Entry 21: Prototype Sanding (2)

29 June 2012

Today, we managed to completely sand the prototype. Though the process was time-consuming, we are very satisfied with the results. After the tremendous effort we have put in, the wooden parts of the stand have finally become much smoother and looks cleaner too! It seems ready to be painted, which we hope can be completed soon.

Entry 20: Prototype Sanding (1) and Tray Construction (1)

27 June 2012

Today, we sanded the expandable plank parts. Plywood was easy to sand but the process itself was time-consuming, thus we only had time and energy the expandable parts and not the C-shaped part itself. Hence, we had to leave the C-shaped part of the stand for another day.

We also constructed the tube seal onto the modified tray today. Even though the lab assistants were extremely busy today, they made the effort to help us and thus, we are thankful towards them.

The tray now looks like this:

Front View (From Output)

Top View

Entry 19: Prototype Construction Completed

23 June 2012

Our prototype has finally been completed and we collected it today. Though we did not administer the construction of our project (left it to Frankie), we planned the entire process as well as materials to be added out.

Hence, with a few new improvements, the prototype looks like this:

Without being attached to planks yet.

Attached to all 3 planks (1 usual, 2 add-ons), maximum length.

The 2 new improvements are as follows:

1. The "screw and plate" method has been slightly improved. From the pictures, the blackish, long parts at the sides of the base are actually steel clips, which "clips" into the screws on the side of the planks to ensure that the planks are fastened into position. Hence, this makes expanding the base much more convenient, though with a slightly higher charge.
2. There are additional steel reinforcements between the connection points of the C-shaped part of the prototype. This provides added help for the support plank to support the tray base and remain upright at the same time. This also adds to the cost, but makes the stand a lot stronger.

Hence, the tray will be placed on the tray base while the fish tank will be placed on the base, creating an aquaponics system (of course, with the water pump and tubes for connection). All that is required now is to be sanded, then painted and surfaced to ensure that the wood does not decay when it comes into contact with water. That being said, our first prototype is finally completed!

Entry 18: Prototype Construction Begins

20 June 2012

Today, we have sent the finalised prototype sketches to Frankie for the construction of the prototype. Fortunately for us, Frankie helped us with the sourcing of materials in the area around his industry. Though the materials were slightly more costly than we anticipated, it saved us from a lot more hassle and provided more convenience for us.

He also provided us with sources in which these materials (from his shop) could be found, of which most were in line with our research but we had a lack of time to find:

1. Plywood - Furniture Industry Area
2. Screws - Any hardware shop
3. Steel - Customized from his factory

Hence, we would once again like to thank Frankie for helping us and supporting us with the project!

Entry 17: Materials and Dimensions Planning

19 June 2012

By Kai Xiang (Destiny CKX)

Today, I had informed my father, an engineering expert, of the almost finalised design, and he decided to guide me along the prototype design. My father and I sat down and discussed seriously about the whole outlook of the prototype, I listened as he provided me with possible improvements to the prototype.

Being an expert, my father provided me with simple yet seemingly effective suggestions to improve the design of our prototype. Together, we confirmed and finalised the dimensions of the prototype, as well as thought of the materials to be used together. At last, there was an astonishing conclusion.

Despite our exhaustion, I managed to take in his suggestions and incoporate it into our prototype. Here are some changes:

The expandable base design has once again changed, but this time requires fewer materials and has a simple and firm design. Instead of using the sliding mechanism, which he said was difficult to build under the small amount of time we had, he suggested that we use a "screw and plate" method for the extension of our base.

Simply put, we would screw a hole into each of the planks (listed below are the planks), then to adjust the base to the desired length, we simply use a steel bar to secure the planks together and screw screws into the base and planks through the steel bar to ensure that the the length of the base is fixed. It was shockingly simple, yet practical and easy to create. Furthermore, it fit the theme of the expandable base well, thus we decided to go along with this design.

Here is how it looks:

If one wishes to adjust the base to the smallest length, then simply use the first (left-most) and last (right-most) plank and screw them together with the bar to fasten them.

He also suggested that to ensure the tray base can be supported by the supporting plank, steel brackets can be used to support it.

Here is how it looks:

The planks of the base will be made of plywood (economical and of decent quality) and be connected to each other via screws.

Hence, these are the small but essential changes we have made to the base.

Here are the dimensions we have set:

Finally, after many painstaking processes and meaningful experiences, we have a finalised design for the base! After reviewing all that the group has been through, it really provides a sense of elation that we have completed our objectives!

Credits:

Thanks to my father, who supported me and criticised the design, as well as suggesting improvements with his experiences in this field!

Entry 16: Sourcing for Materials@IKEA

19 June 2012

Today, we went to IKEA Tampines to source for the materials and measure the costs to build our prototype. Our objective was mainly to confirm the expendable mechanism which we are using as well as the  cost and quality of wood used.

The first things that caught our eyes were metal poles. These metal poles were made of stainless steel, which prevented rusting of the stand, and this allowed us to come up with a plan for the expendable base.

