Prototype

We tried our first prototype of the pulser pump. Basically, it was two tubes joined to make a U-shape, an upside-down juice bottle in the middle of the U, and a tube sticking out of the juice bottle. Our first test was in a pool, and although we had some slight success when we used the pool's jets, the slow water flow and the leaky juice bottle hampered our progress.
At the Tech, we were very excited to get even a few drops into the container. However, the leaky bottle is still a problem, and we'll need to rebuild the prototype. Also, we need to divert some of the flow, because right now it's spilling over.

Stuff to work on:
-Replacement for the juice bottle
-Make the entire thing more watertight
-Find ways to get more air into the pump
-Divert the flow

Despite the myriad obstacles our team will now face, we're ecstatic to see that the pump actually works. Although we saw it on YouTube, and everything we see on YouTube is true, we half-believed that the pump worked by magic. It's a great design, because it contains no moving parts, can easily be rebuilt, runs on the stream itself (and not, for example, a waterfall. In a calm stream, one could easily dig trenches or put in rocks to create air bubbles) and runs continuously. We chose this design over the water wheel, which can easily break and requires a stream. Also, in real life, for a water wheel to be effective the force of the stream would have to be unrealistically strong.

Anyway, the trial went well because we saw what we needed to fix, and we also realized that our device works.

Friday, April 18th

With Anisha and Matthew away, the Friday, April 18th meeting included only Cassie and Ashwin. The first task was to test the device in the backyard, simulating the test rig with a regular garden hose. This was the first time we had the opportunity to see the prototype in action. It was encouraging because we managed to get a result when the flow from the hose was high enough. Once it was established that the prototype pump could work, the rest of the testing time was devoted to experimenting with different heights and configuration with the intake valve and water spout. We discovered some important things through trial and error. There appears to be an optimal height to maximize the amount of air that is captured in the collecting tank. Too high and no air was circulated, too low and the flow was too much and the air passed right out of the system. There was also a relationship between how much turbulance we were able to create when the water was collected and how much air was taken in. After testing various flow strengths and set ups, Cassie and Ashwin returned inside to fix some of the problems. First, a trip was made to Osh Hardware to get some replacement washers to improve the air tightness of the collecting chamber. Second, we installed a dowel to hold the output tube straight and vertical. It was attached using rope and twist ties.

Friday, April 4th

The Friday meeting meeting before the first trial! The meeting was attended by only Cassie and Ashwin who had to scramble to put something together to test at the trial. We had the beginnings of a prototype, an empty juice bottle, with an outtake hose and a single entrance hose. The time at the meeting was spent putting together an outgoing hose to complete the prototype. that would mean (theoretically) that we would have a working device to test. We had an intake hose for water and air to flow through, a chamber with a hose at the top for the air and water to collect and eventually be pushed out. The outtake hose we added at the meeting would allow the water to flow continuously and circulate the system. It took quite a bit of maneuvering to get the hose attached in a water tight manner. A lost of twist ties and coat hangers were involved. The rest of the time was used planning future meetings, working on the blog, and getting everything for the trial the next day. Our hopes for the trial were not that high. We weren't expecting success on the first try but we figured it would help us decide whether or not our design could work.

March 13th Meeting

We have made drastic changes to the device since our prototype failed so miserably. It leaked, released air, and overall did not accomplish its purpose, its meaning, its raison d'etre. We rebuilt it, as scientists do, from scratch, making a new device of ABS pipe and a spicy new container. It worked all right. We got perhaps 1/8 oz in the tank. Considering now different and reliable our device is, 1/8 oz is pretty darn good, thank you very much

I LIKE TURTLES TOO

Looking to the big picture, this design is closer to the final in that we can regulate the flow, get air in the tubes and get water in the village. Kudos, team, on a job well done!

Websites about Pumps!

Here are websites all about different kinds of pumps:

http://journeytoforever.org/at_waterpump.html

http://www.electronicpeasant.com/projects/rampump/rampump.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pulser-pump-Model.-A-substitute-for-lots-of-fossel/

Here is the kind of pump (a pulser pump) that we liked the best and are going to try to make ourselves during our next meeting:

http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/glpulser.htm

And here is a YouTube video all about pulser pumps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOn7Zu3CCxo

March 7th Meeting

We settled on the pulser pump idea because of its originality, reliability, simplicity, and adaptability. Our prototype looks a bit like an octopus. It consists of an orange juice container with three holes, and a thin tube extending from each hole. Cassie and Ashwin were nearly defeated by the difficulty of making holes, but they are scientists, and scientists never give up. So on they went, armed with Exacto-knives and pure testosterone (in Ashwin's case) and adrenaline. They holed the orange juice container. Unfortunately, we are skeptical about its viability. We will see how it works at the trial.
When we tried it out on the lawn, the water flow was inferior, and the container leaked. We need to tighten the container and have something bigger than the tubes. We absolutely must increase the waterflow and thus the airflow.

First blog post

We have an idea! Yes, impressive, we know, and only the first month of the challenge. Well, here goes. I mean, I'm not the type to dither, stall, or try to flesh out an incredibly short blog post. So, like I said before, approximately one line ago, or possibly more if the blog spaces this out more, here is the idea.
The village is above a stream, right? So we have a lever, anchored to the base of the village, that catches the streamwater and catapults it into the village. But you're probably wondering how this lever operates. Well, we have 2 ideas. First, we have a bucket attached to the catapult with a pulley. The bucket fills, and at the bottom of the tank, hits a stick thing that knocks the bottom out. You kinda have to see it. The other idea is that we divert the flow from the spigot, arcing it more so that the bucket won't fill when it gets close to the bottom. Again...you kinda have to see it.
The ideas are good. We know they are. But for the uninformed, clearly unintelligent reader, we will explain why. There is no electricity, so if this thing goes wrong in Africa, it's easy to fix without having to teach every African village how. Also, the parts are easily replaceable. This device is very adaptable, both for the purposes of the challenge and in real life. We can alter the height of the lever or size of the bottom, allowing each village to determine its own needs. This is just an idea, but we hope to go ahead with it, and fine-tune it as we go.