Course Overview
Power technology is all about seeing how engines work. We make cars a have to do certain task with that. Like knowing gear ratios and mechanical advantages.
Lab Safety
Drag Car Project
This is my drag car, it made a pass in 4.7 seconds. Wasn't the fastest but wasn't the slowest. It had a input gear of 40 teeth and a idler gear at 24 teeth and a output gear at 8 teeth. The gear ratio was 40/8 or 1:5 so I went for more speed. In conclusion, I made a car that made a pass down the track in the further I would like for it to be more reliable and maybe have more torque.
Slow Car Project
This project we were tasked with making a car go slow. The challenge was to travel three inches in the longest time possible. For this project I had a understanding on what was going on but didn't know how to put it together. You wanted a compound gear ratio with high torque. I some what complete that i only had a 72:1 Ratio. This project really help me understand the purpose of having compound gears because you can make it in a way were you go super slow or super fast and if you can find the happy middle you will have a really nice car.
King of the Hill Project
What:
For the project we were tasked with making a car go up three different levels of track the fastest. Each track got steeper and more challenging. We had the same Lego kit for this project and the same track from the drag car project. How: I tried many cars for this project some not enough torque and others not fitting in the track. I came up with this idea from doing some research of car and bikes that make it up steep hills. Why: I had a 1:3 gear ratio meaning I had more torque in this car. The shape of the car is mainly built off of a design of the incline plane. I felt like this would work good because the weight would be in the back with thick drive wheels. And Instead of going straight up the hill it would drive into and up the hill. Other Feedback: If I could restart this project I would most definitely change my gear ratio. I tried going up track A and my car failed because it didn't have enough torque to get started. I would try to keep the same design and add a compound gear ratio. |
Alternative Energy Vehicle
What:
On this project we were tasked with building a car that runs on solar energy or hydrogen. The car that we built had to go 10 feet on a flat surface. How: Me and my teammate built a car with a 125:1 gear ratio. This is giving us more torque. We knew that we needed to have more toque because it was a small motor moving a big car. We also wired our electrical system up in a series. We did this because it would produce more voltage and be able to put more power into our motor. Why: Energy is a very hot topic in our economy today so making cars that will run off of different resources is very important. This showed us that some are to expensive or to unreliable. Many can take to much and become inefficient. Other Feedback: This was great project showing us how to work will nuts and screws before moving into our next project. |
Heat Engine Unit Project
Commercial Electrical Systems Unit
What:
In these projects we were tasked with making electrical systems. Each new circuit had a different challenge for me and my partner to do. Including switches, circuits, and outlets. These switches challenged us to make switches control multiple things or have outlets completely hot at all time.
How:
We used the tools given to use to make these circuits work. We used lineman pliers to grab wire, and cable rippers to expose the conductors. We used wire strippers to expose 3/4 of an inch to make terminal loops. After they were made we connected them to the terminals and made the circuit flow.
Why:
You can't see or hear electricity and that is the scary thing about it. If everyone learn about it and understood it it would be much safer. Because people are unexperienced or scared it causes it to be unliked.
In these projects we were tasked with making electrical systems. Each new circuit had a different challenge for me and my partner to do. Including switches, circuits, and outlets. These switches challenged us to make switches control multiple things or have outlets completely hot at all time.
How:
We used the tools given to use to make these circuits work. We used lineman pliers to grab wire, and cable rippers to expose the conductors. We used wire strippers to expose 3/4 of an inch to make terminal loops. After they were made we connected them to the terminals and made the circuit flow.
Why:
You can't see or hear electricity and that is the scary thing about it. If everyone learn about it and understood it it would be much safer. Because people are unexperienced or scared it causes it to be unliked.
Conclusion
This class was great it had its up and downs but it always turned out ok. The class gave great hands on experience and showed me a lot. It gave me a opportunity to work with engines and I've never gad and I fell in love with it.