Temperature Task

[adambaine]

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

thanks, we ended up being able to snag a coil of bimetallic strip from an old thermostat with a piece of wire going across it that bridges an electrical connection when it gets cold and curls up. We'll probably end up doing some kind of class 1 lever with a counterweight that weighs barely less than the blocks for the block stacking. It's pretty ghetto but our invitational is tomorrow so it was kind of the best we could do on such short notice. We'll try out the resistor and relay though

[Hatch]

If we have a heating element running prior to the start time, would that be considered a penalty??

[Primate]

If we have a heating element running prior to the start time, would that be considered a penalty??

As far as I know, nope. The penalty just concerns motors.

[questionguy]

So I tried using one of the bimetallic coils you find in an outdoor thermometer, but it didn't work. I attached the nichrome to the end of it, and the wire got hot, but the coil did not move. Is there another way to connect it?

[Hatch]

Are we allowed to use ammonium nitrate?

[chalker]

Are we allowed to use ammonium nitrate?

There is a FAQ related to this on the soinc.org website: http://soinc.org/node/626

I recommend regularly checking the official FAQs and clarifications since they are constantly being updated:
http://soinc.org/frequently_asked_questions
http://soinc.org/official_rules_clarif

[Hatch]

Thanks!!

[Paradox21]

So I tried using one of the bimetallic coils you find in an outdoor thermometer, but it didn't work. I attached the nichrome to the end of it, and the wire got hot, but the coil did not move. Is there another way to connect it?

You want your coil to be free to twist and expand, it sounds like your nichrome might be acting like a tether. You also want to make sure you have lots of surface area in contact between the nichrome and the coil, this will allow heat to be transferred faster.

[Pandemonium]

Can someone explain to me why Peltiers are illegal? I mean, just the plate itself. According to http://www.peltier-info.com/photos.html, it is just ceramic plates, semiconductors, and copper. I'm asking about just the plate itself. As far as I know, ceramics and copper aren't electronic devices, and conductors are allowed.

I'm kind of confused by the whole IC thing, too.

[Primate]

Can someone explain to me why Peltiers are illegal? I mean, just the plate itself. According to http://www.peltier-info.com/photos.html, it is just ceramic plates, semiconductors, and copper. I'm asking about just the plate itself. As far as I know, ceramics and copper aren't electronic devices, and conductors are allowed.

I'm kind of confused by the whole IC thing, too.

They don't want any computers, so they place a blanket ban on anything remotely computer-related. That includes ICs, microcontrollers, transistors, etc. If your Peltier is strictly ceramic plates, semiconductors, and copper, that's no problem; just make sure it doesn't have any sensing gizmos and whatnot.