Solar Splash Senior Design Project

Abstract

The Solar Splash senior project is the first attempt at creating an entirely solar propelled watercraft. The initial project intent was to design and create a supplement meets the specifications and compete in the competition. With this in mind, a budget approach was taken in order to be able to fund the task at hand. As the project progressed toward the end of the low-level design phase it was evident that the competition would not occur. At the midpoint of the project, the goals and objectives had changed entirely. The new focus was targeted at proving the operation of the systems involved in the watercraft. Having been faced with a new series of objectives and an entirely new scope, the project began to appear doable.

The primary focus of the project at this point entirely relied on simulation data and data analysis. The idea was not reinventing the wheel but rather verifying that the wheel rolled. Using the designed propulsion, solar and sensors systems, with the help of a combination of software programs, the idea of a budget solution can be seen. The software used tell the story of the boat that would have been created had the project continued down the original proposed path. As systems were tested and analyzed, they were also adjusted and improved upon. The analysis process consumed a lot of time but acted as a highlighter for all the flaws that the system suffered from.

This document introduces the design concepts and schematics of the Solar Splash senior design project. Within are detailed drawings and diagrams for the electrical systems devised for the construction operation of the watercraft. This report is a means of displaying the layout of the final product and how all systems tie together. The report will contain detailed information on not only hardware aspects but also software and how those will bridge together. The report is meant to be in layman’s terms and should be easily interpreted at all levels.

The bulk of the information found in the report will be found in the testing sections where analysis of a theoretical boat is done. The motor design, solar design, and fluid dynamic analysis of the boat hull and propeller can be found in their respective section. The innerworkings, testing processes and thoughts behind each decision can also be found in these sections.

The document begins with a table of contents identifying each main and subcategory of information. The next page is the document identification, revision history, and lesser known definitions. Following that is the introduction and scope. Specification requirements for the ‘general requirements’, ‘electrical requirements’ and ‘mechanical requirements’ are found on the following page. A system flowchart can be found in the high-level Design along with the design decision matrices for each system. The design portion then begins starting with the System-wide design changes and decisions. The hardware and software designs and schematics follow and cover the proposed schematics and drawings for the system. Cost breakdowns for each individual system are also found in the low-level section. Testing methodologies, results and an explanation of the testing software can be found after the low-level design. A summation of all these testing results is found near the tail of the document. Conclusions, recommendations, and appendixes can be found as the last three sections, respectively.