DTM Week 4, Term 3

This week I have finished my 2D design of my box which will be cut out on the CAM machine, then bended to form a pyramid shape. I also need to make some braces to hold the bottom lid on. I have also decided to make the box waterproof by filling the side with sillicon.

Mockup Box Scale 1:1

2D Design Box

Materials Justification

I am using aluminium for the casing in my solar light because it is durable and lasts in outdoor conditions, I am also using clear plastic for the top of box where the solar panel and LDR sits because it lets light through and is durable.

Evaluation: Solar Light Prototype

Evaluation: Solar Light Prototype

I have made a solar rechargeable garden light that charges in the presence of sunlight and turns on when it is dark. The box which contains the circuitry and wires is a box made of aluminium and has brackets on each of the side corners which are held in with rivets. On the bottom of the box is a lid which can be unscrewed and removed if necessary. There is a solar panel which sits on top of the box and charges the battery inside the box, which in turn powers the circuit and LEDs which are placed on either side of the solar panel. The battery inside the box is contained by a battery holder which is glued onto the inside wall of the box opposite the circuit which is also glued to the side of the box.

Updated Freehand Design

DTM Term 3 Week 3

This week in DTM I finished my cardboard mockup of my solar light. I made it to 1:1 scale, and changed some measurements from my original design slightly to improve the appearance of the casing, the change was also updated in my freehand design. Also I have completed my evaluation of my prototype

DTM Term 3 Week 1

This is the first week back at school in term 3

Working Box Without Glued Solar Panel

DTM Week 8 Term 2

This week I glued my circut into my box and put my leds through the holes, and soldered and glued the solar panel on top of the box, and also glued my battery holder in, I have tested the light and it works perfectly

DTM Week 7 Term 2

This week I finished off my circut by soldering on the leds, solar panel, and battery holder. I now have a working circut and have just put it inside my box but have not yet had time to glue it in place. I encountered some problems such as finding that I had put the rivet holes in too close to each other so had to change them

Side Brackets

Holes Drilled Out - Bottom Bracket

Box Almost Complete

DTM Week 4 Term 2

This week in DTM I have sketched and folded my box at a 90 degree angle and drilled my four holes (two for the lights and two for the solar panel) I have also started on making side brackets which hold the box together

Alluminium Box Bent

Materials Research

Acrylic
Acrylic plastics, are polymers (and copolymers) of derivatives of acrylic acid, H2C. The best-known acrylic plastic, sold under the trade names Plexiglas and Lucite, is polymethyl methacrylate. It takes a high polish, is clear and colorless, and is transparent to visible and ultraviolet light. Since it is a thermoplastic, it can be shaped while hot to form a number of objects, such as windshields for airplanes and transparent ornamental objects. Other esters of acrylic acid and methylacrylic acid similarly polymerize and copolymerize to transparent thermoplastics, differing somewhat in hardness and in softening temperatures.

Stainless Steel
Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance, relative inexpense, and familiar luster make it an ideal base material for a host of commercial applications. There are over 150 grades of stainless steel, of which fifteen are most common. The alloy is milled into coils, sheets, plates, bars, wire, and tubing to be used in cookware, cutlery, hardware, surgical instruments, major appliances, industrial equipment, a structural alloy in automotive and aerospace assembly and building material in skyscrapers and other large buildings. Orange juice tankers (sometimes also other chemical tankers) often have their tanks made of stainless steel. Stainless steel is also used for jewelry and watches. The most common stainless steel alloy used for jewelry is 316L. It can be re-finished by any jeweler and, unlike silver, will not oxidize and turn black. Stainless steel is 100% recyclable. In fact, an average stainless steel object is composed of about 60% recycled material, 25% originating from end-of-life products and 35% coming from manufacturing processes.


Plastic
A plastic is made up principally of a binder together with plasticizers, fillers, pigments, and other additives. The binder gives a plastic its main characteristics and usually its name. Thus, polyvinyl chloride is both the name of a binder and the name of a plastic into which it is made. Binders may be natural materials, e.g., cellulose derivatives, casein, or milk protein, but are more commonly synthetic resins.

Fiber Glass
Fiber Glass is a thread made from glass. It is made by forcing molten glass through a kind of sieve, thereby spinning it into threads. Fiberglass is strong, durable, and impervious to many caustics and to extreme temperatures. For those qualities, fabrics woven from the glass threads are widely used for industrial purposes. Fiberglass fabrics can also be made to resemble silks and cotton and are used for curtains and drapery. A wide variety of materials are made by combining fiberglass with plastic. These materials, which are rust proof, are molded into the shape required or pressed into flat sheets. Boat hulls, automobile bodies, and roofing and ceiling compositions are some of the uses to which such material is put.


Reference:
Wikipedia

Template Net

Alluminium Sheets Being Cut

Case Being Cut

Case Cut

Case

Brackets Being Cut

Brackets Cut

Brackets

Brief

Client: Dr Tony House
Stakeholder: Myself
I need to create a self powered light to light up poacita in the coramandel
Constraints: Weather proof, self powered, automaticly turn off in day and on at night
Research: Materials, poacita, solar panels, rustproof materials (stainless steel, plastic, aluminium, brass, copper)