User:Zbennett/enes100/My Work

Write problem/project Goal
Create a Remote control boat that can navigate a lake and shoot BBs to sink other boats.

My First Task
Create preliminary sketches of possible designs/ redesigns of the existing project. Search for RC car/boat to gut for it's RC parts.

Summary of actual work over first weekend
I did not create preliminary sketches, seeing as we have yet to decide on the final type of boat we want (sailboat, catamaran, etc) I did meddle with steam engines, however. I constructed a rudimentary steamboat out of copper pipe, a tin can, and a styrofoam platform. I am wondering if perhaps we can use steam power to propel the boat rather than electric, and use servos to open and close the exhaust ports.

Week1 Narrative
I constructed multiple rudimentary steam boats out of copper pipe, a tin can, and a styrofoam platform. The first one I built was copper pipe in a helix shape with a flame underneath the helix so that once the pipe was filled with water, the water would boil and be ejected from the ends of the pipe. I later used the same principle to build a steamboat using a tin can as the reservoir for the water, so that the engine could run for longer periods of time.

My Second Task
I will experiment with the buoyancy of styrofoam to determine the ballast necessary (if any) for our boat to remain stable while it is in the water.

Summary of actual work over second weekend
I accomplished what I aimed to over the weekend.

Week2 Narrative
I first acquired a .5 gram of styrofoam, which I floated in a body of lukewarm water. Then I took a number of nails, which had been weighed and found to have an average weight of 3.08 grams, and attached them to the block of styrofoam to determine the buoyancy of styrofoam. This is the block with the attached nails. This experiment showed that a .5 gram block of styrofoam is capable of supporting 25 3.08 gram nails (77 grams) at neutral buoyancy in room temperature water. This indicates that a 7 gram block of styrofoam can float a kilogram of weight without sinking below the surface of the water.

My Third task
Look into possible firing mechanisms.

Summary of actual work over third weekend
I looked at the firing mechanism of an airsoft gun that I own, but I'm not sure if it is the same as the one that Sam is planning on using.

Week3 Narrative
I own a Crosman Air Mag C11 Airsoft Pistol, which happens to have clear sides, so the inner workings are easily visible. However, this particular gun is not electric, so I'm not sure that it can function properly on our boat. If we did end up needing to use it, we would have to build a servo with an offset oval, that would activate the trigger every time it rotated.

My Fourth task
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the final weekend of project work.

Summary of actual work over fourth weekend
How is what you did different than what you planned?

Week4 Narrative
Tell a detailed story describing what you did for your team over the weekend.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.