What Are You Up To Today?

[rickharris]

No pictures but at School we are building our 2nd Electric racing car. A you tube can be seen here [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjb5zmvsZf0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjb5zmvsZf0[/ame] Ours is the Boston Bullet - Aluminium body and Chassis. The first car was based on a kit from the contest organisers as we were sponsored by a local firm.

The second car has been developed totally from scratch so I have been turning up rings and flanges to connect bicycle gears to 250 watt electric motors for the last couple of days. All turned out OK just need to get all the parts to talk to each other.

How we built the first car can be seen here http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-an-electric-racing-car/

The cars are (mainly) built and run by a team of around 12 students aged 11 to 16 - the aim is to go as far as you can in 4 hours on 4 car batteries.

 

[chuck foster]

rick i'm not into electric cars at all but i would like to say thanks for a great video :bow: ............it just sends chills down my spine when i see young minds getting creative and fired up and excited to build something challenging.

if you can could you please let the kids know that i for one would like to congratulate them on a job well done.........first place or last place they are all winners in my book!!!

i wish them all the best with their next car.

chuck

 

[rake60]

That's great stuff Rick!

Thanks for sharing it here.

Rick

 

[jgarrett]

Last Sunday PM I was trying to get my old Sears tiller going and it backfired and sheared the flywheel key. I said to myself..myself where in the world am I going to find one on Sunday. As I walked back into the garage I almost ran over my mill..I had a replacement made in less than 5 min.. First real "Part" other than engines I made..
Amazing how something so simple can give you a feeling of accomplishment!!!
Julian G.

 

[Divided He ad]

WOW Rick, They're awesome!!!

I was expecting something from scrapyard challenge (junkyard wars I think is your version) when I read your introduction....
Those cars are fantastic!!! ;D

Very respectable position too.

It makes me think back to a competition day we had in school ( a while ago now!!!)
We had to make a structure from 30cm (12") spaghetti sticks and a roll of masking tape, to extend as far from the edge of a table without breaking and use as little materials as possible...We made over 1.5 metres (bout 5 feet). My team of 4 didn't win, but they made a new category for us due to our structure looking like half a suspension bridge and not just a load of bundled spaghetti and tape....So we all won a mars bar and a pack of opal fruits (starbursts) We were so proud..... ;D :big:

I can only imagine how your kids must feel after making such stunning machinery... Well done to all !


Ralph.

 

[CrewCab]

Now, what else is out there that I need and never heard of?

"John Smith's" Smooth Bitter 8) ;D :big: ;D

;D ;D ;D

Dave

 

[rake60]

"John Smith's" Smooth Bitter 8) ;D :big: ;D

;D ;D ;D

Dave

Huh
I wonder if that would make it past the customs inspectors?
Probably not! :'( :big:

Rick

 

[rickharris]

WOW Rick, They're awesome!!!

I was expecting something from scrapyard challenge (junkyard wars I think is your version) when I read your introduction....
Those cars are fantastic!!! ;D

V
I can only imagine how your kids must feel after making such stunning machinery... Well done to all !


Ralph.

Thanks folks for the pat's on the back. The kids appreciate it. We are an english school though Boston in Lincolnshire.

The final in the video was held at Goodwood - Surrey.

 

[John S]

"John Smith's" Smooth Bitter 8) ;D :big: ;D

;D ;D ;D

Dave

God no...........

That stuff is f'kn awful. We have a whole country full of decent beers, Old Peculiar, Old Speckled Hen, Spitfire etc and then we have this dross.

If I were Prime minister I'd either shut them down, convert it to diesel or make it export only.

.

 

[CrewCab]

Hey John ............. I happen to like it 8)


Then again, I must agree Old Peculiar is in a class above ........ however ...... we need to introduce our overseas cousins to propper beer one step at a time ............ imho having all forms of Lager placed on the "banned substances" register would be a good start ;D :big: ;D

CC

 

[Divided He ad]

We are an English school though Boston in Lincolnshire

:big: Now that's pretty funny, Boston! you know where I went wrong obviously!!? ;D

In that case I'm even more impressed.... how did you get that one past the school inspectors?

I wish I was still in school...better still yours! I'd have loved to do stuff like that when I was a kid.... What am I saying? I'd still like to do stuff like that now!! ;D


When do they start to build engines?


Ralph.

