ALL HANDS ON DECK!
The team plans on cutting the keel of the boat in order to better serve the outboard motor. This will be done by flipping the boat upside-down and using tools to slice the keel approximately a third way up from the stern. The keel will then have to be re-fiberglassed and painted. The team plans on completing this task in mid-December. Stay tuned for pictures! https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DefinitiveRewardingCuscus-max-1mb.gif
A big thank you to Victron Energy for generously donating two Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPTS). MPPTs are crucial for the electrical system to run at maximum efficiency. The purpose of the MPPT is to convert a higher voltage DC output from the solar panels down to a lower voltage needed to charge the batteries. These components are necessary for the endurance portion of the competition, when the team needs to utilize the energy directly from the solar panels and translate it to the batteries and/or motor. As a thank you to Victron Energy, we will placing their logo on the side of our boat. Thank you, Victron Energy!
During the past few weeks, many accomplishments have been made in the electrical department. One major goal this semester was to create a panel layout that incorporated both the sprint and endurance configurations. This upgrade will provide the team with easily accessible components in hopes to avoid error when preparing for competition. The double panel layout design is now complete and will be constructed when all materials arrive. In the meantime, Vanessa will begin constructing the casing for the panel. This casing, mandated by the Solar Splash competition, will provide a cover for the electrical components to protect them from external components such as water. Rather than being constructed from plexiglass like last year, it will be made out of polycarbonate. This change was made as this material proves to be much stronger than plexiglass and it is easily manipulated.
Updates will be provided soon on the progress of the construction of the panel layout. Stay tuned!
