Winter Break Recap and Next Steps

    Over the period of Dec. 1, 2020 – Feb. 5, 2021, Team 36 mainly purchased all the remaining materials needed for the firefighting device. The Team bought the fiberglass back panel and the pegboard for the device from Home Depot. Fiberglass was chosen because of its high heat resistance. All the electrical components required for the device have been purchased. Also, the Team started building the device. The team constructed the back panel of the device that will be mounted on the wall above the kitchen stoves. The delivery system of the device consisting of the air blower, the plastic tubing, and the powder compartment have been constructed onto the back panel of the device. The constructed device is shown in figures 1 and 2 below: 

 

                                            

                                     Figure 1                            Figure 2 


    Team 36’s biggest technical concern after deliberating the materials needed for the actual build, was finding flexible tubing with low friction on the inside. The tubing needs to be able to move at least 120 degrees in both the x and y axes. Low friction will help mitigate the loss of nozzle velocity of the powder. After looking through polyurethane, vinyl, and corrugated tubing, Team 36 decided to investigate large straws made for drinking particulate foods. The team then decided that the straws were the best option, since it has the built-in corrugated joint, smooth insides, and fell within the sizing range that was desired.  


    In terms of non-technical concerns, there was a delay in the 3D printing of the device’s heat shield. The team decided to wait a bit longer to finalize the print, and the queue time picked up as soon as classes began. Team 36 will not be slowed by this development, since the cover piece will be largely used in the testing phase and will require no modifications to put in place.  

 

    Beginning February 3rd, the team will be refining the code for the Autonomous Fire Fighting Device. Currently, the device can locate a fire from a 3 ft distance using an IR Flame sensor and trigger a buzzer that alerts of the presence of the fire. Team 36 would like to expand this code to include 3 more IR flame sensors and a light-dependent resistor to ensure that the device will be able to monitor the entire perimeter encompassed by the stovetop. In addition, a new code will be developed to turn on the air blower once it receives an input from the IR flame sensor of a fire being present. The team intends to use a relay module to be able to cut power to the blower once 15 seconds of its initiation has occurred while still maintaining power to the rest of the device. Code will also be developed to control the nozzle’s motor movements once it receives directional input from a specific flame sensor to indicate the location of the fire. Of these new code additions and modifications, the team anticipates for the integration of the relay module and motors to be the most challenging due to wanting to ensure the accuracy of the device being able to initiate and cut power to the blower and locating the position of the fire. 

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