Hybrid Car Battery (Semester I)
Alternative energy powered vehicles are becoming more prominent on the roads. You can't go 5 miles without seeing a Toyota Prius, the Chevrolet Volt is now becoming popular with it's absence of petroleum fuel, as with the Tesla Roadster, which combines sport-car performance with zero emissions. As you might expect, it was our turn to contribute to the this growing field.
The Korean Auto Maker Hyundai has an open call for submissions with hybrid car designs. It was this challenge that formed the basis of this project. Of course, we haven't the time or funds to construct an entire hybrid vehicle, so we were to construct a small prototype utilizing the form of alternative energy viable for use on a full size commercial vehicle. The machine we constructed (shown at right) is powered with a 9v alkaline power cell; something you might expect to find in a television remote. This is to stand in for a Lithium rechargeable power cell you might expect to find in a full size car. This provided more than enough power our second motor (something caught fire in the first one and was promptly retired), even after all the resistance from the mess of circuitry mounted to the top. The circuit in question was designed for two motors and an electronic trim system, none of which were ever included.
The Korean Auto Maker Hyundai has an open call for submissions with hybrid car designs. It was this challenge that formed the basis of this project. Of course, we haven't the time or funds to construct an entire hybrid vehicle, so we were to construct a small prototype utilizing the form of alternative energy viable for use on a full size commercial vehicle. The machine we constructed (shown at right) is powered with a 9v alkaline power cell; something you might expect to find in a television remote. This is to stand in for a Lithium rechargeable power cell you might expect to find in a full size car. This provided more than enough power our second motor (something caught fire in the first one and was promptly retired), even after all the resistance from the mess of circuitry mounted to the top. The circuit in question was designed for two motors and an electronic trim system, none of which were ever included.
To drive the rear axle, we had a 0.75cm hear attached to the motor shaft. this turned a much larger gear wheel attached to the main axle. This allowed us to pull the 1oo penny mass (in a toy horse trailer), as the gear ratio gives the motor a considerable mechanical advantage. To make the vehicle stop at exactly five meters (another important bit of criteria), we attached a measured length of fishing line to both the front and rear axles. The line is wound around the front, and as the car moves, the front is unwound and is wrapped around the rear axle. when the front unravels completely, the rear axle jams, bringing the entire unit to a halt. Along with giving us an extremely accurate stopping mechanism, this system provided the prototype with four-wheel drive capability.
As always, this project was not without it's 'minor' problems. As aforementioned, our first motor went kaput, so we had to bring in another propulsion unit, with it, a new set of measurements. Our stop-system also had plenty of glitches. Before fishing line, we used cotton string. Although strong, this material stretches slightly and compresses, causing unintended halts. There was also to be an elaborate carved wooden body to cover the unit, but alas, it was too heavy for our rather small motor. The completed shell was fitted with wheels and was used to good effect in our presentation. Thank you so much, Mac Weinstock, that carving looked amazing!
In retrospect, perhaps choosing a simpler design would have done our project a massive amount of good. Instead of fiddling around with gears and circuits, we could have built a simple, reliable prototype (springs or rubber bands maybe?) and spent more time trying to refine it, instead of adding the last bits the day of the presentation. Lesson Learned: simplicity is better.
As always, this project was not without it's 'minor' problems. As aforementioned, our first motor went kaput, so we had to bring in another propulsion unit, with it, a new set of measurements. Our stop-system also had plenty of glitches. Before fishing line, we used cotton string. Although strong, this material stretches slightly and compresses, causing unintended halts. There was also to be an elaborate carved wooden body to cover the unit, but alas, it was too heavy for our rather small motor. The completed shell was fitted with wheels and was used to good effect in our presentation. Thank you so much, Mac Weinstock, that carving looked amazing!
In retrospect, perhaps choosing a simpler design would have done our project a massive amount of good. Instead of fiddling around with gears and circuits, we could have built a simple, reliable prototype (springs or rubber bands maybe?) and spent more time trying to refine it, instead of adding the last bits the day of the presentation. Lesson Learned: simplicity is better.