This is how it looks:

Basically, there will be squarish parts connected to both ends of the metal poles. The wood we will use is specially carved to the shape above, in which the internal part fits the squarish part on the pole but the hole on the surface of the blocks do not fit the square on the pole to prevent it from sliding out.

We named the corner blocks block 1 and 2. Basically, we would make the squarish parts of the poles in block 2 fixed, whereas the squarish parts of the poles in block 1 are confined to the space within the block but can move from one end to the other. This allows the base to be expandable. Thus, the support structure will be placed on block 1 instead of between block 1 and 2 to make the design more practical. When the base is expanded, the poles are exposed. Hence, we use block "add-ons" to be placed over the poles to cover them up as well as to act as support for larger tanks. We have planned for 2 "add-ons" to be included in our design, thus our base can now fit fish tanks of 3 different lengths.

However, there are a few problems in the design. Firstly, we have no idea who to ask on how to carve internal shape of the wooden blocks 1 and 2. Even if we had help, the expertise required for carving such intricate designs would not come cheap. Next, we had no idea where to find the squarish parts on the end of the poles and how to connect them at all. Thus, we were left with a few loopholes for this idea.

We also came up with major dimensions for the stand. We decided to confirm this only after we had found all the materials required.

We then decided to search for wooden parts for the base. However, our efforts were in vain as we realised that isolated wooden planks could not be found in IKEA and only wooden furniture (self-service packaging types) could be found. Hence, nothing much could be resolved.

Even though we tried our best today, nothing much was resolved. Hence, we hope that we are able to source for materials with greater luck and efficiency the next time.

Entry 15: Construction Planning (B)

15 June 2012

Today, we went to Frankie's factory to discuss about our new prototype design. Surprisingly, Frankie approved of the new design and praised it, albeit a few minor parts, and gave us suggestions on how to improve it again.

From our initial design, he gave 2 important suggestions.

First, he suggested that the extendable part of the tray base be removed from the tray design. This is because  the extendable tray actually has no true function on the tray base itself and would be a hassle, as well as cost high, to construct onto my tray base. Not only that, but it also limits the amount of space that we can use for a dynamo-lighted bulb which is currently an extension we are looking it. Hence, we took his advice and scrapped off this part of the design.

Second, he suggested that we use strings to make the base expandable. This is because the method is practical and cheap, though our aesthetics would be slightly, not significantly, affected by this. We took this advice into consideration but are currently unsure if we should use it. Still, it was better than the initial idea we had.

Frankie also helped us with sourcing of materials to construct this prototype. He told us that IKEA was a good place to look for cheap and reliable DIY materials. Hence, we are now planning a trip to IKEA Tampines, a warehouse of IKEA which contains a variety of furniture and creatively designed household items.

Our newest prototype design now looks like this:

Hence, today's visit to Frankie's factory was fruitful as we finally settled on a design and to make things better, Frankie told us that the cost of this new design would be much cheaper than the previous one! Now, all we have to do is source for the materials and finalise the expanding mechanism for the base of the stand.

Credits:

Once again, thanks to Frankie for helping us with our prototype design!

Entry 14: Meeting With Mentor (9)

14 June 2012

Today, our meeting was about the new prototype design.

Previously, we had formulated the basis for our idea of the prototype, which had a C-Shaped design. For today's meeting, the first draft for the new prototype design had been completed and we were discussing about the feasibility of it. 

Here is a picture of the new prototype:

Basically, the base of the stand is where the fish tank is to be placed. It is supposed to be expandable sideways to allow fish tanks of different sizes (up to a limit) to be placed onto it. Currently, the expanding technique that is being investigated is sliding with a "lock" mechanism, which locks the base when at the desired length. The reason why we would place the fish tank at the bottom of the tank is because we hope that its weight can be used to support the stand.

The support part (longest height) of the stand is intentionally curved to provide a more aesthetically pleasing and hopefully, stronger base design. However, we are still unsure if this can be made and it is not as important as the previous part (base) of the fish tank, thus we left it aside in the meeting.

Finally, the uppermost part of the fish tank, the tray base, is where the tray containing plants will be put on. We hope that the support is strong enough to support both the plants and the tray base itself. A section has been added under the base, which can be pulled out, for the battery charger to be placed if we would decide to add in the dynamo concept to our invention.

Some measurements have been taken into account for the current sketch.

Hence, our mentor and us ourselves felt that it was a better design than the previous few designs, thus we had confirmed to go along with this design for the stand. All we need to do now is consult Frankie on the possibility of this design!

Entry 13: Meeting with Mentor (8)

12 June 2012

Today, our meeting was mainly a discussion on the meeting with Frankie 2 days ago.

First, we brought up the changes in design, then discussed about the originality of our project. Even though we mentioned about the problems of the project, there was nothing much that our mentor could help us with as all of us could not brainstorm for a new idea. At that point of time, there was simply no inspiration and we were feeling quite bad about the project prototype.

