This is Middle Tennessee State University’s solar boat running in the second sprint heat at the 2016 Solar Splash competition at Eastwood Park in Dayton, Ohio. The boat features dual Lynch LEM-170 95 brushed DC motors, dual Alltrax SPM48500 motor controllers, an Arneson-type surface drive (built in the MTSU machine shop) that is coupled to the motors through a simple chain drive, and it is being powered by three Optima Red Top batteries (because the rules only allow 100 lbs of lead acid batteries to be on-board). The hull is a vacuum-formed carbon fiber hull that was made entirely by students in MTSU’s Experimental Vehicle’s Lab. The top of the boat, however, is made of Styrofoam with only a very thin lamination of fiberglass that was set with epoxy. RAM mounts are used to attach the solar panels.
Where are the solar panels? We do not attach them during the sprint runs. We use the panels to charge the batteries on the shore for the sprint runs. To see the panels attached to the boat check out my other videos of the boat in action.
The boat hit 28 mph in this run. The boat is being driven by David Sprouls. This view is from the back and was shot with a GoPro Hero 4. This view streams live to the telemetry station on the shore. For the view from the front check out my other video.
Who am I? My name is Cary R. Woodson. I’ve worked in the MTSU EVP lab, both as an undergraduate and as a graduate assistant for a total of five years as of June 2016. I was on the original build team for this boat and was responsible for mold and hull construction, out drive design, solar panel mounting system, solar charging system, and the design and implementation of a long-range Wi-Fi telemetry system that allows for tracking and power management from the shore, and the streaming of live video back to the shore. I’ve been in charge of the MTSU Solar Boat team since 2012 and, during my time in the program, I have managed to see our team make it to the number two spot during both the 2015 and 2016 Solar Splash competitions.
Why is it so loud? The boat is actually reasonably quiet. However, the GoPro is mounted to a small mast that is bolted to the transom. All of the motor, gear, and propeller noise and vibration is mechanically conducted straight to the camera creating a sound that is not really audible as the boat is running. Still, I wanted to leave the sound in because many will not read this comment and just think, “Man, that that thing was about to blow up!” I call those people “The Microwave Cooks from the Inside Out Crowd.” In fact, said crowd is the reason commends are disabled in all of my videos.
Post time: Jan-02-2017