text:
User:Hsingh8658/enes100/Bernoulli Effect

Link back to team page.[]

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
1. Bernoulli effect

2. Helicopter

3. Model boat

Write problem statement
To make projects to show the difference between Coanda and Bernoulli effect

Assign Task1
To search about coanda and bernoulli effect. Learn as much as I can about these two effects and to compare them for differences between them.

Compare actual work done to Task1
Rationalize differences

Watched many videos on youtube about Bernoulli's effect and Coanda on youtube. The video that we used for understanding the concept of Bernoulli effect is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpPnucmjyY The Bernoulli effect is explained using the principle of conservation of energy in this video. Links to other videos showing Bernoulli effect are as follows-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olVJzVadiFs

http://www.ap.smu.ca/demonstrations/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111&Itemid=85

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JuoSJz3SRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKNx22phu88 This video was made during the Engineering Expo '09 at University of Wisconsin - Madison. It shows the Bernoulli Effect using a fire hose and a basketball. The fire hose was mounted on a wooden stand and pointed straight up. The basketball was placed onto a wide stream from atop a ladder. The stream was then adjusted finer and finer so that the ball would levitate higher. I estimate the max height of the ball to be ~18 feet high.

This demonstration was put together by the research group led by Ryan J. Kershner, Ph.D.. It was an addition to another exhibit that was put on by Daniel N. Hawk called Micro-Pong, which used holographic optical tweezing to allow people to play the smallest live-action game ever.

I also searched for a plausible explanation of coanda effect, some of the useful links are

http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/coanda.htm

http://jnaudin.free.fr/gfsuav/coanda/index.htm

Week1 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

I read about Bernoulli effect and coanda and watched videos about these effects. Links to some of the videos are posted above. In the first video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpPnucmjyY the bernoulli effect is explained on the basis of law of conservation of energy and explains that movement changes the static pressure. Static pressure is the pressure inside the stream and it is parallel to the flow of the stream. It is measured using a device called manometer which moves with the flow of fluid and which is parallel to the flow. Thus the static pressure within an air stream has to be measured carefully using a special probe. A thin disk must cover the probe except for the opening. The disk must be positioned parallel to the streaming flow, so that the flow is not interfered with. If the static pressure is measured this way within a free air stream generated by a fan or a hair dryer it can be shown that the static pressure is the same as in the surrounding atmosphere. So, explanation of Bernoulli effect used in video will fail in this case as there is no change in static pressure. The equation of Bernoulli's theorem is clear and its predictions are verified, but the real cause of the predicted pressure changes is obscure.

Week1 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Assign Task2
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week1 and week2 of the project here.

Going to do more research on misconceptions of Bernoulli's law

Compare actual work done to Task2
Rationalize differences

Went through the page http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~weltner/Mis6/mis6.html and tried to understand the misconceptions of Bernoulli's law. Found out that Bernoulli's law is misinterpreted in many cases and some of the videos shown in the first week of this project were not real applications of Bernoulli's law. Also found that acceleration of air is caused by pressure gradients and air is accelerated in direction of the velocity if the pressure goes down. Thus the decrease of pressure is the cause of a higher velocity. It is wrong to say that a lower pressure is caused by a higher velocity and so our explanation of Bernoulli effect in previous experiments were wrong.

Read the text in this link and watched videos to understand Coanda http://www.physics.umd.edu/deptinfo/facilities/lecdem/services/demos/demosf5/f5-12.htm

In one of our previous video we explained that the filling of thin plastic tubing with one lungful air if we keep our mouth away from it is due to Bernoulli effect but I found that it is not Bernoulli effect. When you blow into the balloon, you form a very rapidly moving airstream. Air from the atmosphere surrounding your airstream becomes caught up in the airstream, multiplying by severalfold the amount of air that is being pushed into the balloon. This process is called entrainment. The Bernoulli effect deals with isentropic flow along streamlines, and this demonstration does not fit in this category.

Our explanation of Bernoulli effect for standing of ping-pong ball in air was also wrong.The correct explanation involves the Coanda effect. When the air stream flows past the ball, some of the air follows the contour of the ball and only leaves after it moves a significant distance along the surface of the ball. In effect, the ball is "pulling" the air around its surface. There must always be some reaction force on the ball, which points in the direction of the air stream and upward, holding the ball in the air. This effect can be better understood by following this http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/balloon/links.html

The following link explains the functioning of vocal folds. The movement of folds is due to Coanda and not Bernoulli's effect. http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/services/demos/demosf5/f5-03.htm

I also researched about flight of airplanes and found that the conventional or standard explanation of aerodynamic lift states the higher streaming velocity at the upper side of the airfoil as cause of the lower pressure, due to Bernoulli's law. But a higher streaming velocity is the effect of a lower pressure and never its cause. The cause of the aerodynamic lifting force is the downward acceleration of air by the airfoil - which depends on the angle of attack and its velocity. In relation to the airfoil the normal acceleration of the air in case of curved streamlines must be regarded which results in pressure gradients perpendicular to the streamlines and reaction forces acting perpendicular on the deflecting surfaces. The nature of the actual lifting force on a real airplane wing is complex. One can argue that the Bernoulli effect creates a pressure difference between the top and the bottom of the airplane wing. However, this pressure difference, in the absence of air deflection downward cannot explain the lift required to keep the airplane up in the air. According to Newton's third law, there must be deflection of the air downward due to either or both: deflection of the air due to the angle of attack of the wing, and shedding of vortices at the trailing edge of the wing.

A better explanation of airplane wing lift (as well as a number of other demonstrations generally ascribed to the Bernoulli effect) involves the Coanda effect and downward deflection of the air passing over the wing. According to the Coanda effect, the air flow follows the contour of the wing, ultimately moving at an angle downward from the rear of the wing. The reaction force acting on the wing provides the wing lift.

The following link from University of Frankfurt was very helpful in understanding this concept http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~weltner/Physics%20of%20Flight%20internet%202011.pdf

http://www.regenpress.com/aerodynamics.pdf This link also provided some basic information about winged flight.

I also found the following link which is about 3D aspects and concept of wings. I didn't had enough time to go through whole page but will go over it next week, it might be helpful http://www.amasci.com/wing/rotbal.html

Week2 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

I first looked through the link http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~weltner/Mis6/mis6.html and then used my mathematics textbook to understand the derivation of Bernoulli's law. Then I did some more research on misinterpretations of Bernoulli's law and find plausible explanation for the concepts which were explained using those misinterpretations. I also looked through dynamics of flight.

Week2 Peer Review
Done

Assign Task3
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week2 and week3 of the project here.

Will go through following link http://www.amasci.com/wing/rotbal.html and also will try to get more information about Coanda effect and will find misinterpretations of Coanda effect, if any.

Compare actual work done to Task3
Rationalize differences

I first went through the incorrect theories of flight of an airplane and uploaded some pictures of incorrect theories to wiki commons and then to wikiversity. Then I read the link http://www.amasci.com/wing/rotbal.html thoroughly to understand the 3-D aspect of flight. I found that controversy arises because we are taught about the flow patterns around two-dimensional airfoils and then we apply those concepts to 3D wings. The behavior of 3D wings is fundamentally different than the behavior of 2D airfoils. Going from 2D to 3D is not a trivial change. This page very well described the flight on the basis of action reaction forces by explaining the formation of vortices. An example of a person walking on a series of Helium balloons is used to explain flight of airplane and formation of vortices. An aircraft does much the same thing as the person walking on balloons does to balloons: it remains aloft by shedding vortices: by throwing down a spinning region of mass. This mass consists of two long, thin, vortex-threads and the tubular regions of air which are constrained to circulate around them. Vortices inject momentum into air which as a result moves downwards. They employ "invisible disk-balloons" to stay aloft.

Finally, I went through the following link to understand more about Coanda effect.

http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Aeronautics/Coanda.htm I learned about many applications of Coanda effect, some of them are- Hydrofoil and Submarine Propulsion Circulation Control Wing The X Wing Helicopter Drag Reduction Spoilers for HGVs (Heavy goods vehicles) The Gurney Flap Dual Cavitating Hydrofoil Thrusters Drag elimination and aerodynamic braking systems for automobiles The NOTAR helicopter anti-torque system The Flettner Rotor Wing The Kline Fogleman Wing Wing in Ground Effect Vehicles The Carr Internal Wing (or Channel Wing) Aircraft The most important and most interesting application of Coanda effect according to me is Circulation Control Wing. The objective is to replace the lift devices on the leading and trailing edges of a wing by use of Coanda Surfaces and slot blowing instead.

Week3 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

I started by looking at incorrect explanations of flight of an airplane. Some people explain it on the basis of Bernoulli effect, some on the basis of Newton's third law and some on the basis of the Venturi theory. But all these explanations are generally wrong. They might be right in some terms but they can't explain overall flight dynamics. I found that flight can be best demonstrated in terms of Coanda effect.

