Weekend 1 - Some Free Time

You had a good Saturday, although you did not get that much done for the project. In the morning you used the 5 pounds of Potassium Nitrate you bought to make an awesome sugar-rocket surprise. The stuff you made was explosive! and awesome.

At 13:15 Nick, Liam, and Josef came over. Josef work on streaming video, while Nick and Liam worked on the list of materials we need to purchase for the project. You helped Josef with the video streaming and finally finished the TCP Python Server (which took a while for some reason). You also helped create the list which included a few things. You ended up purchasing timing belts for the float, materials for the thrusters, and double o-ring seals for both the submersible and the float. You and Nick decided on the best way to seal the sub and the float and walked away feeling good about both designs. You also read the post Nick wrote about the first half Float V2, edited it, and added some pictures. You also planned on meeting Monday morning at Nick's to choose the brushes need for the power transfer on the float (from the batteries through the spool and into the wire).

You had a productive day because the materials you purchased today will allow you to finish the entire float next weekend (including the tether). It will also allow you to start work on the actual submersible (by hopefully finishing the LEDs and heat-sinks).

After spending around 3 hours on the project, you made some more rocket fuel and ignited it in some water (it burned surprising well half submerged). Tomorrow you will have a video demonstration...sadly you did not take a video today.

Your also excited to read the new volume of Make!

A laid back Saturday

Nick, your Saturday was pretty easy. You slept quite late by your standards (1030), this was a very good thing as you had felt pretty sick the night before. Upon waking you felt much more rested and not as sick.

You sat down to write a blog post around 1130, and you took about 45 minutes to write up the first draft of the Float V2 - Spool half. Later on Josef and Travis edited, added pictures to, and posted that blog post.

Around 1315 all four of you met up at Travis's house. You worked on video streaming again, getting quite close to a solution. You and Liam also looked for waterproof lock boxes that could store the electronics in the submersible. This proved impossible as there were none with the right sizes that were also rated to any depth greater than 100ft.

With that in mind you started thinking about other possible ways to water proof the electronics. You decided to get some o-rings from McMaster as well as latches. You plan to use these to test a couple possible answers, and if one works to make the final version sometime in the next week and a half.

Along with that you got some things from McMaster for the float, the LED heat sinks, and Mr. Amory's kids down at Baxter Academy.

Lastly you went to the Middle School's production of the musical Annie at the Mast Landing School.

All in all it was a laid back day and you feel very recovered after being tired, sore, and sick due to yesterday's frisbee game against Cumberland.