Scioly.org

SPP SciO wrote:

Wen wrote:Good to see more discussions. Thanks for the large picture, Chalker. It's a little hard to see what are inside the mesh squares.

Could someone comment on this one?
http://www.pitsco.com/Hover-Craft_I?SKU=59661&
Is it useful (or are the parts useful) for SciOly competition? The Props need to be shielded? It's out of stock so not sure how long it will take to get it.

Do you have a copy of the rules in hand? I'm not trying to be condescending, at all, but you'll definitely want them in hand before making any purchases.

All of the language about battery-powered motors uses the words "may" or "up to," which don't disallow hovercrafts like that one, or some balloon-style ones you may have seen. So, feel free to experiment - it's certainly less complicated (which can lead to more actual testing and experimenting - the whole point of this competition). But, you'll likely want to have them work on some battery powered craft at some point in the season, and leave the rubber fiddling to the Wright Stuff kids

Edit: Rule 4.k - "Vehicles must have an electric switch to permit safe starting." I feel like the intent of the rule was obviously meant for battery powered motors and not to outlaw non-electric vehicles, but, unless that's clarified, play it safe and stick with one of the battery powered models instead.

retired1 wrote: What are the "boxes" that the push motor is setting on?

chalker wrote:

Wen wrote: Oh, it's more than that. They charge another $18+ shipping and $10+ tax. That is why I have been hesitating in ordering it. I also looked over the list. What I'm not sure about are Motor, Plastic Propeller, Axial Fan: what kind should I buy if I go buy them myself? Also Mesh Squares, what are they for? Wooden Dowels: Balsa wood? How thick? A design that shows what goes where will be helpful.

Note that the kit comes with a 10 page document that gives step by step instructions on how to build the device (with pictures of each step)!

sciencekid7 wrote:In the rule 4h, it says,"...as long as the expected voltage across any points does not exceed 9.0 V as calculated by [the batteries'] labels." Does this mean that the proctor will look at the battery, and then decide if the circuit is legal, or will the proctor actually take a voltmeter and measure? Also, does the "points" referenced in the rules refer to the terminals of the battery, or can they just be any two points? We are concerned about voltage spikes, so if some were to occur, will the proctor give us violations?

I assume you are thinking about connecting batteries in series to raise the voltage. A good ES will look for that and catch it.

LIPX3 wrote:Can you use two 9v batteries, one for each motor? I've been doing this so far, but reading the rules again, I'm not as sure.

sciencekid7 wrote:

I assume you are thinking about connecting batteries in series to raise the voltage. A good ES will look for that and catch it.

No, we are not looking into doing that. As of now, we want to do 7xEneloop or 6xAlkaline. The rule seems to imply that as long as commercial batteries connected in series do not exceed 9V, it should be okay. We are concerned that if the voltage anywhere exceeds 9V even though our batteries are less than 9V, we will be dinged. Alkaline batteries are typically 1.6V when fresh and with no load, but they are labeled 1.5V - so can we use 6x alkaline?

There is a prohibition against integrated circuits, but nothing against other electronic components such as individual potentiometers, diodes, transistors etc. We are looking for confirmation that the latter are okay.