity 1]
- [Activity 2]
- [Activity 3]

### Decisions Made
- [Decision 1 and why]
- [Decision 2 and why]

### Challenges Encountered
- [Challenge 1]
- [Challenge 2]

### How We Solved Problems
- [Solution 1]
- [Solution 2]

### What We Learned
- [Learning point 1]
- [Learning point 2]

### Next Steps
- [Action item 1]
- [Action item 2]

### Photos/Documents
[Attach photos, diagrams, code screenshots]

Code Documentation Template

# ============================================
# Code Documentation Template
# ============================================
# Mission: [Mission Name]
# Date Created: [Date]
# Last Updated: [Date]
# Team Member: [Name]
# Success Rate: [X%]

# Purpose:
# [What this code does]

# Strategy:
# [Why you chose this approach]

# Code:
from codrone_edu.drone import *

# [Your code here with comments]

# Testing Results:
# - Tested [X] times
# - Success rate: [X%]
# - Common failures: [List]
# - Improvements made: [List]

# Reflection:
# [What worked well, what didn't, what you'd change]

Team Meeting Template

# Team Meeting Notes

**Date:** [Date]
**Time:** [Time]
**Attendees:** [All team members]

## Agenda
1. [Topic 1]
2. [Topic 2]
3. [Topic 3]

## Discussion Points
- [Point 1 and decision]
- [Point 2 and decision]

## Action Items
- [ ] [Task] - Assigned to: [Name] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] [Task] - Assigned to: [Name] - Due: [Date]

## Next Meeting
**Date:** [Date]
**Focus:** [What to discuss next]

Best Practices for Logbook Creation

1. Start Early

2. Be Detailed but Organized

• Include enough detail to show your thinking
• Organize information clearly
• Use headings and sections
• Make it easy to find information

3. Show Your Process

• Document failures, not just successes
• Show how you learned from mistakes
• Include "before and after" examples
• Explain your thinking process

4. Use Visuals

• Photos of your team working
• Diagrams of your designs
• Screenshots of your code
• Charts showing test results
• Timeline of your progress

5. Be Authentic

6. Connect Everything

• Connect coding to real-world applications
• Show how teamwork skills apply to careers
• Link your learning to future opportunities
• Demonstrate understanding, not just doing

Interview Preparation

Your logbook is your reference during the interview. Prepare to discuss everything in it!

Before the Interview

• Review your entire logbook
• Practice explaining your code
• Prepare to discuss team management
• Think about career connections
• Prepare examples of teamwork

Common Interview Questions

Interview Tips

• Bring your logbook to the interview
• Be ready to show specific examples
• Let all team members speak
• Be enthusiastic about your work
• Connect your answers to your logbook
• Show how you worked as a team