Then I worked on 3-D model of flight analogy. I read the following page http://www.amasci.com/wing/rotbal.html and found that The behavior of 3D wings is fundamentally different than the behavior of 2D airfoils and going from 2D to 3D is not a trivial change.

In a 3D world, an airplane produces a downstream wake with net downwash. It injects momentum into the nearby air, and this air begins moving downward. But in a 2D wind-tunnel there is no such downward-moving wake, the 2D upwash must always be equal to the 2D downwash, and the momentum is injected into distant floor/ceiling. Even more important, 3D wings have finite dimensions, while 2D wings act as if they have infinite span. An infinite wingspan gives some strange results; results never produced by finite 3D wings. For example, if a 2D infinite wing should ever deflect even a tiny portion of the oncoming air downwards (deflecting a streamline,) it would deflect an infinite amount of air and produce an infinite lifting force. As a result, a 2D infinite airfoil does an odd thing: it applies a finite force to an infinite mass of air. In response a net amount of air does NOT move downwards (since it has infinite mass.) The incoming and outgoing streamlines remain horizontal. The wing acts like a reaction engine, but an engine where the "exhaust gasses" have zero velocity and infinite mass. This strange effect only applies to 2D airfoils and infinitely long wings, and is never seen with 3D airplanes flying through 3D air.

While studying about 3D world of airplanes, I also came across with terms like Magnus effect http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/services/demos/demosf5/f5-31.htm and http://www.physics.umd.edu/deptinfo/facilities/lecdem/services/demos/demosf5/f5-32.htm. Magnus effect also plays a role in flight of the airplane.

Week3 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Done

Assign Task4
I will try to bring whole information together and will finally differentiate between Coanda and Bernoulli effect.

Compare actual work done to Task4
Rationalize differences

I put together all the research and tried to compare and get a general summary of the project.

Week4 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

I updated the team page and summary of the project was put on the team page.

Week4 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.

Start Next Project Week0 activities
During this week you will perform the week0 activities of the next project.

Week zero of the next project, "Model boat" was completed. Watched videos on youtube about model boat and created the team page for that project.


text:
User:Mkhan4793/enes100/Bernoulli Effect

Link back to team page.[]

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
Bernoulli Effect

Model Boat

Corn Starch

Write problem statement
Demonstrate the difference between a bernoulli and a condo effect by making two different ones. Look at videos and learn more about the effects so more can be applied to the project

Assign Task1
Open the floppy disk and show the bernoulli effect. and also show the coanda effect

Compare actual work done to Task1
Got a old Compact disk floppy drive from the 80's. Opened it up and studied the bernoulli effect applied to it. Now we will differentiate that from the coanda effect

Week1 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them. Done

Week1 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Assign Task2
I am going to upload some pictures and look up some videos on the bernoulli and coanda effect and will compare my studies with my teammates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRXVPhhjuY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvLwqRCbGKY

Compare actual work done to Task2
I tried to show the difference between the Bernoulli and coanda effect by using the hair dryer and the ping pong ball. I basically read this link and got most of the information from this site. I used the air dryer to make the ping pong ball float on air and then make the ball move from one air dryer to another. That was done by change in the air pressure. The ball moved onto the other dryer when the dryer's air pressure was lowered. Due to the low air pressure, the balled moved sideways to the other dryer applying its mass to the other side.

Week2 Narrative

added pictures of the bernoulli/coanda effect i was demonstrating by the change of air pressure.

Week2 Peer Review
Done

Assign Task3
My main goal now is to make the ball float upside down in the air using the hair drier and show the bernoulli principals that will apply to it. I have bought a hair drier at home and will test all the possible things and other options that can be done to demonstrate the bernoulli effect. I will also try to show and why some videos on you tube are not Bernoulli effect as they have mentioned. That is my main goal over the weekend.

Compare actual work done to Task3
With working with my team mates,we came up to many decisions on how to do the Bernoulli effect. I tried to do the bernoulli effect with a dryer and ping pongs balls. I was trying to float the ping pong ball over the hair dryer and thought that it was a Bernoulli effect. I was misunderstood with the concept of the air pressure that was applied to the ball, but after doing some research through this website http://www.discoverhover.org/infoinstructors/guide8.htm, I found out that I misunderstood the concept and was applying the coanda principals...

My demonstration is shown in the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z95TKv1YEPA&feature=related. The Air was applying directly on the ball from the bottom causing the ball to float in the air while Bernoulli's principle tells us that air that is moving at high speed has lower pressure than still air. The air moves around the ball to create a pocket around the ball of low pressure air. When the ball moves to the side of the pocket, it will be pushed back in. And the upward force from the air stream keeps the ball aloft.

Week3 Narrative
Added a picture that tell what we were doing for the Bernoulli effect. Over the weekend, I looked up and found a video that clearly described about the Bernoulli's effect. In the video that I found, the bernoulli effect is explained on the basis of law of conservation of energy and explains that movement changes the static pressure. The following is the link to the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXBXtaf2TTg&feature=related. This video also talks about the Bernoulli equation that are applied to the effect. In the video, they talk how an airplane is lifted in the air with the principals of Bernoulli effect. The curved top of the wing in the production of lift is much over weighted. A wing at zero angle of attack needs enormous speed to create usable lift. I read that a Cessna 210 would need to reach 400 mph to take off. At the time of taking off, the plane would go at high speed and lift up in the air with the high pressure applied to the wings and fluid pressure going along a constant velocity. The Bernoulli principal in the video clearly states that the total energy in a steadily fluid system is a constant along the flow path. Fluid pressure is inversely proportional to its velocity.

I then looked up at the mechanics on how the jet engines works... The video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON0sVe1yeOk&feature=related states that a turbo fan engine has a core section that produces power which then produces thrust. Thrust is a force created by the acceleration of air. The equation is as follows: Thrust = AIR FLOW X CHANGE IN VELOCITY. It illustrates Newtons second law of motion which is expressed as Force = Mass X acceleration. This is the force that prepeles the aircraft. The fan rotates 28 hundred times a minute during take off. The higher the pressure, the more combustion would be added. It also has blades. The shape of the LP and HP blades are like wings. On one surface they compress the air and on the other side they expand the air just like a wing. If the tuel air mix are combined at too low or too high a speed then the engine may stall after ignition. The nature of the actual lifting force on a real airplane wing is complex. You can say that a Bernoulli effect creates a pressure difference between the top and the bottom of the airplane wing. However, this pressure difference, in the absence of air deflection downward cannot explain the lift required to keep the airplane up in the air. According to Newton's third law, there must be deflection of the air downward.

Week3 Peer Review
Done

Assign Task4
I will now do some more demonstrations of the Bernoulli effect with the help of the information I got by researching. I will try to explain how the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgHvC55AKig showing a Bernoulli effect is actually a Coanda effect. With the help of that, I will make a Bernoulli demonstration that will apply the Bernoulli principals and not the Coanda. This time I will do the demonstration by two balloons. The balloons will be tied up and hung down. I will then blow in between which will then cause the balloon to come together. This will happen because the speed of the air in between will be greater then the surrounding air.

Compare actual work done to Task4
Did many different demonstration of Bernoulli effect, but after doing some research and doing different kinds of experiments, I found out that the experiments were more of a Coanda effect.

Week4 Narrative
The following are the link to the videos where I did my demonstrations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z95TKv1YEPA&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7psavgw98Q&feature=channel_video_title I worked on these demonstrations to show the Bernoulli effect, but because of some misunderstanding, I was applying Coanda principals. I was not successful in showing the Bernoulli effect.

Week4 Peer Review
Done

Complete Project Page
done

Start Next Project Week0 activities
Make the team and User pages for the new project that I will be working on. (Model Boat) Get all the materials that are needed in order to make the model boat.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:Mkhan4793/enes100/Bernoulli Effect


text: User talk:Chompoo

title: User talk:Chompoo


text:
Engineering Projects/Robot arm/Howard Community College

Howard Community College is starting this project in the fall of 2011.
 * /Fall2011/


text:
Engineering Projects/Robot arm/Howard Community College/Fall2011

This is the fall 2011 Howard Community College team page for Project Robot Arm.
 * /502_TFCW/
 * /502_TFCWNS/


text:
Engineering Projects/Robot arm/Howard Community College/Fall2011/502 TFCW

This is the Howard Community College Fall 2011 robot arm project.

Problem Statement
Build a robot arm that is able to turn in all directions and pick up objects with an end effector.

Team Members

 * Caleb Woo
 * Timothy Francis

Summary
During this project Caleb Woo and  Timothy Francis set out to build a functioning robot arm with and end effector. After the first week we decided that Timothy Francis would take on designing and building an end effector by using 123D and  Caleb Woo would begin building the robot arm based off of a previous project except with a better, lighter and more flexible design. Although we were unable to get an end effector out of 123D and the 3D printer, we were able to complete a prototype Robot arm with a paper end effector. It is manually controlled by pushing and pulling the different wires and the bottom end of the arm and is able to pick up and drop objects by pulling and letting go of a string connected to the end effector.

