March 2008 Archives

UPDATE: The video is now available.

Unveiling was a success, with well over 50 people in attendance, and 14 team alumni. You can watch the event here

Solar Miner 6 with team members, advisors, and alumni after unveiling ceremony.
Photo credit Bob Phelan. Click photo for larger version.

Champion Solar Miner IV was brought out of retirement for the 100th annual Best Ever parade in downtown Rolla. Even though the weather was in the forties, breezy, and threatening rain the turnout was great. Gladly the rain never came, and a freshly charged battery pack powered the car along the half mile route. We even got a band to play for us on the whole route. Afterwards we quickly prepared Solar Miner 6 to be unveiled.

UPDATE: Solar Miner 6 has been unveiled. To watch the event, please visit http://solarcar.mst.edu/videos/unveiling08/

Solar Miner 6 will be unveiled this Saturday, March 15th, at 3:00pm. For those of you who will be in town, you can come see the event in person at Leach Theater in Castleman Hall on campus. With the forecast weather it will be a good chance to warm up and dry out.

For those of you at home we are attempting this year, for the first time, to broadcast the event on the web. To watch, please visit http://solarcar.mst.edu/videos/streaming/index.html for instructions on how to watch. Please remember that this at 3pm Central time, for those of you in other parts of the country.

If you cannot watch then, we plan to post the video online later for those who are interested. More information on that after the show.

With the recently made canopy, the outside shape of the car is almost complete. Before we could begin manufacturing the canopy, we completed the body and chassis, then modeled those in the computer, and designed a canopy around what we built. The windshield, made out of Duraplex, is then put into the canopy.

The lathe and mill are working long hours to machine the parts necessary for the suspension. Chris Pieper begun painting the car with a primer coat, and the first coat of white paint should begin soon.

Nathan Steckel making a perfect fit between the canopy and body.

Recently we tested out the new motor controller that has sine wave output. Our previous motor controller used a stepped DC output which mean the motor was extra noisy and made a very distinct "popping" sound at low speeds. If you don't know the difference, imagine rolling a heavy wheel up and down stairs, and then a smooth hill next to those stairs. That is similar to the difference it makes to the motor, as it now has a smooth hill to operate on. As a related feature, this controller is also more efficient so that we can drive farther for the same energy, and hear better while doing it.