Team:Cornell/notebook/drylab/week 5

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Progress Log
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Week 5

  • Sunday, July 1, 2012

    Focus: Notebook Section of the Website

    The student engineer’s solution to an engaging, well-organized blog? Hashtags. Details
    Entry:
    This afternoon, Dan organized a dry lab meeting focused mostly on the team website. Most of us met our main website designer Eric for the first time today. Tall, skinny and pale, Eric was not timid when it came to voicing his opinions about the website layout. His professionalism and grasp on modern style convinced us that he was the right person to spearhead the construction of our new website.

    The subteam discussed the format of the website’s “notebook” section. An ensuing heated debate led us to reevaluate the purpose of the notebook. We drew inspiration primarily from DTU and Imperial College London’s iGEM websites. And we finally agreed that the notebook should be more than a log of activities and should be lean closer toward a blog, conveying information in an engaging, well-organized manner. The notebook would be divided into two general categories: biological and mechanical--each category further dividing into detailed sections (such as naphthalene or chassis design). We decided to emphasize structure with the use of hashtags. Ultimately, entries would start with the date and an interesting one-sentence overview, briefly narrate the day’s events, and end with relevant hashtags.

    #website #notebook #hashtag

    Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Focus: Design of Chassis

    Septimus Prime is the first remote surveillance aquatic vessel equipped to monitor various toxin levels in the water for months at a time. Details
    Entry:
    Digging into the details about the chassis, Dan, Manny and I struggled with the roof design. We shied away from a domed roof because of limitations in the machine shop. When we found that that polycarbonate can be bent through heat treatment, so we considered a trapezoidal ceiling that would fit over 3 solar panels. After juggling back and forth between round and edged roof, we went with a triangular roof and a trapezoidal base, creating a septagon (more commonly termed, heptagon) profile. Standing true to our geek roots, we dubbed our prototype “Septimus Prime,” the first remote surveillance vessel equipped to monitor various toxin levels in water for months at a time.

    #chassis #optimus prime

    Friday, July 6, 2012

    Focus: Weight of Chassis; Consideration of Materials

    Not fond of heavy metal, our ears welcome the sound of plastics. Details
    Entry:
    Grabbing our usual tables in the Duffield atrium, we talked about the numbers needed to keep Septimus Prime afloat. In its 120 lb glory, a volume of 0.085m³ is required; however, only the device only holds 0.02m³. We thought it best to deal with the issue by attaching buoys rather than expanding the chassis, which would greatly inhibit portability. Manuel then brought up the figures for the chassis. Weighing around 20 lbs, the chassis should be made lighter. Potential solutions included cutting wedges out of the ¾” aluminum walls and decreasing the number of internal support rods. Ultimately, we opted for another material: polyethylene. Almost as strong as aluminum for about a fifth of its weight and a sixth of its price, polyethylene is a more economical material in every way. Go, plastics!

    #chassis #material selection

    Saturday, July 7, 2012

    Focus: Re-design of Chassis

    Worrying about getting wet, the dry lab team likes to stay dry. Details
    Entry:
    Today, we discussed another problem: sealing. With the current design we had, we needed to completely seal the large opening that is around (or a little below) water level in order to prevent any water from seeping in. We initially planned to put rubber between the top and bottom compartments and screw them together, but we thought that it may make a maintenance more tedious and that it might still be inadequate waterproofing.

    Instead, we came up with an idea to move the opening itself higher so that it would be above the water level. We also decided to contact rapid prototyping (i.e., 3D printing) companies to see if we can make the whole chassis in only two solid pieces, a body and a door, instead of having several parts to be constructed. If we do find a company to do this for u, there would be no error from machining to worry about. Sealing problem solved.

    #chassis #waterproofing
  • Sunday, July 1, 2012

    This afternoon, Dan organized a dry lab meeting focused mostly on the team website. Most of us met our main website designer Eric for the first time today. Tall, skinny and pale, Eric was not timid when it came to voicing his opinions about the website layout. His professionalism and grasp on modern style convinced us that he was the right person to spearhead the construction of our new website.

    The subteam discussed the format of the website’s “notebook” section. An ensuing heated debate led us to reevaluate the purpose of the notebook. We drew inspiration primarily from DTU and Imperial College London’s iGEM websites. And we finally agreed that the notebook should be more than a log of activities and should be lean closer toward a blog, conveying information in an engaging, well-organized manner. The notebook would be divided into two general categories: biological and mechanical--each category further dividing into detailed sections (such as naphthalene or chassis design). We decided to emphasize structure with the use of hashtags. Ultimately, entries would start with the date and an interesting one-sentence overview, briefly narrate the day’s events, and end with relevant hashtags.

    #website #notebook #hashtag

    Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Digging into the details about the chassis, Dan, Manny and I struggled with the roof design. We shied away from a domed roof because of limitations in the machine shop. When we found that that polycarbonate can be bent through heat treatment, so we considered a trapezoidal ceiling that would fit over 3 solar panels. After juggling back and forth between round and edged roof, we went with a triangular roof and a trapezoidal base, creating a septagon (more commonly termed, heptagon) profile. Standing true to our geek roots, we dubbed our prototype “Septimus Prime,” the first remote surveillance vessel equipped to monitor various toxin levels in water for months at a time.

