User:Touelia/enes100/Weekly Report

Link to team page.

Write problem/project Goal
The project goal is to build a CoreControl system to increase the strength and endurance of the user. The original plan to use use a vacuum cleaner will not work and I will need to find an alternative replacement.

My First Task

 * I will learn to how use Autodesk 123D software.
 * I will create a 3D model of the CoreControl using 123D.

Summary of actual work over first weekend
This week I used Autodesk 123D to draw a digital model of the CoreControl. I spent several hours watching 123D videos on YouTube.

Week1 Narrative
This week I downloaded Autodesk 123D to draw a model of the the CoreControl. After several hours of 123D tutorials on Youtube and began drawing the CoreControl. I ran into several issues while drawing to the CoreControl; my laptop kept freezing up because I had too many objects loaded on 123D, 123D did not have all the shapes I needed, and I had trouble combining the separate parts together. I watched several more videos on Youtube and learned to create 2D shapes and convert them to 3D forms, which also reduced the amount of objects needed to complete the drawing. Lastly, combinign the shapes were actually quite easy, I just needed to find the combine shape function. After I finished the drawing, I loaded them onto our group project page.

My Second Task
I plan on searching online and several local hardware shop for a vacuum pump.

Summary of actual work over second weekend
I planned on using a vacuum for the CoreControl, but the continuous suction from the vacuum will not work. I will need to find an vacuum pump to replace the original vacuum. I drove to several hardware stores and asked several attendants at the plumbing and outdoor section about pumps. They showed me several pumps, but none matched what I needed. After searching the hardware stores I found a site online and read a Do it Yourself Tutorial of CoreControl: http://www.instructables.com/id/CoreControl-DIY/

Week2 Narrative
This week I went to several hardware and auto parts stores to make a list of possible vacuum pumps the team can use for the CoreControl. The auto parts store had several brake bleeder pumps that may work, but they are not automated, which will require the user of the CoreControl to manually control it. I found several vacuum pumps at the hardware store; a siphon pump, a water pump, and several plumbing pumps. The plumbing pumps were rather expensive, so I decided not to use considered them. I did not find any vacuum pumps that were automated at the places I looked, but I will continue to search more sources over the week.

My Third task
Next week I will need to find a starting point for solving our vacuum pump and water pump issue.

Summary of actual work over third weekend
I tested out a couple water pumps I found around the engineering room and found one that may possibly work. After attaching gator cables to the pump and attaching them to the 12v power box, the pump did not work. After submerging the top half underwater it began to pump, but it will not work for the corecontrol because we need to have a pump that can be submerged inside a container filled with water. I checked homedepot.com and found a small water pump that will work. After finding the water pump, I found a couple alternatives for the vacuum pump at Indestrubles, but this pump stood out because it only requires a cheap air compressor and I could attach a gauge to it.

Week3 Narrative
This weekend I tested out several water pumps to use on the CoreControl. Some of the pumps I tested did not work, except for one. The working pump only worked if you have water overhead pressure, which will not work for the CoreControl. After testing the water pumps, I went online and found several pumps that could work, but I chose a small pond water pump that could be found at Home Depot. I also looked online and found a couple vacuum pump DiY that we could work on after we have built a prototype of the CoreControl.

My Fourth task
For the final week, I plan on building a complete CoreControl prototype to be tested.

Summary of actual work over fourth weekend
This week I constructed the corecontrol with the materials we requested, but I had to replace the PVC pipe because the thickness of the pipe was too small and we needed another type of glove to create the vacuum seal. The thicker pvc pipe will allow for the brass pipe coupling to tighten around the pvc to hold it in place. For future construction the pvc pipe may will need to be an inch or so wider for a better fit.

Week4 Narrative
This week I started construction of the corecontrol. I began by cutting a 8" long peice of pvc pipe and marked the pipe at the 4" on opposite sides and a 2" mark on the perpendicular to the 4" markings. I then drilled holes into the PVC pipe and the 4" and 2" mark and installed a 5" brass pipe with nipples through the 4" holes. Once the piping was installed I sealed the pipes with water sealant and left the sealant to dry for 24 hours. After allowing the sealant to dry for 24 hours, I installed couplings to each end of the brass pipe, making sure to apply teflon tape to the threads before attaching and being careful not to tighten the couplings to hard or else it'll twist the pipe and break the sealant. The couplings were then attached to vynll tubing which will circulate water through the brass pipe. I then attached the vynll tubing a water pump to test if it worked and to check for any possible leaks in the pipes. The pumped worked and the pipes had no leaks so I dettached the vynll tubes and the water pump to create space to install the pvc pipe reducer. At the opposite end of the pvc pipe, I installed the pvc pipe reducer by applying pvc primer first, then waited a few seconds before applying pvc cement on both the pvc pipe and inside the pvc pipe reducer. Once both pipes were coated with the cement, I attached the two parts together. I wait an hour for the pipes to stick and applied silicon sealant to the edge where the pvc pipe and pvc piper reducer connected. After the sealant was applied I left the corecontrol to dry for 24 hours. I am now in the process of looking for possible solutions for a vacuum seal.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.