Poster
Here are a few pictures and videos of the Robot arm and 123D end effector pieces:
 * Curled Robot arm to the left.jpgCurled Robot arm to the right.jpgCurled Robot arm with closed claw.jpg

123D model

Links To Videos We Have Taken:

Robotic Arm Video #1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZa7Lc66-xg&feature=feedu

Robotic Arm Video #2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-zSgx0VA98&feature=feedu

Robotic Arm Video #3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TWI68-86sg]

Links To Photos We Have Taken:

Robotic Arm Photo #1

Robotic Arm Photo #2

Robotic Arm Photo #3

Robotic Arm Photo #4

Robotic Arm Photo #5

Robotic Arm Photo #6

Robotic Arm Photo #7

Robotic Arm Photo #8

Robotic Arm Photo #9

Robotic Arm Photo #10

Robotic Arm Photo #11

Robotic Arm Photo #12

Robotic Arm Photo #13

Robotic Arm Photo #14

Robotic Arm Photo #15

Story
For this project we set out to try to build a robot arm that was able to turn in all directions and pick up objects with an end effector. We decided to split the project into two parts with Caleb Woo designing and building the robot arm, and Timothy Francis designing and building the end effector.In the first week of project robot our goal was to be able to understand how to build a working robot arm and end effector. we were able to find out that the previous team build a robot arm based off of the Festo design called the Bionic tripod 2.0 seen in the middle of this | Video. The previous team however did not use as many rods and the rods themselves were too stiff and glued at too many points to provide almost no movement.The arm works by pulling and/or pushing the rods to make the arm turn in a desired direction. We then began building a miniature model of a three wired arm by using plastic wire and Lego mindstorm pieces. We connected the ends of the wire using a Lego tire rim piece a gluing them into the holes and we connected the center of the wire using a 6 holed piece and hot glue. During Week two of the project we set out to make the robot arm more flexible an sturdy. The problem was that the arm would bend only at the point were it was glued and the rest of the arm would be flimsy and not well held together. We was able improve it by adding three more connectors that would connect the wires wider the higher you went up. This would allow the connectors to naturally stay in place yet allow the wire to be passed through it to allow for more flexibility. We then were able to find a cardboard box and connect the end of the arm thought the cardboard box so that we could control the arm from the top. During week three of the project we were still having problems with the 123D model of the end effector so we started drawing possible designs for a miniature end effector built from Legos and hard paper. We came up with an idea of duplicating the previous end effector but with smaller fingers, and less cross pieces in the fingers. Also instead of attaching strings to each finger we would attach all the fingers to a central circular Lego piece that would be pulled by a plastic wire. What we came up with is seen. We then tried picking things up with it thinking the cross pieces weren't needed but it was very weak and it did not have the fin ray effect curling around an object so we soon added. We then attached the end effector to the arm using tape as a temporary solution and we were able to pick up a Lego object with the arm. Here are three pictures of the arm picking up the piece:, ,. During week four of project robot arm we set out to try to build a mechanized or manual system that would raise and lower the individual wires or the robot arm holding them in place. We began seeking multiple push and pull systems as well as railing systems and sliding systems. However, we were unable to implement any of theses systems due to lack of materials, time, and ways to control hold each of the sliders in place. We also tried connecting all the wires together like a puppet, but tuning and curling relied on turning and curling the piece holding the wires together which resulted in lack of flexibility and smoothness of control. Finally, we decided to add two Lego beams directly behind the two lateral wires. By adding peg like Lego pieces to the ends of the wires we were able place the wires at different levels while having them held in place by the. With this holding system it made it easier to control the direction of the arm while manually pushing or pulling the front wire. Essentially it gave us two extra hands to hold the side wires in place while we controlled the front wire and end effector with ours. We was unable to get any mechanized raising or lowering system but We plan on continuing the project to build such a system.
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_of_box_with_connectors.jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_of_the_robot_arm.jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ends_of_the_robot_arm_fed_through_the_box..jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robot_arm_in_box.jpg

Decision List
At the beginning of this project we decided to somewhat replicate a previous project design of the robot arm but smaller, more flexible, and more sturdy. We also decided to split the project into two parts; timothy would take on designing the end effector and Caleb would take on building the robot arm. SEX!

Material List

 * Three strands of plastic wire that is straight, light, and flexible.
 * Lego mindstorm pieces
 * Hot glue for gluing the ends of the wire to the end Lego piece.
 * Cardboard box for grabbing station
 * Hard flexible paper material such as that from a cereal box for end effector
 * Tape for making end effector

Software List

 * Google for searching the festo robot arm.
 * 123D.exe for designing parts of an end effector.

Time

 * 4 week project.
 * Approx 18 hours designing and building Robot arm.

Tutorials
The Festo robot arm we modeled ours of off is seen in this | Video For the end effector:
 * Start out by getting three plastic wires that can be bent straight and are flexible (We used the wire from the 3D printer and bent them as straight as possible).
 * Glue the ends of the straightened wire into three holes (all one hole away from each other) of a lego mindstorm tire rim piece.
 * Add about 4 connectors to the arm that all have three holes for the wires to feed trough. Make sure that as you move up the arm that the connectors connect the wires wider to keep them all in place yet be free flowing.
 * Make a base connector that can be attached to some box or stand.
 * Make holes in a box or stand (we used a cardboard box)so that the wires can be fed through.
 * Cut three strips of some type of hard paper that is flexible (like from a cereal box)to desired length and width. Make sure they are all the same.
 * Bend each strip at about 2/3 the way up each strip.
 * Attach the longer half of each bent strip to a plastic gear (or some sort of desired piece with a hole in the center) and make sure each end is separated from the others evenly to create a claw like structure
 * Cut a small piece of hard plastic wire about 2" and attach the end of it to a small circular or triangular piece to create an umbrella looking component.
 * Slide the plastic piece through the hole in the center of the gear with the fingers pointing up.
 * Attach each end of the fingers to the center piece causing the piece to look like that of a claw.
 * Cut 3 square pieces of your hard paper material about the width of each finger and cut about a quarter the of the way into each square on two parallel sides of each square.
 * You should be able to bend two lips out of each cut. Bend one upward and the other downward, doing the opposite to the other side of the square (across from a lip that is bent up bend it the lip downward and vice versa)
 * Place each piece about halfway up the inside bend of each finger and about 2/3 the way up the outer bend. Tape the lips to both sides of the inside of each finger.
 * After this you should be able to open and close the claw by pushing and pulling the piece of plastic wire.
 * Glue some type of string to the end of the plastic wire and feed it and the wire through the end of the robot arm.
 * You can attach the end effector to the arm by using either tape, hot glue, or any other preferred means. Just make sure that the plastic wire and string can move freely between the arm and the end effector.
 * Pulling the string should close the end effector and letting the string go should open it back up.

Next Steps
Create a way to control the four wires and end effector effectively and more precisely then with your hands. This could be done with some raising and lowering system for all three wires at once and for each of them individually.


text:
User:Cwoo4792/enes100/Robot Arm

Link to team page. TFCW

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
1.Robot Arm 2.Robot End effecter 3.Rube Goldberg

Write problem statement
Create a functioning robot arm that is light enough to move and be controlled by motors or servos and has a working end effector that is able to pick up objects.

Assign Task1
Research functions of a robot arm. By using online resources and looking through past projects.

Compare actual work done to Task1
My goal was to research functions of a robot arm by using online resources and looking through past projects. I was able to find out that the previous project based their design off of the festo robot arm design using the flexible rods. I was able to understand how the arm worked by viewing the videos and I was able to make a miniature prototype arm using plastic wire and lego mindstorm pieces.

Week1 Narrative
In the first week of project robot arm my goal was to be able to understand how to build a working robot arm. I was able to find out that the previous team build a robot arm based off of the Festo design called the Bionic tripod 2.0 seen in the middle of this | Video. The previous team however did not use as many rods and the rods themselves were too stiff and connected at too many points to provide almost no movement.I was able to figure out by viewing the video that the arm works by pulling and/or pushing the rods to make the arm turn in a desired direction. I then began building a miniature model of a three wired arm by using plastic wire and Lego mindstorm pieces. I connected the ends of the wire using a Lego tire rim piece a gluing them into the holes. I connected the center of the wire using a 6 holed piece and hot glue. I then made a miniature base and frame that I was able to slide the ends of the wire through and be able to push and pull the wire. I discovered that closest point at which the rods are glued is the main point at which the arm will bend. The rod connectors may need to be loosely connected to the rods rather than glued to provide more flexibility. This may be an other reason why the previous project arm was so stiff. More testing with the miniature arm needs to be done before attempting to build a larger scale one. Also, some pull and push system needs to be developed that can also keep the wires from rotating out of place. Miniature arm

Week1 Peer Review
Week one peer review

Assign Task2
Refine miniature robot arm to make it for flexible and sturdy. Possibly add an miniature end effector and string.