    #chassis #optimus prime

    Friday, July 6, 2012

    Grabbing our usual tables in the Duffield atrium, we talked about the numbers needed to keep Septimus Prime afloat. In its 120 lb glory, a volume of 0.085m³ is required; however, only the device only holds 0.02m³. We thought it best to deal with the issue by attaching buoys rather than expanding the chassis, which would greatly inhibit portability. Manuel then brought up the figures for the chassis. Weighing around 20 lbs, the chassis should be made lighter. Potential solutions included cutting wedges out of the ¾” aluminum walls and decreasing the number of internal support rods. Ultimately, we opted for another material: polyethylene. Almost as strong as aluminum for about a fifth of its weight and a sixth of its price, polyethylene is a more economical material in every way. Go, plastics!

    #chassis #material selection

    Saturday, July 7, 2012

    Today, we discussed another problem: sealing. With the current design we had, we needed to completely seal the large opening that is around (or a little below) water level in order to prevent any water from seeping in. We initially planned to put rubber between the top and bottom compartments and screw them together, but we thought that it may make a maintenance more tedious and that it might still be inadequate waterproofing.

    Instead, we came up with an idea to move the opening itself higher so that it would be above the water level. We also decided to contact rapid prototyping (i.e., 3D printing) companies to see if we can make the whole chassis in only two solid pieces, a body and a door, instead of having several parts to be constructed. If we do find a company to do this for u, there would be no error from machining to worry about. Sealing problem solved.

    #chassis #waterproofing
  • Sunday, July 1, 2012

    Focus: Notebook Section of the Website

    The student engineer’s solution to an engaging, well-organized blog? Hashtags.
    Entry:
    This afternoon, Dan organized a dry lab meeting focused mostly on the team website. Most of us met our main website designer Eric for the first time today. Tall, skinny and pale, Eric was not timid when it came to voicing his opinions about the website layout. His professionalism and grasp on modern style convinced us that he was the right person to spearhead the construction of our new website.

    The subteam discussed the format of the website’s “notebook” section. An ensuing heated debate led us to reevaluate the purpose of the notebook. We drew inspiration primarily from DTU and Imperial College London’s iGEM websites. And we finally agreed that the notebook should be more than a log of activities and should be lean closer toward a blog, conveying information in an engaging, well-organized manner. The notebook would be divided into two general categories: biological and mechanical--each category further dividing into detailed sections (such as naphthalene or chassis design). We decided to emphasize structure with the use of hashtags. Ultimately, entries would start with the date and an interesting one-sentence overview, briefly narrate the day’s events, and end with relevant hashtags.

    #website #notebook #hashtag

    Tuesday, July 3, 2012

    Focus: Design of Chassis

    Septimus Prime is the first remote surveillance aquatic vessel equipped to monitor various toxin levels in the water for months at a time.
    Entry:
    Digging into the details about the chassis, Dan, Manny and I struggled with the roof design. We shied away from a domed roof because of limitations in the machine shop. When we found that that polycarbonate can be bent through heat treatment, so we considered a trapezoidal ceiling that would fit over 3 solar panels. After juggling back and forth between round and edged roof, we went with a triangular roof and a trapezoidal base, creating a septagon (more commonly termed, heptagon) profile. Standing true to our geek roots, we dubbed our prototype “Septimus Prime,” the first remote surveillance vessel equipped to monitor various toxin levels in water for months at a time.

    #chassis #optimus prime

    Friday, July 6, 2012

    Focus: Weight of Chassis; Consideration of Materials

    Not fond of heavy metal, our ears welcome the sound of plastics.
    Entry:
    Grabbing our usual tables in the Duffield atrium, we talked about the numbers needed to keep Septimus Prime afloat. In its 120 lb glory, a volume of 0.085m³ is required; however, only the device only holds 0.02m³. We thought it best to deal with the issue by attaching buoys rather than expanding the chassis, which would greatly inhibit portability. Manuel then brought up the figures for the chassis. Weighing around 20 lbs, the chassis should be made lighter. Potential solutions included cutting wedges out of the ¾” aluminum walls and decreasing the number of internal support rods. Ultimately, we opted for another material: polyethylene. Almost as strong as aluminum for about a fifth of its weight and a sixth of its price, polyethylene is a more economical material in every way. Go, plastics!

    #chassis #material selection

    Saturday, July 7, 2012

    Focus: Re-design of Chassis

    Worrying about getting wet, the dry lab team likes to stay dry.
    Entry:
    Today, we discussed another problem: sealing. With the current design we had, we needed to completely seal the large opening that is around (or a little below) water level in order to prevent any water from seeping in. We initially planned to put rubber between the top and bottom compartments and screw them together, but we thought that it may make a maintenance more tedious and that it might still be inadequate waterproofing.

    Instead, we came up with an idea to move the opening itself higher so that it would be above the water level. We also decided to contact rapid prototyping (i.e., 3D printing) companies to see if we can make the whole chassis in only two solid pieces, a body and a door, instead of having several parts to be constructed. If we do find a company to do this for u, there would be no error from machining to worry about. Sealing problem solved.

    #chassis #waterproofing