The Pixelated Pirates
Event Location: Cocoa-FL
Competition: Junior Solar Sprint
Division: 4-6 (JSS Green)
School: Buck Lake Elementary
Team Name: The Pixelated Pirates
Project Name: 4G Internet
Team Size: 2
Our Team
Our names are Andrew and Elliot, and we chose our team name since we both like gaming (a lot). We’re both in fifth grade and in the same class. Our main hobbies are: 1-gaming, 2-soccer, and 3-reading. We have been a team since 2020 doing First Lego League Explore robotics. We are best friends and share a passion for games and outdoor activities.
Car
Our car is named 4G Internet because we went with a gaming theme and 4G internet isn’t that fast compared to the internet of today, and our car might not be that fast. Our car has a purple and green bottom and also two clouds that are from Mario Kart. The car has multiple game titles that are hanging off the solar panel too.
Engineering Design Process
We chose our decorations since we both like video games, and we chose how the car would go since we both thought it would be easier and possibly make the car faster if we used a pulley instead of gears, and we realized a flat solar panel supported in the air would get more energy.
Flow of Energy
The sun powers the solar panel, while the wires bring energy from the solar panel to the generator. The generator moves, pulling the pulley which makes the wheel move, making the car go.
Car Photos
Performance Video
Car Sketches/Journal Notes
Car Specifications
| Length | 45 cm |
| Width | 18.5 cm |
| Height | 11 cm |
| Weight | 219 grams |
| Solar Panel Dimensions | 33.5 cm long 12 cm wide |
| Rear Wheel Diameter | 6 cm |
| Front Wheel Diameter | 5 cm |
Solar Time Trials
| Trial | Distance | Time | Speed | Conditions | Comments |
| 1 | 10m | 19.26 | 0.519 meters per second | sunny | |
| 2 | 10m | 18.34 | 0.545 meters per second | sunny | |
| 3 | 10m | 21.69 | 0.461 meters per second | somewhat cloudy |
Battery Pack Trial
| Trial | Distance | Time | Speed | Conditions | Comments |
| 1 | 10m | 21.45 | 0.466 meters per second | cloudy | S L O W W W . . . |
| 2 | 10m | 19.47 | 0.513 meters per second | cloudy | |
| 3 | 10 | 20.12 | 0.497 meters per second | I did this after it rained:) |
Reflections and Bloopers
The generator broke on DAY 6! (fixed on same day) Day 14: We found out one of the wheels wasn’t taped at all. No wonder the car sucked! (p.s. it still sucks. “day 17”) The car was accidentally thrown away by the school custodians. WHYYYY
Special Thanks
Miss Perez for all the materials, and all the other Buck Lake 5th grade teams for support.
So sorry you lost your car. It looked like you put a lot of work into it. Hopefully, you learned some things and enjoyed working on it.