However, to cheer us up, our mentor decided to bring us to the biology lab where our plants were being cultivated instead. While taking care of the newly grown plants (which were also cultivated by aquaponics but not with our invention active yet), the group suddenly came up with an idea which seemed more original as well as seeming to look better than the "table" base design.

We thought of a C-shaped base, in which the tank could be placed below and the tray of plants could be placed above. This design was not only better in appeal, but also seemed easier to construct. Hence, we decided to change our design to this with our mentor's approval, and from now we will embark on researching and developing our newly established idea.

A Design Picture of the NEW Prototype:

Entry 12: Construction Planning (A)

10 June 2012

By Kai Xiang (Destiny CKX)

After contacting Frankie, a construction expert who was helping us construct the prototype, I went down personally to his factory to discuss about the feasibility of the latest prototype.

Frankie, being an engineering expert, pointed out some of the issues of the prototype. They are as follows:

1. The legs of the display base (table) cannot be adjustable. Doing so would weaken the legs, which support the display base, thus causing it to break easily and topple over. However, he mentioned that he would see if it is possible to construct adjustable legs.

2. The display base cannot use the initial "slide" design as a sliding mechanism is

  a. too expensive

  b. tedious and difficult to construct in the time period

  c. there are better alternatives to this

Thus, the current best way would be to use an ordinary table, drill it into half, insert a board in the middle, drill holes into the sides of the table (and into the board), utilising the "Lock and Key" technique to expand the length of the table. However, this could potentially affect the stability of the table. Still, it was worth a try.

3. The custom hydroponics tray, with the input drilled lower than the output (in the widths of the tray), would cause a messy water current within the tray when water is channeled through. This would cause waste products from the aquaponics water to retain in the tray for long periods of time rather than flowing to the filter zone, hence would hinder the process of cleaning the tray, which was supposed to be rather easy. He suggested adding walls to the inner parts of the tray, which can help facilitate a constant directional water flow instead of a messy one.

He also discussed with me about extensions and he inspired me to come out with one new idea that could expand the use of our project:

Mini-turbines could be placed at the water output on the attachment of the fish tank, which would be naturally powered by kinetic energy from the continuous flow of water, thus this would create electricity which can have other functions in the aquaponics system. Frankie suggested for me to go along with this as it is easy to accomplish and a fresh new idea which is useful, thus can help boost our project overall.

The new prototype sketch after returning from the factory looks like this:

Table

Tray

Today's discussion with Frankie was fulfilling, however, Frankie had doubts on the overall "table" design. He felt that there were much cheaper and better alternatives to this. This probably means that we have to risk our creativity using the current prototype or come out with a totally fresh design in the short amount of time given. At least, I now know what opinions a member of the public would have about our prototype. I do hope that we, as a group, can be inspired either to improve heavily on this design or somehow come out with a new design.

Credits:

Thanks to Frankie for all the advice!

Entry 11: Meeting with Mentor (7)

7 June 2012

Today, we checked on our temporary set up and washed the fish tank. While doing this, my mentor realised that the leca tray we were using seemed to be quite dirty as well as that plant growth was unstable, hence with his help, we came up with the idea of integrating the "IKEA Hydroponics Kit" into the project, acting as a replacement for the present leca tray. 

Here is a picture of the Hydroponics kit:

The advantages of using the new tray are that it is much easier to handle as compared to monitoring the leca kit, as well as allows for better plant growth as there is no presence of overcrowding, which boosts plant growth. However, there are only 6 pits which hold the plants (and very few leca), thus there is a limitation to the amount of the plants that can be grown.

Of course, we did sketches of the new tray and are going to modify it by drilling 2 holes, 1 in the front and 1 in the back to allow water to be transported into and out of the tray via tubes. Therefore, the latest prototype design we have right now is the same as that from the previous post, except with the tray changed to the modified hydroponics kit.

Entry 10: Meeting with Mentor (6)

5 June 2012

Today is the first meeting with our mentor in the holidays. The sketches of the display stand of the prototype has been completed. 

Prototype Design:

The prototype's most prominent structure is the display table placed over the fish tank. The table is extendable via a sliding mechanism in the middle, which is made to fit any length of a home-sized fish tank. The legs of the display stand are extendable via lock keys which are then inserted into the holes in the legs when of the desired height (markings will be provided). There are holes on the table which are meant for hanging the terraces, which can contain a different type of plant than the tray on the display stand filled with leca. However, due to the tubing, the limitations of this is that only one terrace can be connected to tube coming from the tube. Thus, only one terrace can be used, while the holes on the edges of the other 3 sides can be used to hook items (in hook baskets) such as fish food. 

The tray on the display stand contains leca, which cultivates plant growth. A tube inlet and outlet are attached on the tray which allows a continuous cyclic flow of water throughout the system to ensure that the water from the fish tank is being transported into and away from the tray of leca (and plants).

So far, the only problem we find with the current design is possibly that this item is considered merely a table,  however, it is true that we will modify it specifically to suit the Indoor Herb Chinampas. Hence, we can consider the problem to be solved already.

We will continue to work on this prototype in the future.