Lantern Challenge

THIS WAS SO AWESOME!

Hey guys!

So we made a lantern out of an LED. Well, it turned out much more like a flashlight for me. Essentially, the challenge was to hook an LED into a simple circuit (4th grade electricity fair coming back to me) (I actually used the paperclip technique from fourth grade :P) and then make it look pretty. So fun!

Quick sketch of my device:

That's basically how it looks, with a lot more colored tape :). In the future, I should probably make a sketch BEFORE I make the product, but it was just so fun to mess around with...

Anyway, one other note is that I used a paperclip to elongate one of the wires connected to the LED, and that you connect the circuit by pressing the paperclip to the other LED wire connection. It is all, of course, covered up by tape :). 

So, what do you use this lantern for? Well, not as a lantern, because LEDs produce pretty diffuse light to begin with. I decided to focus it by putting it in a toilet paper roll, so it's now a flashlight. A very weak flashlight (LEDs don't produce a ton of light), but a nice flashlight, because the cardboard is thick enough (unlike paper) to keep the beam pretty focused. 

It also ended up that when I attached the battery, it was heavy enough to balance the whole flashlight! And that made it look like a cannon. So it is a cannon ball light, and is labeled as such. 

Anyway, here's a diagram of my circuit (yes, very simple circuit :)) and how I calculated the resistor ohm value... (ps, some people in my class haven't done this before! I've done it in 4th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade, so it wasn't a problem.) 

Anyway, it was super fun designing and building this thing, mainly because I didn't take any time to design it :). I was looking for something to focus the beam with, and tried paper first, but the light kept shining through the paper. Then I tried cardboard, which was thick enough, but I was having a hard time bending the cardboard to fit into a cone. Then I found a toilet paper roll, and I was set! I was hoping for a cone initially, but this works pretty well, since a cone would have diffused the light too much. Then I built the circuit, soldered the resistors together (I accidentally added too many resistors-- 290 ohms instead of 270 ohms-- which will actually make my light a little dimmer than maximum. However, it'll last longer (though LEDs last FOREVER), so it's all good :). (Also note: if you add too little resistance, your light will be brighter, but you may burn out the bulb.))

Then I taped everything up and decorated. The pink decoration stuff actually took the longest out of everything :). This was super fun though-- let's do it again!

And the final product :)

If you press the Fire! light, the circuit will be connected :)

 Yay!

Monica

Poor People's Energy Outlook Response

Monica here!

We read Chaps 1 and 2 of the Poor People's Energy Outlook 2012. Most developing countries' poor don't have access to adequate energy, and this keeps them in a cycle of poverty. Though trends are improving in most countries, sub-Sahara Africa will actually worsen by 2030 in the amount of people with access to electricity in terms of absolute numbers. In terms of fuel, pretty much all developing countries are going to worsen or stay the same by 2030.  This book hopes to provide solutions to these examples of energy problems.

The book divides energy needs into several categories: household, enterprise, and community. It focuses on enterprise, but warns that increased energy doesn't necessarily lead to increased jobs, and that energy must be considered in terms of its quality, reliability, and affordability as well as adequateness. However, it suggests that if energy is provided to poor people, they can improve their livelihoods by getting a job, becoming better agriculturalists, providing energy, and improve their a small-scale enterprises.

The problem seems serious, with evidence provided that energy is one of the roadblocks to alleviating poverty. However, the authors warn that many other things alongside energy need to be fixed to alleviate poverty, and furthermore that the most benefit in terms of energy should happen on a local scale. Because of these caveats, it's unlikely the problem is going to be fixed by 2030, which is what the books suggest. Nevertheless, progress can be made, and it would seem there is a place for small-scale technological innovations in the US that can be provided to local poor in developing countries.

Monica

Designing and Building a Sharps Container

Hello!

I'm Monica: sophomore in neuroscience, enrolled in Making a Difference through Engineering (a class I call Engineering for Humanity because I find it easier to remember :)).

Yesterday we designed and built a sharps container. We came up with several different designs, and then voted on which one we liked best. It was an interesting experience because I've already seen a sharps container, so I had an idea in mind. However, we came up with several more complex ideas, one of which was the model we actually built. I think it was best that we built a complex model designed especially for safety for this assignment, since a functional container wouldn't have exercised our imaginations in specialty design. It will be interesting to see in the future how the balance between simplicity and increased value in a specific topic area plays out.

It's been a while since I've had to work in groups, so this will be a great experience for me! My compromise, persuasion, and imagination skills will definitely be improved through this experience. The teamwork aspect is one reason that I'm particularly looking forward to taking this class. That, and the engineering, of course :).

Monica