User:Jacobfeldman1021/project 2

Project Preferences[edit] Project 2): Composting Bin (Gas Chamber) continued Problem Statement[edit]

Week0 Preferences
We were assigned to continue with our previous project of designing and creating a compost bin and measuring system.

Week1 Narrative
The first and most important aspect of the project I had to continue was configuring the gas chamber. The next step in my process was to decide on whether or not to use a fan or an aquarium pump. I landed on using a 12 volt computer fan that I would attach to the top of the chambers nozzle. The nozzles diameter was about one-third the diameter of the fan, so I figured I needed to make some kind of a platform for it to rest on. I tried using different materials, such as styrofoam and plastic. It became evident that the most efficient and effective material for the platform would be cardboard. It is easy to cut, fold, and distort to make a very useful platform for my fan.

I used some scrap cardboard from the Engineering Lab room and created a small platform, just barely larger than the fan. I made a base and folded up four sides in the shape of a square (the perimeter of the fan was a square shape). I cut a hole in the center of the base of the platform so that the nozzle on the chamber fit in almost perfectly. I used glue from a hot glue gun to attach the fan to the platform. The fan (in theory) would blow air both in and out of the chamber; that part was left to Kelly.

Week2 Narrative
During the course of the second week of our project, the main focus was on how to bring the entire system together. We all had plans we liked for our portions of the project, and we discussed how everything was going to be interrelated. We also had to give a presentation at the Thursday seminar class, so we worked together on a powerpoint presentation on our various structures.

I knew that for my fan system to be effective, I needed to incorporate valves into both entrances of the gas chamber. One valve on the inside of the bin, in front of the end of the vacuum tube connected directly to the compost bin, and the other valve on the outside, in front of a hole I drilled on the immediate side of the bin relative to the entrance from the compost bin. I decided to make these two valves out of computer paper. This is because the power of the air flow from the fan was not too strong, and computer paper was just strong enough to stay in place and do its job, and just light enough to be effected by the fan. The idea was that when the fan blows air upwards, air would be pulled out from the bin and excreted. The outside valve would then be forced onto the chamber, preventing outside air from entering. When the fan switched and blew into the chamber, the valve to the bin would close and the outside valve would then open. As far as I was concerned, I had the rest of the gas chamber planned out and ready to be created.

Week3 Narrative
On the Monday of our third week on the project, we came into class ready to start building a hopefully working prototype. When we showed up to class, however, out project had been thrown out by the Engineering department at the school. All we were left with was our original compost bin and the wooden frame surrounding it. Obviously, this set us back immensely and we had nothing to do or show for what we had done. All of our materials, including the computer fans, had also been thrown out, and we were unable to accomplish anything during the entire week. All we had were some pictures of different parts of our old project, and our Engineering notebooks with notes and ideas in them. So, I emailed a professor in the department asking them to replace our materials, which they thankfully did, but on the following Monday however. Without made parts and even basic components, we were set at least two weeks behind on the project, and had to just wait it out unfortunately.

As we waited for our materials, I decided to work on finding a new chamber to use. I looked at several different boxes and bins in my garage, and nothing was really too appealing (did not have any more Orkin containers). On Wednesday in class, thanks to professor Dolge, I had gotten an old cat litter box from the Engineering room. It is a big yellow box with a blue lid that has two 'flaps' that snap down on opposite ends. I drilled a hole in the top of the lid, near the end and centered. This is where I am going to put my new computer fan, once I get one. Now, because of the new lid being flat, I didn't have to build a platform for the fan, it could just be directly attached to the lid itself. I also drilled two more holes, one on the widest side of the new bin for my outside valve, and one on the skinny side for the vacuum tube. Since I had all class to play around with the new bin, I created two new valves, both out of computer paper. I had much more time to make them, so I thought that they were much better. We were able to find some extra PVC pipe in the room, and I helped Asad make a new 'stirring' pipe for the composting bin.

Week4 Narrative
On Monday, we received our new materials to continue working on our project. Instead of using another weak, 12 volt computer fan, I was introduced to using an air-soft bed pump fan. This, naturally, is a much stronger fan and would serve a better purpose for the efficiency of the gas chamber. The problem with this, however, was that this new fan was much harder to switch, or 'relay'. Fortunately for me, that was Kelly's job, and he figured it out. The fan was opened and he soldered two wires to it, connected to an ardhuino. Because of the width I had to work with with the new lid, I just placed the fan on top of it so it could just 'sit' there. I was ready to try a test run of my valve system, after I connected the two valves. The fan worked properly, and pulled in just hard enough to be effective for our intended purpose. I decided to drill an additional hole on the opposite side of the lid, and place a second air-soft bed pump there. This way, I could have one fan specified to blow air out of the chamber, and have one fan only blow air into it.

I thought that it would be easiest to connect both of my fans on the outside to create one flow path. I decided to use some of our vacuum tubing to connect both fans to a single piece of PVC pipe. One, horizontal piece with an outlet for air in the middle, directing the gas as far as possible away from the system and the people surrounding it. All that was left to do at this point was to connect everything that we had together and to try to have a working prototype. Kelly had completed the bin and most of the frame, as well as all of the rigorous coding involved in all of the sensors and fans. Asad finished designing a new stirring rod, and was ready to install it. These are what our next steps were, but the project is now over and it is time to move on to the next one.