Week2 Peer Review
Week two peer review

Assign Task3
Add miniature end effector.

Compare actual work done to Task3
My goal was to refine the miniature robot arm to make it more flexible and sturdy and possibly add a miniature end effector and string. I was able to add more free flowing connectors that made it more sturdy and allowed for more flexibility when moved I was also able to make container that held it vertically rather than horizontally out of a cardboard box so that I could place things in the box to test the effectiveness of the arm or of an end effector. I was able to create an end effector that had the ability to close when the connected string to the end of the post inside of the effector was pulled. It would aromatically open when released. I was able to pick up a Lego piece that was placed anywhere in the box because of the flexibility and control ability of the arm. However, it was hard controlling the 3 wire ends and string with only two hands so something needs to be built to make controlling the arm easier.

Week3 Narrative
During this section of the project I set out to make the robot arm more flexible an sturdy. The problem was that the arm would bend only at the point were it was glued and the rest of the arm would be flimsy and not well held together. I was able improve it by adding three more connectors that would connect the wires wider the higher you went up. This would allow the connectors to naturally stay in place yet allow the wire to be passed through it to allow for more flexibility. After that an Idea was sparked in me to have the arm hanging vertically from some sort of box rather than horizontally from a stand. I was then able to find a cardboard box and connect the end of the arm thought the cardboard box so that I could control the arm from the top. I now need to find a way to mechanically control the arm by pulling the different wires of the arm upward to cause the desired turn. Here are some pictures of the progress with the Robot arm: During this section of the project I was also hoping to be able to create a working end effector for the Robot arm. I started off by drawing possible designs for a miniature end effector because I was unsure that the original end effector, built by the previous team, would be too big to duplicate on my miniature arm. I then started looking through Lego pieces to find possible fingers for the designs I drew, but I was unable to find any that would be flexible engough to pick something up. I then came up with an idea of duplicating the previous end effector but with smaller fingers, and less cross pieces in the fingers. Also instead of attaching strings to each finger I attached all the fingers to a central circular Lego piece that would be pulled by a plastic wire. What I came up with is seen. I then tried picking things up with it thinking the cross pieces weren't needed but it was very weak and did not curl around the object so I soon added. I then attached the end effector to the arm using tape as a temporary solution and I was able to pick up a Lego object with the arm. Here are three pictures of the arm picking up the piece:, ,. I will now seek better ways of controlling the arm from the box.
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_of_box_with_connectors.jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Top_of_the_robot_arm.jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ends_of_the_robot_arm_fed_through_the_box..jpg
 * http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robot_arm_in_box.jpg

Week3 Peer Review
Week three peer review

Assign Task4
Work on a pull/push mechanism for each arm possibly by manually having a manual holding and adjusting system or a motorized system.

Compare actual work done to Task4
My goal was to work on a pull/push mechanism for each wire of the arm by possibly having a manual holding and adjusting system or a motorized system. I was able to built two holding and adjusting poles out of Lego beams that allowed me to hole each side in a turn while manually curling the arm forward or backward with the front wire. I was unable to get a system that could lower or raise the arm after the arm was adjusted to the desired position but I will seek solutions in the next project section.

Week4 Narrative
During week four of project robot arm I set out to try to build a mechanized or manual system that would raise and lower the individual wires or the robot arm holding them in place. I began seeking multiple push and pull systems as well as railing systems and sliding systems. However, I was unable to implement any of theses systems due to lack of materials, time, and ways to control hold each of the sliders in place. I also tied connecting all the wires together like a puppet, but tuning and curling relied on turning and curling the piece holding the wires together which resulted in lack of flexibility and smoothness of control. Finally, I decided to add two Lego beams directly behind the two lateral wires. By adding peg like Lego pieces to the ends of the wires I was able place the wires at different levels while having them held in place by the. With this holding system it made it easier to control the direction of the arm while manually pushing or pulling the front wire. Essentially it gave me two extra hands to hold the side wires in place while I controlled the front wire and end effector with mine. I was unable to get any mechanized raising or lowering system but I plan on continuing the project to build such a system. Here are more pictures of the arm and a | video shot by Timothy Francis:

Week4 Peer Review
Week four peer review

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.

Start Next Project Week0 activities
Work on raising and lowering system of Robot Arm.

title: User:Cwoo4792/enes100/Robot Arm


text: User talk:Desimon09

title: User talk:Desimon09


text: User talk:Y5280384

title: User talk:Y5280384


text: User talk:Xyziemba

title: User talk:Xyziemba


text:
Engineering Projects/Electric Cars/Howard Community College/Fall2011/550 ekart

Problem Statement
How can a team of three HCC students design and build an electric go-kart?

Team Members

 * CR

 * Jeffreycarllloyd

Summary
Weekly reports

Story
Made up of two members: Jeffrey Lloyd, and Carlos Riveros. The project ekart will be an attempt to design and build an all electric go-cart prototype to encourage further funding of this project. We want to do things first by creating this prototype e-kart with inexpensive and donated materials while staying within a $250.00 budget. After we have a tangible working product, we will showcase it to HCC to get further funding and probably start an intercollegiate competition among Maryland's community colleges.

Week One

 * Confused about project. Problem: What HCC allows and is willing to fund VS. What we as a team want to accomplish: an electric go kart.
 * Lots of research
 * Finding donations for project
 * Find pre-made go kart frame and buy it

Week Two

 * More research
 * Could not buy inexpensive frame, therefore we had to build one from scratch
 * Ekart frame design and construction
 * DC motor mounting ideas

Week Three

 * More research.
 * Bought speed controller and 3-way potentiometer.
 * Bought inexpensive frame from private vendor.
 * Modified bought frame for our project's needs.

Week Four

 * Finished ekart presentation
 * Tested ekart's frame and steering by using a 0.5HP fan motor.
 * Ordered battery cables, plugs and fuses for ESC system.
 * Tested the motor

After four weeks of research and hard work, we were able to get a test-run of the ekart using a 0.5HP DC fan motor: 1ST TEST-RUN

Decision List

 * After the previous team's attempt to build an electric car, this new ekart team has decided to build an electric go-kart.
 * Searched for donations of parts and tools.
 * Decided to create a powerpoint presentation to obtain approval for this project.
 * Decided to test the donated motors.
 * Decided to buy frame and modify it.

Materials List

 * Steel tubes (1" and 1.5" diameter) -- DONATED
 * MIG welder -- BORROWED
 * Plastic chair seat -- DONATED
 * Two 6V lead-acid batteries -- DONATED
 * Two 12V lead-acid batteries -- DONATED
 * Programmable 200A 48V Kelly ESC -- BOUGHT FOR $120.00
 * 10" go kart wheels -- DONATED
 * Used go kart frame without motor -- BOUGHT FOR $60.00
 * Battery cable 48V -- DONATED
 * 3-way potentiometer (throttle pedal) -- BOUGHT FOR $30.00

Software List

 * Web Browser (Online Research)

 * Microsoft's Power Point 2010

 * Microsoft's Excel 2010

 * Autodesk 123D for go-kart design

 * Google Sketch Up

 * Prezi presentation aid

Time

 * Week 0: Each student spent an average of 6.5 hours doing research and coordinating existing materials.
 * Week 1: Each student spent an average of 7.2 hours creating a presentation, testing the electric motor, and performing research on individual parts.
 * Week 2: Each student spent an average of 7.3 hours designing key components and testing existing equipment for compatibility.
 * Week 3: Each student spent an average of 6.2 hours working on ekart's frame and handling components (steering and braking system).
 * Week 4: Each student spent an average of 5.7 hours working on ekart's motor and electrical components.
 * TOTAL TIME: 32.9 HOURS

Tutorials
Our inspiration: "The Neurotikart"

Research links:
http://www.kartbuilding.net/

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car2.htm

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/motor.htm

Next Steps
Create an effective electrical system for the ekart. Test ekart and present finished product to HCC to get funding for a better and faster version.


text:
User:Criveros0248/enes100/Electric Cars

Link to project ekart team page.

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
At the beginning of class on Wednesday 10/12/2011, I decided I did not want to continue working on the Engines project. Therefore, I switched to the Electric_Cars project.
 * 1. Engines
 * 2. Art Parade
 * 3. Escher

Write problem statement
How can I build an electric go kart that illustrates the basic guidelines needed for possible intercollegiate competition?

Assign Task1
Take the electric motors out of the forklifts.

Wash the old lead-acid batteries and the motors.

Wait for parking space approval.

Transport the motors, batteries, and battery chargers in pickup truck to HCC.

Research "DIY Go Kart Forums."

Work on a design for the go kart on 123D.

Research go kart frame prices on Craigslist or eBay.

Compare actual work done to Task1
I was able to do tons of research, but little hands-on work. I still need a fully charged 12V battery to test one of the forklift motors, and a multimeter to figure out the specs of both motors.

