January 30, 2019:
Soldering on one of the boards for GEOFF is near completion. I did a majority of the soldering during my class period. There were many challenges during the soldering process as two separate teams did work on it at separate times. I learned about collaborating and coordinating separate teams, and developed strategies for staying organized. I also learned a lot about electronics, a subject I wanted to delve more into. I learned how to solder, the basic principles of computer hardware and PCBs, and about electronics in general.
December 13, 2018:
This past week I have been counting the circuit board parts that GEOFF needs for its PCBs. Here are the components we are missing:
1x DHT22 Temperature and Humidity Sensor
1x DC/DC Voltage Regulator, 5V 1A
1x DC/DC Voltage Regulator, 9V 1A
2x 10µF ±10% 50V Ceramic Capacitor X7S Radial
2x 33µH Unshielded Wirewound Inductor 1.9A 220 mOhm Max Axial
2x 22µF ±20% 16V Ceramic Capacitor X7R Radial
1x TVS Zener Diode 12V 17.1V 1.5KE
1x Green 527nm LED Indication – Discrete 3.4V Radial
6x 2 (1 x 2) Position Shunt Connector Black Open Top 0.100″ (2.54mm) Gold
1x 3 DS18B20 Temperature Sensors
December 10, 2018:
My and a few other GEOFF member’s White Papers were uploaded today. They provide more insight into the GEOFF and PANOPTES projects and can be found here.
November 14, 2018:
Checked build guides for grammar errors. Work on the GEOFF telescope is still waiting for the arrival of the PCBs and other building materials.
November 12, 2018:
Edited whitepapers by other GEOFF team members.
November 5, 2018:
Helped setup GEOFF for poster presentation.
October 31, 2018:
Designed O-ring to be laser cut that will protect camera lenses from the weather.
October 29, 2018:
Prepared for Dark Matter Day on 10/30/18 and reflected on my year so far.
October 24, 2018:
Added safety tape around aluminum weatherproofing shields in order to prevent injury when working around GEOFF. Continued work on the poster.
October 22, 2018:
Worked on the poster that will be shown at the WISRD poster presentation on November 5th. Still waiting on tape to complete safety of weatherproofing.
October 18, 2018:
Attached 3D Printed triangle to mount with silicone sealing.
October 17, 2018:
3D Printed triangular piece to stop water from dripping into the tripod. Still need to epoxy it into place. Cut and installed counterweight rod shield.
October 15, 2018:
Ihsan, Jeremy, and Ian installed waterproofing pieces.
October 14, 2018:
It has been a while since my last update and a lot has happened. I switched from the aerodynamics team to the GEOFF team soon after my last update. This was mostly because of scheduling, but since joining I have found I love working on GEOFF. I am still passionate about aerospace and rockets but have found that aspect of STEM isn’t the only one I enjoy. Since joining GEOFF in August I have done a lot of work that I haven’t captured here. That is a new habit I will be making a greater effort to develop. Here is a recap of some of what I have been up to.
August 30th, 2018: Finished assembly on the camera box. The final component to be assembled is the electronics box.
September 14th, 2018: Contributed toward powerpoint presentation. Made this slide:
September 21st, 2018: Finished my whitepaper on the TESS spacecraft. I also made a GANTT chart to help coordinate teams on different schedules.
September 27th, 2018: Finished cardboard model of waterproofing to be made out of aluminum.
August 27, 2018:
I am excited to finally join WISRD and work with the aerodynamics team. Ever since I found my passion for space flight I have been wanting to work on projects in the field and I am excited to have an opportunity to do so. My interest leans toward designing the systems that go inside a rocket in order to get it off the pad, but also find myself enjoying to contribute to other aspects of the project. In my first week I reviewed previous work done by the lab and brainstormed how I could be most helpful, so I am excited to properly get my work started this week! This is my first journal, so expect them to improve in quality, and to get more technical as my work begins.