User:MikeBertrand6/ENES-100/Project 2

Week1 Narrative
The group decided that the task at hand was to build something called a coil gun. To start off the first weekend, I looked up a formal definition for a coil gun. It is defined as a projectile accelerator that consists of one or more coils used as electromagnets. I also looked at a couple examples of pre made coil guns. They can be seen here. After seeing all the different coil guns I noticed they all use capacitors, so I figured I would also take a look at capacitors and what they do. A very basic definition of a capacitor is two plates that conduct electricity and are separated by an insulator. A potential difference forms between the two plates, and an electric field is produced. The advantage to using capacitors is that they can serve as temporary power sources, and they can also provide pulse power because they charge up to give higher voltage than the power source. This results in huge pulses of current when fully charges. This is something that will be necessary for a successful coil gun.

My Second Task
Start looking into switches that could be used for the coil gun.

Week2 Narrative
Since we will be using high voltage in the coil gun, I'm taking a look at high voltage switches. For the most part, I found more experiments than I did switches for sale. However, I found one thing that must be taken into account when making or just getting a switch. Make sure that the charge will not arc when the switch is open.

My Third task
Get a better understanding of circuits. I still feel like I do not understand as much as the other members in my group when it comes to circuits.

Week3 Narrative
Over Spring Break I think I actually found out quite a few things about circuits. I looked up alot of circuit terms and their definitions. Some of these terms are: Volts, Amps, Watts, Ohms, Direct Current, and Alternating Current. Direct Current is when the electrons move in just one direction, where as alternating current the electrons move in both directions at regular intervals. Alternating current is produced by rotating a conductor through a magnetic field. I also found alot of symbols that can be used to draw a circuit. The last thing I looked at was the relationship between capacitors and alternating current vs. direct current. Capacitors actually block direct current once they have reached the voltage of the power source. However, they do pass Alternating current.

My Fourth task
Test my research by applying direct current to a capacitor that is connected to a circuit in series.

Week4 Narrative
Using a 9V battery, 22 gauge wire, and a 25V Capacitor, I tested how the capacitor reacted with direct current. First, I just made the series circuit with only the capacitor connected. Once I connected the circuit, I allowed it to sit for a couple minutes just to ensure that the capacitor charged. Once the circuit had been connected for a sufficient amount of time, I used a volt meter to test the potential difference in the capacitor. The voltmeter read 9V, which agrees with my hypothesis. See the associated /CDIO/ page here.