Week1 Narrative
This week I was able to retrieve the two forklift motors out of their respective cases to test them. I also washed and cleaned the old car batteries that were donated to our project. Additionally, I researched ways on how to sell the idea of an electric go-kart to the college. I started by looking at different types of intercollegiate go-kart racing competitions. I came across numerous competitions found around the country, including the Baja SAE and Formula SAE series. These two events are the biggest intercollegiate competitions of the nation where college teams design, build, and race their exceptional creations. The problem that I found with these two competitions is that none of them include electric powered vehicles. At HCC, we might try to do a competition against other community colleges in Maryland using electric go-karts.

The basic rules/guidelines (mostly based on SAE standards) would be:
 * A vehicle with four wheels not in a straight line.
 * The vehicle must be all electrically powered.
 * It must not use more than 50V.
 * It may not achieve speeds greater than 50MPH.
 * Specs: width: 64 in., length: 96 in.
 * It must be capable of safe operation on concrete and cement.
 * It must have adequate ground clearance and traction.
 * Adjustable seating area to accommodate for multiple body types of possible drivers.
 * Batteries must be mounted and secured properly in case of a roll over.
 * Vehicle must have adequate racing lighting. (headlights, brake lights, turn signals, etc.)
 * It must have a seat belt and a kill switch.
 * It must have an adequate braking and suspension system.
 * Drivers must wear adequate safety gear (helmet, neck support, gloves, etc.)
 * It must meet all SAE construction standards (welding, machining, painting, etc.)

Along with following these guidelines, teams must also have numerous written reports outlining their design and construction processes. Along with the documentation being checked before the official competition, teams will be judged on their e-karts' design and performance on the track.

These are just some of the basic rules that a competition I have in mind must have. It is a work in progress and we would have to get appropiate authorization to continue working on a handbook with the proper rules and guidelines of this competition.

Week1 Peer Review
Peer review week 1

Assign Task2
Finish testing motors and record test run. Revive at least four batteries and record results. Continue working on selling the idea of a go-kart design and racing competition to the college.

Week2 Activities
I passed on DC motor to Jeffreycarllloyd for testing and mounting design. I manage to get 2 old car batteries partially desulfated. I also designed and welded a frame for the e-kart prototype, which could later be used to showcase to HCC to get further funding for this project.

Week2 Narrative
Motor Specifications: With these specifications, I focused on finding the speed controller, potentiometer, drivetrain. and axles for the ekart.
 * Made by GE
 * DC wound series motor
 * Current: 46A
 * Volts: 24V
 * RPM: 2000 max
 * Dimensions: 8" diameter x 14" high

Additional research during this week led me to further theoretical conclusions. In order to get the right speed controller, I needed to figure out the maximum power output of the DC motor.

Power = Current x Voltage ===> 24V x46A = 1104 watts.

Also, 1HP = 746 watts, therefore the power in HP for the motor is 1104/746 = 1.48HP.

With these results, I found an inexpensive 50A speed controller rated at 2kW that would work with the donated DC motor.

I also needed to find the torque of the DC motor to determine the gear ratio for the ekart.

Torque = [HP x 5250(constant)]/RPM ===> [1.5HP x 5250]/2000RPM = 3.88 lb/ft.

This is a decent amount of torque and should be able to produce 20MPH in the ekart with the right gearing.

I also determined the gear ratio of the ekart if I want it to achieve a minimum speed of 20MPH.

With a 10" (diameter) tire, I found its circumference ===> 10" x pi (3.14) = 31.4"

Then, I found out that a DC motor is "most" efficient at half its max RPM value.

Then, I divided the number of inches in a mile (63,360") by the circumference of my wheel (31.4"); I got 2,017.8, which is the number of inches my wheel is going to cover in a mile.

Later, to find the RPMs needed for the motor to cover this distance in a mile, I multiplied 2017.8 in/mi by (20mph/60rpm) = 672.6 RPM at the wheel.

Finally, this means that for the ekart to travel at 20mph, the wheels must spin at about 673RPM, while the motor is spinning at 1000RPM (half its max RPM value).

Therefore, the gear ratio has to be equal to (1000RPM/ 673RPM) = 1.5 ~ 3:2. This means that the gear in the shaft of the motor must be 1.5 times bigger than the gear connected to the rear live axle.

These figures are all theoretical and will only be tested once we get our experimental data from the finished ekart prototype.

During this week I also worked on reviving 2 dead car batteries. They were two 6V car batteries. I had two battery chargers laying around the house and managed to get decent results after the desulfation process outlined by Jeffreycarllloyd.

This battery had an initial voltage reading of 2.5V and I managed to increase it overnight to 4.7V.

This battery had an initial voltage reading of 1.9V and I managed to increase it overnight to 5.2V.

During the weekend of week 2, I also worked on the frame for the ekart. I wanted to make a robust frame in which I could fit inside comfortably, along with up to 4 car batteries and a 30lb. DC motor. I decided to use some spare steel tubes that I had in my garage. They were about 1.5" in diameter and would definitely give the frame the strength that it needs. I went with a 5' long and 4' wide frame to accommodate the numerous components that are to be included later. Then, I thought about the weight distribution for the ekart, and figured out that I would want the heavy motor and probably one car battery in the back. I would want the passenger and 2 more batteries kind of in the middle, and the speed controller and steering mechanism in the front. I also though about the center of gravity of the ekart. Due to its heavy weight, I went with a 2" ground clearance, which will later be tested once I weld the axles in their respective spots.

Later, because I had some free time on Thursday and Friday of this week, I practice welding some spare steel that I had. Because this was my first time welding, I figured out I could try to practice a lot. After some minor burns and long hours behind the welding mask, I was making some progress. My welding was decent enough to be used for this project. On Saturday, I cut out my metal tubes and made my welding marks and curves on some of the tubes. I used an inexpensive metal cutter/grinder to do this. I also used a drill to make the curves to facilitate the welding of perpendicular tubes.

On Sunday, I started my welding process using some clamps to hold the pieces together. One problem I soon found was that my flux wire was melting holes along the welding lines, after reading the owner's manual of the welder, I found out that my voltage and wire feeding speed were to high, I lowered this two knobs a little bit and it stopped making holes. Another problem that I found was that my curves for welding perpendicular tubes were not perfect, there were some gaps between the joining metal tubes, and these gaps caused the welder to make holes along the welding lines instead of welding the two tubes together. I had to fix this by hammering down the tubes at their point of intersection to close down the gaps and allow for better welding. Overall, it took me approximately 10 hours to complete the welding, some welding joints were horrible (those at the beginning), while others were surprisingly good (those at the end). I will later reinforce those weak spots by welding additional metal between the tubes.

Here's a picture of my frame. It's still a work in progress, that I hope to complete during week 3.

Week2 Peer Review
Peer review week 2

Assign Task3
Work on steering system design and incorporate it into go kart. Order speed controller, axles, and 3-way potentiometer. Find more batteries and continue desulfation process. Continue researching and learning more about the electronic components of the ekart.

Compare actual work done to Task3
I ordered a speed controller and a 3-way potentiometer (throttle pedal) for the ekart. I found an extra 12V battery that only needs to be charged. After researching axles and steering components for the ekart frame constructed during week 2, I became frustrated with the total cost of this project. After having spent over $100 on ESC and POT box, I decided I wasn't going to spend $200 more on steering and axle components for ekart. Therefore, I looked on Craigslist for go kart parts, and came across an inexpensive go kart frame that I simply had to buy. I made the deal on Friday and modified it during the weekend.

Week3 Narrative
After extensive research, I found out that I would need a speed controller capable of handling up to 400% of our motor's possible current (the physics behind a DC motor). The speed controller that I had found online on week 2 was not going to work. Therefore, I had to order a different one. I found this company that focuses on EV conversions called KELLY CONTROLS LLC,. I order a speed controller and a pedal potentiometer that should arrive by week 4.

I also researched the steering and axle components for our frame and was worried about the increasing cost of this project. If I were to buy the components that were needed for the frame, I would have to spend approximately $200 more. Because the goal of this project is to create an ekart prototype from inexpensive and recycled materials on a $250 budget, I decided to look online once again for go kart frames and parts. After a week of searching on sites like eBay and Craigslist, I found a private Craigslist vendor who was selling a go kart rolling chassis for $60. Because she lived close to my house, I bought the frame on Friday of week 3.

Here's a picture of the frame when I bought it:

Still, I had to make some modifications to the frame to accommodate to the project's needs. Therefore, on the weekend I welded the side compartments for the 12V batteries. I reinforced the compartments with steel sheet supplements so they can handle the heavy weight of the batteries. I also shortened the steering column and pulled the seat back to accommodate an adult sized driver. I lubricated bearings and moving connections and changed the front wheels for two that I had with ball bearings.

