Temperature Task

[elmono]

I have found that using a heat only thermostat from Honeywell works well. I just purchased the cheapest one and I connected two leads to the electrical connections and it will close a curciut. <http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-YCT30A1 ... B002PNE00Q> this is the link for the model i purchased.

So for the thermostat idea, how does it work? Do you have to apply heat using nichrome wire or something else?

I think you have to just complete a circuit with alligator clips or other conducting wire

[Primate]

I have found that using a heat only thermostat from Honeywell works well. I just purchased the cheapest one and I connected two leads to the electrical connections and it will close a curciut. <http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-YCT30A1 ... B002PNE00Q> this is the link for the model i purchased.

So for the thermostat idea, how does it work? Do you have to apply heat using nichrome wire or something else?

I think you have to just complete a circuit with alligator clips or other conducting wire

But you will need something like nichrome that gets very hot, very fast.

[questionguy]

So, i'm still confused, when the thermostat is heated by the nichrome wire it will connect the circuit and then when the current is cut off to the nichrome, the circuit is turned off? If so, how?

[yousmellchinese123]

So, having this information coming from a past task, I assume that you guys have had success with the bimetallic strip.
What would you guys advise heating it up, or cooling it down, and do you know how far it would uncurl or curl.

Either heating or cooling is fine, just have to make sure that your next task doesn't require something with a huge input force; the bimetallic strip bending does not exert much force.

As to how far it would curl/uncurl, the only way to find out would be to heat the strip up and see.

Thanks haha, after I finally started testing and I found out that this can actually do alot. .

Primate: I tested it just by connecting conductive wire to the strip, works perfectly fine without nichrome.

My question: We can have this set on before the run with a switch like the electromagnet of last year right, it's technically running electricity through it and is not a motor. So it's an energy device?

[Primate]

So, having this information coming from a past task, I assume that you guys have had success with the bimetallic strip.
What would you guys advise heating it up, or cooling it down, and do you know how far it would uncurl or curl.

Either heating or cooling is fine, just have to make sure that your next task doesn't require something with a huge input force; the bimetallic strip bending does not exert much force.

As to how far it would curl/uncurl, the only way to find out would be to heat the strip up and see.

Thanks haha, after I finally started testing and I found out that this can actually do alot. .

Primate: I tested it just by connecting conductive wire to the strip, works perfectly fine without nichrome.

My question: We can have this set on before the run with a switch like the electromagnet of last year right, it's technically running electricity through it and is not a motor. So it's an energy device?

Yeah, absolutely. Make sure you hook it up to a 6v lantern battery, though--they'll hold up if there's judging delay.

[adambaine]

Are peltiers even legal this year? There's a specific list of electric components we're allowed to use, and it doesn't include diodes (except for LEDs).

Where is this list you speak of? We have two electrical circuits that involve ICs, voltage regulators, mosfets, and temperature sensors. They're all analog but I didn't know they were restricting it even further.

[DeltaHat]

Section 3.d (i think) of the rules.

Electric components must be limited to batteries, wires, motors, mechanical switches, LEDs and light bulbs. No computers will be permitted in the device

[Primate]

Are peltiers even legal this year? There's a specific list of electric components we're allowed to use, and it doesn't include diodes (except for LEDs).

Where is this list you speak of? We have two electrical circuits that involve ICs, voltage regulators, mosfets, and temperature sensors. They're all analog but I didn't know they were restricting it even further.

Rule 2.e limits electric components to "batteries, wires, resistors, motors, capacitors, solenoids, mechanical switches, electro-mechanical relays, LEDs, and lightbulbs." They also specifically ban computers and ICs. I'm afraid you'll have to do some redesigning. (What were you using the ICs for, anyway?)

[adambaine]

Are peltiers even legal this year? There's a specific list of electric components we're allowed to use, and it doesn't include diodes (except for LEDs).

Where is this list you speak of? We have two electrical circuits that involve ICs, voltage regulators, mosfets, and temperature sensors. They're all analog but I didn't know they were restricting it even further.

Rule 2.e limits electric components to "batteries, wires, resistors, motors, capacitors, solenoids, mechanical switches, electro-mechanical relays, LEDs, and lightbulbs." They also specifically ban computers and ICs. I'm afraid you'll have to do some redesigning. (What were you using the ICs for, anyway?)

For our block stacking task, we have a force sensing resistor that we made out of ESD foam sandwiched between two pieces of pcb going into a comparator. When the resistance gets low enough, it trips a mosfet that allows our fan to turn on. The blocks fall and stack onto the fsr and when the weight of the blocks compresses the foam enough, the fan turns on.

For the cooling task, we have a similar set up except the fsr is replaced with an analog temperature sensor that changes it's output linearly based on the temperature.

[ichaelm]

Yeah, that's pretty illegal. Good thinking though! Try doing it the old-fashioned way and use low-value sensing resistors with a relay.