Michael Edwards: Fab Academy 2019

Week 13: Applications and Implications

2019.04.10

Individual Assignments:

  1. Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered, answering: Incomplete
    1. What will it do?
    2. Who's done what beforehand?
    3. What materials and components will be required?
    4. Where will they come from?
    5. How much will it cost?
    6. What parts and systems will be made?
    7. What processes will be used?
    8. What tasks need to be completed?
    9. What questions need to be answered?
    10. What is the schedule?
    11. How will it be evaluated?
  2. Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the range of skills covered where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project.
  1. item1
  2. item2
  3. item3

Water Rocket Telemetry

Fab Academy Final Project

Introduction

My project is a nosecone for a water rocket with telemetry logging and automatic parachute deployment at apogee. The core concept is the teaching of basic rocket physics and the goal for the Fab Academy cycle is the development of a working prototype utilising the Fab Lab digital fabrication techniques. The final goal of later development sprials is to build a set of teaching resources around the physics involved for use in secondary schools, after school clubs, STEM clubs or similar.

What will it do?

The project consists of two parts - the first is a telemetry board that logs flight data for a water rocket (or similar). The battery-powered board logs acceleration, speed, altitude, orientation and possibly some meteorological data to an SD card during flight which can then be used to create graphs when transferred to a computer post flight. It will also control a servo or electro magnetic parachute release system - deploying the parachute at apogee.

Who's done what beforehand?

What materials and components will be required?

The data-logging board will require a number of sensors: accelerometer, altitude (barometer or GPS). It will also need battery power and an SD card module to handle the data logging. I intend to investigate making a carbon fibre composite nosecone during Wild Card Week. This may be coupled with a moulded nose tip (rubber or similar impact resistant material to aid crash survival in cases of recovery system failure). The inside of the nosecone will house the electroncis in a 3D printed rollcage to aid continued operation post catastrophic failures (smacking in to the ground at high speed).

Where will they come from?

Bosch BMP388 Barometric Sensor

How much will it cost?

What parts and systems will be made?

What processes will be used?

  • Laser cutting: Electronics cage, nosecone connection
  • 3D printing: Fin tube, thrust connector
  • Vacuum forming: Nosecone
  • Vinyl cutting: Purely aesthetic decals
  • Laser cutting: Electronics cage.

What tasks need to be completed?

What questions need to be answered?

What is the schedule?

How will it be evaluated?

Obstacles

Problem 1

Back to the top

References

Online