The Bonds
Team Information
| Car Name: The BMW | |
| Team Name: The Bonds | |
| School Name: NSU University School | |
| Team Members Names: Liam M, and Sebastian L. |
Design Documentation
Project Log
| Date | Hours | Tasks | Obstacles Encountered | Modifications to Car |
| 3/2 | 1 | Thinking about design and made drawing. | Hard to choose design. | |
| 3/9 | 1 | Got the materials and cut body and planned out where everything would go. | ||
| 3/16 | 1 | Put together wheels, axels, and spacers. Put wheels and axel gear on car. | It was challenging to get wheels straight. We used a t-square. | Added wheels, axels and spacers to body. |
| 3/23 | 1 | Created battery/switch/motor circuit. Attached alligator clips to motor. Attached motors and circuits to car. I tested it in the ball on battery today. | Not going straight. | Added battery pack, switch and motor to car. |
| 3/30 | 1 | I decided how to hold up the solar panel. I added wood sides to car. Attached velcro to car and solar panel. | Loosened glue and moved wheel slightly so it would go straight. Added wood to support panel and velcro to hold panel to car. | |
| 3/31 | 1 | Attached guide for the guidewire. I used a piece of a binder comb. First I had it on the side then moved it under the car. | I couldn’t get the height right for the side binder comb for the guidewire. I solved the problem by putting it on the bottom of the car. | Added guide for guidewire. |
| 4/6 | 1 | Tried the car in the sun. Realized that there is something wrong with the solar panel. | Something wrong with the solar panel because it runs well on battery but slowly on panel. | |
| 4/7 | 1 | We replaced the solar panel. This seemed to solve the problem. We also cut down the angle of the wood supports because the solar panel wasn’t getting enough sun. | The angle wasn’t allowing enough sunlight to hit the panel. | Replaced the solar panel. Changed angle of panel by cutting wood supports |
| 4/8 | 0.5 | I tested the car again outside. The changes helped a lot. | ||
| 4/20 | 1 | School competition | Going straight but something is slowing it down a bit. Maybe friction on the guidewire. | |
| 4/21 | 1 | Ran car on battery. | ||
| 4/24 | 0.5 | Tested car on battery. |
Design Drawings
Finished Car Specifications
| Car Size with Panel | Length: 27 1/2 cm | Width: 13 1/2 cm | Height: 10 cm |
| Weight with Panel | 267 g | ||
| Wheel size | Front wheels: 3 1/2 cm | Back wheels: 3 1/2 cm | |
| Gear Ratio | motor gear: axle gear 20 : 50 = 2 : 5 |
Materials Used
| Material | Cost |
| New: | |
| Pitsco Ray Catcher solar panel | 38.25 |
| motor | 5.25 |
| wheels, tires, axles, and axel gears – Solar Made accessory bag | 3.99 |
| balsa wood | 2.31 |
| spacers for bearings (4) | 0.26 |
| rocker switch | 0.50 |
| alligator clips (2) | 0.99 |
| piece of black binder comb for guide wire | 0.07 |
| velcro | 0.14 |
| Consumables: | |
| tape | |
| hot glue sticks | |
| solder |
Test Results / Trial Runs
| Test Runs 1 – date: 4/6/2022 Weather conditions: Partly cloudy When the sun was out we ran on solar panel. When it was behind the clouds we ran it on battery. Observations of results: For some reason the car is running fast on battery but slowly on panel Any recommendations for improvements: We are going to check the wires that connect to the panel and if that doesn’t work try replacing the solar panel. |
| Attempt | Time, s | Distance, m | Speed, m/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – solar panel | 11.50 | 14.5 | 1.26 |
| 2 – solar panel | 11.94 | 14.5 | 1.21 |
| 3 – battery | 5.97 | 14.5 | 2.43 |
| 4 – battery | 5.47 | 14.5 | 2.65 |
| Test Runs 2 – date: 4/20/2022 Weather conditions: Partly cloudy When the sun was out we ran on panel. Observations of results: The car is running well but not as fast as before. It may be rubbing on the guide wire. Any recommendations for improvements: |
| Attempt | Time, s | Distance, m | Speed, m/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – panel | 9.03 | 20 | 2.21 |
| 2 – panel | 8.58 | 20 | 2.33 |
| 3 – panel | 7.79 | 20 | 2.57 |
| 4 – panel | 8.37 | 20 | 2.39 |
| Test Runs 3 – date: 4/21/2022 We ran the car on battery Observations of results: Still not running as well as before. Any recommendations for improvements: I will have to try to figure out if there is friction someplace. |
| Attempt | Time, s | Distance, m | Speed, m/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – battery | 8.44 | 20 | 2.37 |
| 2 – battery | 7.10 | 20 | 2.82 |
| 3 – battery | 8.50 | 20 | 2.35 |
| Test Runs 4 – date: 4/24/2022 Partly Cloudy We ran the car on battery early around 8:30 am, then on panel around 10 am. Observations of results: Still not running as well as before. Any recommendations for improvements: I will have to try to figure out if there is friction someplace. |
| Attempt | Time, s | Distance, m | Speedm m/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – battery | 8.47 | 20 | 2.36 |
| 2 – battery | 7.72 | 20 | 2.59 |
| 3 – battery | 7.41 | 20 | 2.70 |
| 4 – panel | 9.25 | 20 | 2.16 |
| 5 – panel | 8.75 | 20 | 2.29 |
| 6 – panel | 8.44 | 20 | 2.37 |
Vehicle Features Video
Additional Information
The fact that you have a diagram of the circuit that is on the solar car is incredible. What a great way to tie it all together!