Things That Go Bang: Student Zone

McMaster-Carr - B's CG Mark II - DigiKey

Final project links

(04/10/03)Final Project: Team Websites

We're still waiting on websites from the Coin Shrinkers and Metal Formers. (Feel free to create a directory in the ttgb_student folder, or let me know if you want me to set you up)

Amanda, Rae, JakeG, Holly, Katie: Tesla Coil Motor
Clara, Janet, Sarah, Steve: Team Clara and the Chophers a.k.a. Tesla Coil Team
Matt, Tom, David, Michael Crayton: Railgun
Mike Curtis, Adam, Caitlin: Coin Shrinker
Ben Donaldson, Jake Basson, Sara S, Ben Bloom: Can Crusher

(04/01/03)Final Project: Less Ethereal Teams

Metal Former: Jake B, Sara S, Ben, Ben
Coin Shrinker: Mike Curtis, Adam H, Caitlin F
Rail Gun: Michael Crayton, Tom K, Matt H, David
Tesla Coil: Sarah L, Amanda (looking for a third)
Tesla Coil: Janet, Steve K, Clara
Tesla Motor: Katie R, Rae, Jake G, Holly

(03/25/03)Final Project: Initial Interest

Metal Former / Disk Launcher
- Sara S
- Jake B
- Ben D
Lichtenberg
- Clara
- Holly
- Ben D
- Jake B
- Caitlin
- Janet
- Sara S
- Steve
- Adam
- Jake G
- David
Rail Gun
- Tom
- Matt
- Mike Curtis
- David
- Michael Crayton
- Adam
Muscle/Tazer/Stun Gun
- Amanda
- Holly
- Caitlin
- Adam
- Targets:
  - Ben D
  - David

Tesla Coil
- Rae(motor)
- Matt
- Clara(cd zap)
- Holly
- Katie(large, motor)
- Mike Curtis
- Amanda
- Janet
- Steve
- Michael Crayton
- David
- Jake G
Coin Shrinking
- Mike Curtis
- Sara S
- Janet

(03/17/03)Checkpoint

Most teams should have a functioning coilgun by now. Whether or not they function "well" or not is a topic for work after break. We will begin the revision process after we get back(I think).

(03/04/03)Parts Ordering:

We've finalized most of the electronics parts; Gill put together the DigiKey order today. McMaster-Carr orders should have been submitted to Gill by email today.

Some modification of the 555 timer circuit was made so that the charger circuit is now self-regulating, based on the current going through the inductor. Gill posted the final circuit we built in PSPICE today on the project-specific page of the website. Or rather, he will at some point. This webpage is at time of writing more updated than the project site. Sad.

We also learned today that deciding the coil specs is hard.

(02/27/03)Team Websites:

Team websites should be up and running, and are located at the top of the page. If anybody cares enough to send me email, I might even make it into a dropdown menu instead of a big chunky line of text like that... :)
Please note that if you're having any technical issues getting your website working, feel free to track Katie down and ask questions.

(02/20/03)Inductive Ring Launcher Coilgun Research

Links:

Barry's Coilgun Sitemap - Huge collection of resources and papers describing issues pertinent to coilguns and inductive-style launchers. Will probably be even more useful for the final project.
Simulator/Design Aid - From Adam's group; somebody knowlegeable please update this page or email me with the URL. This can also be done with PSPICE, but the site offers a simple starting point.
See also the Project Page

Highlights:

The flatter the coil, the proportionally greater the upward component of force acting upon the ring.
We can "stack" transistors in parallel to create more robust switches.
High-power stereos have a lot of the same electrical requirements; they are potential sources for good information.
The Really Big capacitors we'll be using are electrolytic capacitors, and can only have positive voltage going through them, otherwise the oxide eats away and they short circuit and blow up. We'll need a diode to restrict the voltage this way, unless people want to break the bank for dual-direction capacitors.

Other Info:

Review teams for the first project section.

Info for Final Project

Feel free to add as you see fit.

Lichtenberg Figures - 2 Lichtenberg images, brief description.
Lichtenberg(1742-1799) - Historical document about Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.
Tesla Coil Fun - History, photos, construction, physics, safety.
Mike's Electric Stuff - Lots, lots, and lots of homegrown high voltage projects(ideas!).
Teslamania - Burt Hickman's site; Tesla coils, lichtenberg figures.

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Site Maintenance: Katie Rivard
Please send corrections and suggestions, add things directly if you like, I'll keep track periodically to make sure the page(s) still make a decent amount of sense.