Here's a picture of the frame after modifications:

Week3 Peer Review
Peer review week 3

Assign Task4
Mount motor and batteries. Connect motor to axle using drive train. Work on ekart's circuitry.

Compare actual work done to Task4
I was able to get the ekart running using two 12V batteries connected in parallel to a 0.5HP DC fan motor. It was hard to connect the motor to the axle using the existing drive train on the frame, but I was able to do this using bike sprockets and chains. After more research on the ESC assembly, I ordered battery cables, fuses, and plugs.

Week4 Narrative
I was hoping to get the speed controller this week, but because it's coming from China, (I found this out after getting the tracking number a week after I ordered it!) it's going to get here by the 17th of November. Meanwhile, I researched the assembly for the ESC system on the ekart. I found out that I needed to get more parts, so I ordered online battery cables, fuses, and plugs for the circuit. Because I had some free time this week, I also decided to use a spare fan motor rated at 0.5HP and two 12V batteries connected in parallel to power the ekart. I used some bike sprockets and chains for the drive train and bolted the motor to a mount that was already on the frame. I recorded a short video of the 1st test run; it's obviously not fast because of the low power output of the motor, the low voltage source used, and the heavy weight of the passenger (ME) and the batteries. Here's a video of the ekart running at around 3MPH.

Week4 Peer Review
Peer review week 3

Start Next Project Week0 activities
Link to my 2nd project on ekart: ekart v.2

title: User:Criveros0248/enes100/Electric Cars


text:
User:Palluri9407/enes100/Electric Cars

Link to project ekart team page.

Give instructor top 3 project choice list

 * 1. Engines
 * 2. Electric Cars
 * 3. Helicopter

Write problem statement
How to build an electric go kart chassis out of metal rods in order to enter it in a competition?

Assign Task1

 * Research different competitions over the internet that has to do with go karts
 * Research on what dimensions the go kart should be built upon
 * Research ways to build the go kart with minimal expenses to us and the school
 * Research websites such as ebay and craigslist to find used go karts that can be altered to run on batteries.
 * Come up with an amount of money that is needed to push this project further

Compare actual work done to Task1
Did a lot of research about different competitions that were available

Week1 Narrative
I found a couple of websites that helped out for different building techniques, and dimensions that were necessary for us to build the go kart.

Week1 Peer Review
Peer review

Assign Task2

 * Research on what dimensions the go kart should be built upon
 * Research ways to build the go kart with minimal expenses to us and the school
 * Research websites such as ebay and craigslist to find used go karts that can be altered to run on batteries.

Compare actual work done to Task2
Researched alot about different competitions for our go kart, and looked at a few different websites to get an idea of what type of dimensions are needed to build an electric go kart.

Week2 Narrative
My job for this week was to design a go kart frame that we can eventually build to make an electric go kart. At the beginning of the week I was able to do a majority of my research on different specifications that can be used for a go kart frame. I stumbled upon a number of website that were helpful including Kartbuilding Blog and Limestone Media. After doing the research I started on designing the frame using Autodesk 123D that was first introduced in class. Below is the image of the go kart frame that i have been working on.

Week2 Peer Review
Peer review

Assign Task3
Continue working on the design and modify it to make it ready for building.

Compare actual work done to Task3
Worked a little bit on the go kart frame on 123D. Then I shifted my attention to the batteries that go on the go kart.

Week3 Narrative
This week I shifted most of my attention to the batteries that went on to the electric go kart. I was able to revive the remaining dead car batteries that were donated to the go kart project. I used different websites such as ehow.com and also saw a few videos on youtube such as Reviving a dead car battery in order to understand how to finish the job effectively and safely.

Directions to revive the Batteries:

 * Connect the positive, red clip to the positive ( + ) battery post, and connect the negative clip to the negative post on the car battery.

 * Set the charger to the proper voltage and desired amperage. The voltage should be set at 12 volts and a setting of 2 to 4 amps.

 * Turn on the battery charger and plug the cord to an electrical outlet.

 * Wait for battery to be revived. It should take several hours for a complete charge.

 * Unplug your car battery charger once the battery has been fully charged. Turn off the power switch and disconnect the clips, starting with  the negative clip first. The car battery should be fully revived.

Photos of the batteries that were revived

Week3 Peer Review
Peer review

Assign Task4
Work on the circuitry for the electric go kart

Compare actual work done to Task4
I was only able to work a little bit on the circuitry this week.

Week4 Narrative
This week I was only able to research a little bit on the speed controller and the electrical system that was needed for the electric go kart. I shifted most of my attention this week to the motor. I was able to test it with a 24V battery to make sure everything was working properly before it was mounted onto the go kart frame.

Some of the websites that I went through while researching for the speed controller and electrical system:

 * D&D Motors
 * Electric Scooter Parts
 * Electric Go-Kart

These were some of the instructions that I followed in order to make sure everything was in working condition:

 * Check the bearings of the motor
 * Check the windings for short circuit to the frame
 * Check that the windings are not open or blown
 * Make sure nothing seems out of place
 * Connect the wires to the battery to start the motor and test it

After the test, I was able to conclude that the motor works perfectly and it is ready to be mounted on to the frame.

Photos of the motor:

Week4 Peer Review
Peer review

Start Next Project Week0 activities
I am going to continue working on the electric go kart project ekart v.2

title: User:Palluri9407/enes100/Electric Cars


text:
User:Jeffreycarllloyd/enes100/Electric Cars

Link to project Ekart team page.

Week0 Activities
-Research ways to regenerate discharged lead acid batteries

|INSTRUCTIONS TO REGENERATE "DEAD" BATTERIES www.ehow.com

-Research Speed Control units

Problem Statement
How can I utilize a bunch of old car batteries and two motors to make an electric go kart?

Task1 Assignment
Collect or coordinate items on this list to facilitate the regeneration of dead Lead-Cell batteries

-Magnesium Sulfate (a.k.a Epsom salts)

-Baking Soda -3 Phase Charger

-Protective Clothing (i.e Full Face Mask, Forearm Length Acid Proof Gloves, Acid Resistant Clothing)

Wash the cells and coordinate a charger.

Task1 Comparison
Was unable to acquire a donor lead acid battery therefore I was unable to test the above theory. I did collect everything else that was needed to conduct the experiment.

Week1 Activities
Created a power point presentation justifying the cost of the project and a request for the school to sponsor to SMET event where teams from other local can compete with their electric go-carts.

Constructed an preliminary itemized parts list that list part specs, price and possible vendors.

Task 2 Assignment

 * Secure at least one donor lead acid battery for testing
 * Test electric motor for compatibility

Week 2 Activities
I examined the donor electric motor for compatibility for our project. Two problems associated with the donor motor is that is vertical shaft design whereas a horizontal shaft would be ideal. After examining the design the way make the motor work would be do build a plate and bracket that would place the motor horizontally.

Motor Shaft
The shaft is unique will require a custom sprocket or the original piece

The rear of the motor has a clutch like devise that once engaged with the actuator locks the motor. This may be a brake of sorts.

Task 3 Assignment

 * Mock up motor bracket
 * Test the motor as it is running identify defects/issues

Task 3 Compassion

 * I was able to mock up the motor mount.
 * Could not get the motor to cycle.

Week 3 Activities
I constructed a motor mount mock up using plywood.

The design is solid and the problem I can see is the clearance of the sprocket and chain and the mounting hardware. Depending on the thickness of the sprocket and the thickness of the steel of the mount their could be a problem with interference of the mounting hardware and the drive of the chain.

I had difficulty getting the motor running. The resources to perform a proper test were unavailable. I attempted with a battery with a rating of 750 cranking amps with both sets of leads to the same battery to no avail. The motor is rated at 46 amps but apparently a series of batteries is required to operate the motor.

Task 4 Assignment

 * Finalize presentation

Task 4 Comparison
I finalized the presentation

Week 4 Activities
I reworked the presentation on a different format. Instead of Power-Point I went with an online software that is a enhancement to the typical Power-point presentation. The source was from | prezi.com.

| The presentation is contained here

The hopes were to construct a prototype go-cart then present to the board a request for funding a more elaborate set up. One that would eventually be competed with. The difficulty of the project, was the limited amount of resources.With the proper allocation of those resources the project could really take off into something worth rallying behind.

Our strategy was to convince the board that it was in their best interest to pursue this funding by way of sponsoring a small competition. One that would stress the STEM curriculum provided here at Howard Community College, although focusing primarily the Engineering discipline. Pitting local Colleges STEM programs to our own.


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Talk:Learning Java/File IO

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title: Talk:Learning Java/File IO


text: Template:Earthquakes

title: Template:Earthquakes


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Tectonic hazards/Seismogram

A seismogram is a record of an earthquake induced motion at a measuring station as a function of time. Seismograms are usually taken by seismometers. Seisometers record motions in three cartesian axes (x, y, and z), with the z axis perpendicular to the Earth's surface and the x- and y- axes parallel to the surface.

