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Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 1st, 2010, 8:07 pm
by ichaelm
illusionist wrote:
E Edgar wrote:In regards to construction, last year I used basswood instead of balsa for extra strength. This year, since I assume the assemblies will have a quite a bit more surface area, I would think that you might even need something sturdier than basswood.

Also, you do not need masses of technology to do well at this event--an X-acto knife worked fine for me.
So did you sand down the bass in order to get it at an acceptable weight? Cause I can only find 1/4 inch bass sheets...
There are thinner ones. You may need to find a better or more specialized hobby shop, or use the internet.

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 2nd, 2010, 2:53 pm
by Bassir
I'm a bit confused how this load resister affects the event if the voltmeter from last year already had some sort of internal resistance.

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 2nd, 2010, 4:38 pm
by ichaelm
Bassir wrote:I'm a bit confused how this load resister affects the event if the voltmeter from last year already had some sort of internal resistance.
A voltmeter has a very high internal resistance. As in, millions of ohms. The resistance is so great that almost no current can get through, so the generator is supplying hardly any power. This year, there is going to be a very low value resistor, as in, 5 to 7.5 ohms. This resistance is low enough that the generator is supplying a lot of current through the resistor, so it is creating a lot more power.

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 15th, 2010, 3:28 pm
by lllazar
Success! I got a cd motor out of a broken cd player my friend gave me - i also obtained a voltmeter. Now can anyone explain to me how i hook up the cd motor and the voltmeter, and also attach the resistors in parallel?

Thanks!

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 15th, 2010, 7:17 pm
by ichaelm
The big motor from the CD player will have 2 wires coming from it. The voltmeter will also have 2 wires coming from it. And, the resistor will have 2 wires coming from it. So, take one wire from each (3 wires), and attach them together. Then take the other three wires, and attach those ones together. You can do this with tape, twisting, clamps, or solder.
And if you need to attach two 10-ohm resistors in parallel, then just replace the number 3 above with 4.

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 16th, 2010, 3:57 am
by illusionist
hey guys. this isnt chessy bob joe. i know you all want him....but he is gone. im actually his arch nemesis blooby joe bob. nice to meet you:D
i have a 100000000000000kw engine. what should i do with it?

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 16th, 2010, 3:58 am
by illusionist
illusionist wrote:hey guys. this isnt chessy bob joe. i know you all want him....but he is gone. im actually his arch nemesis blooby joe bob. nice to meet you:D
i have a 100000000000000kw engine. what should i do with it?
Hey, sorry that was my friend. Please ignore the above message. Por Favor

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 16th, 2010, 6:53 am
by 49ers
quizbowl wrote:apparently one has to build it on site, is that true?
no you build it prior to reaching the competition I do believe. I believe in B division it was called Physical Science Lab. If the rules are anything alike, and they seem to be to me, the blades are built beforehand.
Are there new parts to this event?

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 16th, 2010, 8:19 am
by ichaelm
49ers wrote:
quizbowl wrote:apparently one has to build it on site, is that true?
no you build it prior to reaching the competition I do believe. I believe in B division it was called Physical Science Lab. If the rules are anything alike, and they seem to be to me, the blades are built beforehand.
Are there new parts to this event?
Look at the rules and focus on the bolded words. Those are new. Do you have a copy of the rules?

Re: Wind Power C

Posted: November 16th, 2010, 11:45 am
by 49ers
no unfortunately i do not.

Do we need to provide the voltameter?