 

[mklotz]

we need to introduce our overseas cousins to propper beer one step at a time ............ imho having all forms of Lager placed on the "banned substances" register would be a good start ;D :big: ;D

Good idea. Put them on the list right after Bovril, Marmite and Vegemite.

 

[ksouers]

Thanks folks for the pat's on the back. The kids appreciate it. We are an english school though Boston in Lincolnshire.

The final in the video was held at Goodwood - Surrey.

Cool!! The kids got to run at Goodwood! Bet that was a real treat! I love watching the festival on cable over here.

 

[rickharris]

:big: Now that's pretty funny, Boston! you know where I went wrong obviously!!? ;D

An easy mistake to make - Funny though I always thought I typed in an English accent!

In that case I'm even more impressed.... how did you get that one past the school inspectors?

They were delighted with it - at present until the race season starts the car has pride of place in the school foyer. Risk analysis was a bit of a bug bear but each parent has to sign a blood chitty to say they understand the issues and it isn't a risk free undertaking.

I wish I was still in school...better still yours! I'd have loved to do stuff like that when I was a kid.... What am I saying? I'd still like to do stuff like that now!! ;D

When do they start to build engines?

Ralph.

Believe me you don't really wish you were back at school! Your having a lot more fun and learning more now!!

We have made wobbler's in the past, quite well, and on occasion make wooden models of steam mechanisms as CAD exercises - Actually it is hard to fit them into the restricted curriculum the government forces on us. We looked at teaching engineering but the government has set up a syllabus that is little more than a paper exercise so we didn't do it.

As for kids loving it? Well out of around 600 kids we struggle to get a team of 12 to commit to the racing (no thumb wiggling involved!). In 2 years only 3 parents have turned up and on several occasions team member are withdrawn at the last moment because there parents want to go shopping on that day.

 

[rickharris]

Cool!! The kids got to run at Goodwood! Bet that was a real treat! I love watching the festival on cable over here.

Goodwood is a great site - Pity it's so far away - about 120 miles - We had to camp overnight just up the road from the track. great atmosphere though.

Lots of parents there - about 800 for the final

Lots of high level engineering as well. this is a past winner now retired.

 

[Divided He ad]

Rick,

I loved school .... well all the science, CDT, and electronics anyway ;D I was I believe what you could call a 'problem child' !
You see I knew what I wanted to do and they kept telling me it wasn't part of the curriculum!!!!! As you said

Actually it is hard to fit them into the restricted curriculum the government forces on us. We looked at teaching engineering but the government has set up a syllabus that is little more than a paper exercise so we didn't do it.

That annoys me.... If a kid could be encouraged in various forms of engineering this country would be a far better place. The fact that we import everything instead of make it does not mean that we don't need to encourage engineers anymore!
We as a country are going to come unstuck! As for the parents... You don't want to get me started on that....

Anyway enough ranting.... I'd be more than happy to see some pics of the things you and the kids build, You don't need to fill out a huge post with step by steps... just a few pics now and again to let us see how they do


Ralph.


Oh and a heads up a few weeks before your next event would be nice... I could make the trip, I think it would be fun ;D

 

[rickharris]

Rick,
...
Oh and a heads up a few weeks before your next event would be nice... I could make the trip, I think it would be fun ;D

Our first race of the season will be Rockingham Corby on the 2nd July.

We actually have a test day earlier at RAF Scampton but the public won't be able to go to that.

We will also race at the http://www.tvkc-pfi.co.uk/gallery.php September 11th

The big gap is because of the summer holidays.

There are other races as can be seen in the race diary at http://www.greenpower.co.uk/racing/race_diary.php

The public are welcome at all these events and entry is free!

 

[Bogstandard]

Just bid and won this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-GOLDWIN...58107180QQihZ001QQcategoryZ9806QQcmdZViewItem

Bogs now has 2.75 wings, and loadsa bling.

 

[itowbig]

trying to build a rotary table from a scap band saw. cleaning up my man cave. oiling the machines. towing in between all this. and lets not forget the hunny do list as well.

 

[John S]

trying to build a rotary table from a scap band saw. cleaning up my man cave. oiling the machines. towing in between all this. and lets not forget the hunny do list as well.

Don't talk to me about rotary tables, just converted 10 small 4" ones to stepper drive for CNC and still got six 6" ones to do.
I get bored easily.

.