Historically, seismograms were recorded on paper attached to rotatingdrums. Some used pens on ordinary paper. Others used light beams to expose photosensitive paper.

Today, almost all seismograms are recorded digitally to make analysis by computer easier. Seismograms are very important for measuring earthquakes using the Richter scale.

Other websites

 * An example seismogram
 * REV, the Rapid Earthquake Viewer Seismograms recorded around the world from recent earthquakes (weeks old) as well as larger earthquakes from the past.

title: Tectonic hazards/Seismogram


title: User:U3026743


text: Category:Copyright issues templates

title: Category:Copyright issues templates


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Category:Files needing copyright information

__NOGALLERY__ Works in this category need copyright and license information.


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Tectonic hazards/Seismometer

Seismometer or seismograph is an instrument that measures motions of the ground, including those generated by earthquakes, nuclear explosions, and other sources. Records of seismic waves called seismograms allow to map the interior of the Earth, and locate, measure or evaluate the size of those different sources.

Other pages

 * The history of early seismometers
 * A Java code applet demonstrating the operation of a damped-mass seismometer
 * Keeping track

title: Tectonic hazards/Seismometer


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Tectonic hazards/Richter scale

The Richter magnitude scale is a scale of numbers to tell the power of earthquakes. American scientist Charles Richter developed the Richter Scale in 1935. His scale was based on the seismograms measured by a particular type of seismometer at a distance of 100 kilometers (62 mi) from the epicenter of earthquake.

Earthquakes that measure 4.5 or higher on the Richter scale can be detected by tools all over the world.

The scale is logarithmic, with a base of 10. The amplitude of an earthquake which scores 3.0 is about 10 times the amplitude of one that scores 2.0 while the energy that is released will increase by a factor of about 32.

title: Tectonic hazards/Richter scale


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User:Jhasslinger/enes100/HamV2

Link to project HAM_V2 team page. Link to team page.

Write problem statement

 * Design and build a low power 30 MHz transceiver matching dipole antenna.
 * Work on getting the Foxhole radio working

Assign Task1

 * Work on getting the foxhole radio to recieve a signal
 * Organize equipment and come up with projects using it
 * Locate parts for antenna build
 * Contact CARA and other local HAM clubs for testing place

Compare actual work done to Task1

 * Went through and organized donated equipment
 * Worked on foxhole radio/ Rebuild

Week1 Narrative
This week, Felix and I went through the boxes of random stuff that Dave donated to us. I started by going through some of the boxes and doing a quick general organization of the items. Felix went through some of the other boxes. We found a lot of neat things including the following; a high voltage probe, a temperature controlled solder gun, multiple routers/network tools, components and antenna wires. Once this was done, i went through the component box in detail. I found some kits and microchips that i could possibly use to make modifications on my FHR. Hopefully i can get my FHR to work.

During this week I worked some more on my FHR. I ended up rebuilding the radio. I replaced the inductor with a sold 24 AWG insulted wire and replaced all the wire with this so that I knew I would have good node connections. I also hooked up the radio up to my 5.1 Speakers with amp so that I could amplify the signal. Once it was reconstructed I tested it. My testing didn't go so well. I got some distortion through my speakers as I moved the pencil over the razor blade however I didn't receive a radio signal. I recorded a video of this test and posted it on youtube:
 * FHR Test1 Video

After testing i tried one of the troubleshooting tips i found in this video: Foxhole radio video (From my first HAM project). It recommended bluing the razor blade which would help improve the detector. Here is my video of me bluing the razor blade: After letting it cool i went and tested the FHR again with this razor blade. I did notice a difference between the non blued and this blued razor blade. there was a little louder distortion, however i still didn't receive a radio signal.
 * Bluing of Razor Blade

I also I worked on one of the kits that I found in the boxes that Dave donated. This Kit was a Low Voltage Audio Amplifier module. I put this kit together in class and plan to use it with the FHR. Instead of using my surround sound system i will use an old pair of headphones and connect the kit in series with a pair of headphones. Here are some pictures of the kit and manual:
 * Low Voltage Audio Amplifier Manual (from Website)

Assign Task2

 * Continue work on FHR
 * Work in battery to circuit
 * Work in Low voltage audio amplifier

 * Come up with presentation on antennas
 * Realign self with team mates project goals
 * Look into other possible projects

Compare actual work done to Task2

 * Worked on presentation for Wk2 work
 * Talked to teammate about future of HAM project
 * Looking into building hovercraft for future project

Week2 Narrative
This week was slow. I didn't have time to work on the foxhole radio much this week and I believe it is a dud. It has been frustrating to work with seeing that I have not been able to get it to work. I plan on moving on with this project in the next week or so.

Also this week i got a speaker to come in and talk to the engineering club on Wednesday. Dr. Gold from JHAPL came in and talked about his MESSENGER mission. The mission's goal was to send a probe to mercury and have it orbit the planet to collect data. It was interesting to learn that the project has been in the works since the early 1990s however it wasnt approved until 2000. This was due to the initial cost in the billions of dollars and as time went on and technology advance, the final cost came down to 350 million dollars. It was also very interesting to learn how they got the probe into mercury's orbit. This was done by a series of flybys that would decrease the speed (energy)of the probe so that by the time it got to mercury it would have the right speed to stay in orbit. This probe was the first one sent to mercury to collect basic data. There are other countries working on probes to be sent to mercury with better instruments for further studies on the planet.

Finally, i started to look into some other projects this week. While going through the list of possible projects i took an interest in the hovercraft project. I have been working on the basic layout of the project and where I plan to take it in the next few weeks. I plan to start up a project page sometime later this week and pursuing my plans. This is a work in progress that I plan to push forward.

Assign Task3

 * Go to National Electronic Museum
 * Prepare presentation on IEM visit to the class
 * Finish up team done page and start work on Hovercraft project

Compare actual work done to Task3

 * Went to the International Electronic Museum
 * Created power point presentation for class presentation

Week3 Narrative
This week i went to the National Electronic museum. It was a great experience for any electrical/electronic enthusiast. They had 12 different exhibits which included : Fundamentals, Communications, Early radars, Cold War radars, Modern radar, Countermeasures, Under Sea, Electro-Optical, Space Sensor, Past, Web and WWII radar exhibits. I found the Fundamentals, past and electro optical exhibits really fascinating. The fundamental rooms covered all the basic theory that has aloud for the evolution of electronics to this day. It also had some great hand on demonstrations that i have at the end of my power point presentation. In the past exhibit, they had original designs of early electronics. They had two straight key setups in the room which is used to communicate with Morse code. They also had a old foxhole radio on display. The thing i found to be the most interesting was a radio setup. In this radio setup you had to turn a dial which would turn a wire through a magnetic field. The only time you would here the radio was when the wire was moving otherwise you wouldn't hear anything. Below is my powerpoint presentation i showed this past week in class:

Here is a link to the National Electronics Museum

I found this neat video on youtube this weekend:|MIT Physics Demo -- Dipole Antenna. This is a demonstration made at MIT to show how energy is transmitted through a RF transmitter. The energy transmitted has enough power to light a light bulb as the angel increases to 90 degrees.

Here is another video i found on youtube. This video explains some basic principles of dipole antennas and how current moves through the antenna with different parameters applied. Wire Antenna Currents

Assign Task4

 * Finish up Team done page
 * Work on next project
 * Order some parts for hovercraft

Compare actual work done to Task4

 * Finished Team done project
 * Created new project pages

Week4 Narrative
This was an easy week. I worked on finishing the team done page.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.

Start Next Project Week0 activities

 * HCJ
 * HCJ Team Page

title: User:Jhasslinger/enes100/HamV2


text:
HAM/Howard Community College/Fall 2011/550 BH^2 V2

Problem Statement
Design and build a field expedient dipole antenna from rudimentary parts, such as wire, string and ceramic insulators and continue to to improve the foxhole radio

Team Members

 * FAB
 * JH

Summary
The HAMV2 project was a continuation of the HAM project started by the majority of the HAM (BH^2) team members. HAMV2 was designed to build on what was accomplished earlier. The focus of our project was to design and build a dipole antenna at the least cost. Using equipment that was donated to us we were able to construct a dipole antenna capable of transmitting in the 7.50MHz range. We culminated our project with a visit to the National Electronics Museum. It was amazing to see how much the study of electronics has evolved since the days of Maxwell, Hertz, and other theoretical physicist. A week by week summary of our progress can be viewed by accessing our Weekly Reports page.

Story
We decided to continue with our HAM project. At the start of this project john planned to continue to work on the fox hole radio and attempt to add some modifications to the setup to get it working. Team member FAB planned to work on building a low power 30 MHz transceiver matching dipole. The two of us also went through and picked out parts from the stuff that Dave donated to us during our first project. John found some interesting circuitry that he thought he could use to help in the foxhole radio and team member FAB found parts that would help him build a dipole antenna.

