Team Members
Tomas Bertone, Sheelagh Dunn, Zeyuan Jin, Dana Kendall, Ryoma Molnar, Cameron Nann, Brooke Ohlsson
Abstract
Group 1’s design consists of a special material for the mirror reflecting surface, known as Mylar. This lightweight polyester film is cheaper than standard glass–silver mirrors. With an aluminum paint coating, the Mylar mirrors are protected from ultraviolet radiation. The film is wrapped and heat shrunk around four polyisocyanurate foam boards that are press fit into sheet metal boxes. Each sheet metal box has a hole on the back to allow a technician to stamp out the foam blocks with a dowel pin if the films are damaged. Each mirror is mechanically linked by a series of timing belts, allowing a single 5V servo motor to control every mirror simultaneously. The pulleys are attached to the mirrors through steel axles and are secured with set screws. A 5V DC motor is used to control the altitude angle by rotating the frame similar to a cradle rocking. An Arduino nano controller with built–in Wi–Fi capabilities relays signals to each motor. Having a lower amount of motors aids in keeping the cost of the overall design down. The structure of the system is mostly made of PVC piping with tee joints and elbow joints. The motors and actuation system are housed inside the PVC piping allowing for all electronic components to be sealed from the outside environment. Every design choice, from the Mylar mirror technology to the PVC frame, optimizes cost and simplicity without sacrificing effectiveness.