Week 6: Gutter Design & Bill of Materials Update (3/1/2018 - 3/7/2018)

The team has made some good progress in the past week.  We now have, what we believe to be the final design, just about completed.  The gutter helmet design has also been implemented and work has been started on the calculations for wind loading on the racking structure.  The full bill of materials except gutter helmet (a patented brand name of gutter and gutter cover) has also been made, and the team hopes to start purchasing components within the week.

Week 5: Presentation 1 & Design Changes Implementation (2/22/2018 - 2/28/2018)

Presentation 1 was done on February 21, 2018, Wednesday at Spartan Superway Design Center. After the presentation, Dr. Furman and the team had a further discussion on the design of the structure. He recommended the team a method which would help to achieve a spherical shape of solar panels supporting structure.

Two days before the presentation, the team has picked up some used solar panels from local solar installation company for a free of cost. The team has reached out to a dozen different companies and the Cinnamon Solar was one of the only ones that had picked up the phone call.More design changes have been implemented! The design has changed and evolved a great deal over the past month.  The team has been hard at work trying to figure out the most optimized geometry for the racking system.  The team has also been working on figuring out the required wiring elements for the solar panels.

Week 4: Presentation Preparation (2/15/2018 - 2/21/2018)

The team has been making preparations for the first presentation of the semester.  The team has been working very hard since the beginning, so we have no shortage of material to present.  As of right now, the racking structure is nearly completed.  The team is now focusing on the electrical and wiring components of the system, including extension cables, batteries, and charge controllers.
Also, the team has also found options for gutter and gutter cover. To collect water onto the gutter, a tarp or other water repellent sheets or materials would be used between the solar panels. Aesthetics would be considered as the foremost goal on top of all the subsidiary design components.
Also, a presentation on how to create effective presentations was held in ENGR 189 on February 14, 2018, Wednesday. It was held before the senior project session in Superway design center.

Week 3 (2/8/2018 - 2/14/2018)

The above image is the current status of all the sub-team's assemblies, all compiled into one solid works file.  Wind loading was considered in the assembly of the solar array.  The team is currently looking into wiring and connection issues that may arise.  The team also needs to figure out the gutter helmet implementation, although the trussing and curve components were primarily considered for the design shown. 

Week 2: Lightning Talk 1 & Design Changes (2/1/2018 - 2/7/2018)

The team has proposed a new design which encompasses a simpler design. The parts for the new design requires parts such as clamps that are largely available. One thing the team has forgotten to include was the width requirement. One of the feedbacks during the presentation was to build a truss structure which could support the solar panels safely.

2nd Semester, Week 1 (1/25/2018 - 1/31/2018)

The team is currently working on improving the design from last semester.  There has been some talk among the faculty of changing the track length from 9 meters to 3 meters, as the current budget may not be enough to support the materials and labor required for a 9 meter track.  It is all mostly speculation at this point.  The team is preparing for a lightning talk on this upcoming Wednesday, and we're all trying to remember what the desired content of a lightning talk is, as the last one was 5 months ago.

Week 15: Presentation #3

Dr. Furman has provided the following feedback.
1) Include detailed Bill of Materials (Screws, clamps, steel stud)
2) Select galvanized steel stud with 10 inches in depth to reduce 6 cm of deflection

Our group plans to do the following tasks.
1) Finalize which solar panels our group will be using
2) Find out which material would look similar to the solar panels