John decided to rebuild the foxhole radio with some thicker wire to insure that everything was connected. Here is a picture of the Original foxhole radio from the first project and here is a video of the rebuilt foxhole radio. This video is also a test of the foxhole radio. He decided to change the ground and speaker used for this test. The ground used was an electrical ground found in a wall plug. The speaker system used had an amplifier in it in hopes that it would make it a lot easier to hear the radio signal. While testing John was able to hear static from the radio however no signal could be heard. The final attempt to get the radio working was to add a Low Voltage Audio Amplifier Manual in between the detector and the headphone. After testing this new setup, the same results happened from the first testing. No signals were picked up again.

Initially, team member FAB started to research what exactly was needed to build a low power 30 MHz transceiver matching dipole. However, after picking through the donated equipment, there were parts of antennas that would be used to help us learn about antennas and design a antenna and tutorial to help future project goers. There are pictures of two dipole antennas and an antenna made of slinkys. The first picture was one team member FAB completed during this project.

During class we got classmates to help us to measure the length of the dipole arms in order to calculate the targeted waved lengths that could be received. The copper dipole antenna had arm lengths of approximately 20 meters, while the other antenna had one arm of 31 meters. We found out that the second antenna was not a true dipole antenna. From our research we assumed that the dipole antenna was a half wavelength dipole antenna. From this team member FAB used c = λʄ ,where c is the speed of light, λ is the wavelength and ʄ is the frequency, to determine the targeted ʄ of this antenna. The antenna was calculated to transmit and receiver in the 7.5 MHz range. the testing of this antenna could not really be done do to the lack of radio equipment.

Here are some files that team member FAB found to help understand antennas

Finally, team member FAB brought to attention the idea of a field trip to the National Electronic Museum in Linthicum Maryland right by BWI airport. We both decided to go and explore what it had to offer. It was a great experience for any electrical/electronic enthusiast. They had 12 different exhibits which included : Fundamentals, Communications, Early radars, Cold War radars, Modern radar, Countermeasures, Under Sea, Electro-Optical, Space Sensor, Past, Web and WWII radar exhibits. Here is the link to the museum's website Below is a presentation that John put together of our visit to the museum.

Decision List
We used a decision tree to assist us in making decision on key points during project development. The decision tree consists of four pages that highlights key decision points during our project development. Click below to view decision tree:
 * Decision tree

 * Week 0
 * Our group decided to focus on building solely a dipole antenna instead of a dipole antenna and 30MHz transceiver.
 * We agreed to make an attempt to improve the foxhole radio with some of the components received from CARA.
 * We agreed to focus on the theory behind signals transmission and how radio waves propagate throughout the environment.
 * Week 1
 * We decided to focus on building the dipole antenna. No more work will be done on the foxhole radio.
 * We also agreed on taking a practical approach to our project. Instead of trying to teach the the theory of our project, we will just show the practical applications of an antenna.
 * We are going to try to end the project early. We have accumulated enough points to pass.  We need to focus on other projects.
 * Week 2
 * We will be going to the National Electronics Museum on Saturday. We will present the results of our field trip to the class the week of 31 October 2011.
 * We will end the project after week three.
 * Week 3
 * Assign tasks for last week's presentation.
 * Project complete. Ask instructor to grade.( so we thought)
 * Decided to continue to week four of ham project
 * Week 4
 * No significant decisions to report.

Material List
All materials used to construct our antenna was donated by the Columbia Amateur Radio Association.
 * 200' of 14 gauge wire
 * Ceramic insulators
 * Balun
 * 75 ohm cable
 * Support wire to secure antenna
 * Admission fee to National Electronics Museum - $6.00.

Software List

 * Our team used Microsoft's Office Suite for word processing, spreadsheets creation, and and word processing.
 * Google Docs (spreadsheet and presentation)
 * AutoCad Architecture Student Version
 * Autodesk 123D (Schematic)

Time
Click on the link to view a document that shows the amount of time invested by each team member. The times were pulled directly from each team member's personal logbook.
 * Individual Hours

Tutorials
Here is a link to our tutorial on how to build a simple Dipole Antenna

Note:
 * Replace receiver with transceiver.
 * The cable in our drawing is a 75ohm cable

Next Steps

 * Our team succeeded in developing a tutorial for anyone interested in building a dipole antenna that can be used to transmit in the 7.50MHz frequency range. The tutorial along with the other resources listed in the Story section should be enough to successfully construct an operational dipole antenna of any frequency under 30MHz.

 * Next big step for HAM project at HCC will be to get equipment and a licensed operator in order to start a broadcasting center at HCC.


text:
HAM/Howard Community College/Fall 2011/550 BH^2 V2/Weekly Reports

Link to 550 BH^2_V2 team page.

Week 1

 * The initial part of the week was spent inventorying and categorizing the equipment donated by the Columbia Amateur Radio Club (CARA).

 * While inventorying the equipment donated by Dave we found a few antennas that will be at the core of our project development. We will use these antennas to learn how antennas transmit signals and how radio waves propagate throughout the environment.

 * Two of the antennas that were donated to us are dipole antennas. The dipole antenna is one of the easiest antennas to build and use.  It was one of the first antennas built and has been around for a long time.  The dipole antenna can easily be setup between two trees or buildings.

Week 2

 * During week two JH and I agreed to end the project as soon as we are able to accumulate the necessary points to complete the course with the letter grade of an A.

 * During week two we measured the two antennas antennas used during our research. We discovered that one antenna that was believed to be a dipole antenna was actually a long wire antenna.  The long wire antenna measured approximately 32 meters.

 * The dipole antenna measures approximately 20 meters. The antenna is probably a half wave antenna that will enable transmission in the 7.5 MHz range.

 * JH an I agreed to visit the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum, MD and present the results of our findings to the class.

 * Take pictures of our visit to the museum and create a mini-presentation. Our goal is to inspire the computer and electrical engineering students to visit the museum.

Week 3

 * Visit the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum, MD and present the results of our findings to the class.
 * Take pictures of our visit to the museum and create a mini-presentation. Our goal is to inspire the computer and electrical engineering students to visit the museum.
 * This the presentation created by JH using the pictures taken at the museum:
 * Present the results of our field trip during week three.
 * Begin winding down project. Edit all remaining team page sections.

Week 4

 * Prepare for guest speaker Dave Prestel. We need to be prepared to introduce him to the club.  Team member JH needs to get his biography.
 * JH will present the theory behind this |MIT MIT Physics Demo -- Dipole Antenna conducted by students at MIT.
 * We will present our final build of the antenna. The antenna is a horizontally polarized half wave dipole antenna that measures 15 meters.  The transmitting frequency for this antenna is 10MHz.


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User talk:Jhasslinger/enes100/HamV2

Week 0
Great job on the last project. I hope we have as much fun this cycle.Fab4187 01:11, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Week 1
Excellent work getting the foxhole built. Now we need to move on to our next project, antennas. I recommend you take the lead on this project and take it in the direction you are comfortable. Good job with the final presentation of the previous cycle. Thanks for making the Google docs and setting up the guest speakers for the engineering club. The equipment you picked up will also come in handy for our project and future projects. Fab4187 23:05, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

10/10/50 .. good job 1sfoerster 18:47, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

Week 2
You hit a home run with the 1st guest speaker (Dr. Gold). Hopefully the vice president of the Columbia Amateur Radio Club will be as successful. I look forward to going to the museum and putting together our last presentation. Your page looks pretty good. Keep up your motivation as we wind this project down.Fab4187 21:32, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

10/10/10 ... 1sfoerster 19:40, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

Week 3
I like the videos you found related to dipole antennas. I strongly believe you should present the MIT lab video to the class on Wednesday. Professor Foerster will be able to add the science behind the experiment shown in the MIT video. Those were some good pictures you took this weekend. Good job putting the presentation together. Good luck with you next project.Fab4187 19:18, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Week 4
I had a great time working with you. I learned quite a bit from you. Hopefully you were able to learn something from me. Thanks for your hard work on the team page.Fab4187 07:22, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

10/10/20 .... creating team page should be just cutting and pasting from individual pages ... something easy 1sfoerster 21:54, 14 November 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Jhasslinger/enes100/HamV2


text: User talk:Rhorton4549/enes100/HamV2

title: User talk:Rhorton4549/enes100/HamV2


text:
Talk:HAM/Howard Community College/Fall 2011/550 BH^2 V2

Reserved for grading and comments
100/100 .. great job ! 1sfoerster 21:40, 15 November 2011 (UTC)


text: User talk:Fab4187/enes100

title: User talk:Fab4187/enes100


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Talk:Engineering Projects/Rubberband gun/Howard Community College/fall2011/550 JHK

This site has different models for rubberband guns and animations for releasing rubberbands. The ramp release method looks the most interesting. - Kjaved373 02:44, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

90/100 ... no poster ... one number 1sfoerster 21:48, 15 November 2011 (UTC) 100/100 ... good poster 1sfoerster 20:23, 21 November 2011 (UTC)