Hovercraft B/C

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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by antoine_ego »

geniusjohn5 wrote:Even though the width of the track is much wider, which means the Hovercraft is expected to be much wider, would a significantly smaller Hovercraft, such as something from last year's Hovercraft event, be effective this year? And would "hugging" the sides of the track work effectively?
Since the size of the hovercraft is always less than the width of the track, a hovercraft from last year could be effective assuming that you can hold full weight. Hugging the tracks is probably the way to go because any rotation of the craft will screw up consistent timing.
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by geniusjohn5 »

Can someone explain what "hugging" the track means? I know this is a stupid question, but I really need a clarification.
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by arv101 »

shrewdPanther46 wrote:
Zioly wrote:
reed303 wrote:
Some reading here may help.

https://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Hovercraft#Skirt

We are having good results with a "wall" skirt. Which is basically a bag skirt with one largish square hole in bottom of bag. You want some air escaping out from under the craft.
I second the wall skirt... they effectively minimize friction consistently and are easy to build and get working with a bit of creative tinkering. A lot of it just takes messing with the balance of the craft and where to cut larger openings, etc.
I'm curious as to what you mean when you say "where to cut larger openings." From my limited experience last year, all we did was create a large rectangle centered on the bottom of the skirt so the air escapes evenly from underneath, and that seemed to work fine for us atleast.
I think we are doing the same thing but can you explain what "wall" skirt means?
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by SciolyMaster »

Does anyone know where to find a potentiometer that's lightweight yet can bear a strong current?
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Re: Times/weights?

Post by ftf841 »

Randomperson11 wrote:Hello! I'm new to this forum, and even scioly itself.

What times and weights have you been getting with yours? I'm having trouble getting mine to lift. I'm using a small axial fan for lifting and blowing. it's about 30cmx20cm.

-randomperson11
20x30cm fan? Are you sure it isn't mm? because that's pretty big. I would recommend a blower fan such as https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/ ... ND/2560506 with a high static pressure as a lift fan, and a brushed dc motor with a propeller and a duct around it as a thrust fan. With this set up, my craft carries around 6 pennies.
i'll work on my events eventually

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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by radioactivated »

Is a skirt mandatory for the hovercraft, and how much skirt material should there be to consider it to be a skirt? I'm asking because I found that my hovering fan is overkill, and causes problems if there is too much skirt material due to the buildup of pressure.
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by kinghong1970 »

radioactivated wrote:Is a skirt mandatory for the hovercraft, and how much skirt material should there be to consider it to be a skirt? I'm asking because I found that my hovering fan is overkill, and causes problems if there is too much skirt material due to the buildup of pressure.
skirt is "mandatory" in a hovercraft as it is what will elevate your craft to prove to event supervisor that it is riding on a cushion of air.
without a skirt, it will lay flat on the table and you will be having a hard time providing propulsion and lift.

read rule 3 a & b carefully. 3b more relevant and will answer your question.
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by geniusjohn5 »

I haven't learned much about circuits yet. What are the basics I need to know regarding circuits, electricity, electronics, etc? And what dangers of circuits and electronics do I need to be aware of?
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by reed303 »

geniusjohn5 wrote:I haven't learned much about circuits yet. What are the basics I need to know regarding circuits, electricity, electronics, etc? And what dangers of circuits and electronics do I need to be aware of?
1. you don't need any "electronics" as they are not allowed by rule.

2. The circuit is about as simple as can be: A battery, a switch, and a motor.

3. Take a look at the middle diagram for this somewhat similar device.

http://miniscience.com/kits/CarBoat/index.html

4. Since voltage is limited to 9 Volts, only real danger is sticking your finger in a fan or propeller ;)
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Re: Hovercraft B/C

Post by Fzxrlz »

While rule changes to the hovercraft provide a good platform for development, I am disappointed in the track changes. As a coach & hovercraft event supervisor, I built 4 tracks for B & C Regionals last year. They are useless this year. Even the photogates cannot be reworked with the meandering of the craft. Only Vernier photogates can be adapted which we don't have. I tried to order them, but Vernier only accepts "requests for quotes", not orders. They say they will respond, but haven't. The C division tracks have to be 10 to 11 feet to accommodate the variance that can be specified. You can't get materials that long. This means a two piece track (also required to transport it). Now the connection and seam needs to be perfectly sealed and smooth.

Using a gym floor with steel 2x4s does not work in the gyms due to the risk of marring the floor. The website still shows the pre 2017 configuration. Any suggestions?
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