I just read this thread and am assuming there was a timing related incident on August 27.
I'm just going to do a bit of spit balling here as I've never really looked at the radios themselves. Just thinking of this in a way that may sprout some ideas as I actually break things professionally for my living. Realistically we can't prevent it from ever breaking, but maybe we can increase the ability of it to survive.
If interested, I'd love to take on a project like this. I also mentor at a Junior Engineering Lab, and have access to much of what's needed, and a group of youth that need projects to keep them entertained. Smashing cones in testing situations could work off some of their energy before they settle into anything else. lol Besides... the Milk carton egg drop is sooooo 1986.
Driving forces, and considerations.
-If the unit gets hit and the whole device is together, we have some major repairs on the line.
-Units require three main components. Radio transmission, battery, and some sort of IR sensor correct? Missing anything?
-The heavier the equipment is, the more damage there is to the cars in an incident.
-The circuit boards have extremely limited survivability without some sort of housing.
-To minimize the cost, using the current electronics is best.
SpitballingSeparate the components, minimize the repair?-do the radio, battery and sensor all absolutely need to be co-located? What if the battery and the radio are in a separate safer place, and the sensor is the only susceptible item? It may reduce the cost when a repair is needed?
-The sensor would need a remote line, and a very small housing (Or cone... See below). The remaining equipment can be as far as the tether physically/electrically can be.
Hitting Cones anyway.-What about using a cone as a vessel? Some soft foam and a small flexible structure inside the cone may work. Cut a hole in the cone for the sensor to shoot out of. A couch foam could be cut to a cone shape and little cutouts in that foam could house the battery radio and sensor. Using strips of foam glued together gives a bit more structure to the whole foam piece, that could be cut to fit in a cone.
The cone withstands the brunt of it, and the foam disperses as much of the force as it can.
This idea would be basically placing the circuit boards and the battery somewhere in the middle of the foam that would fill the cone. A sensor pocket could be made and just needs to line up with the hole cut in the cone. Leave the foam as a separate piece for ease of removal from the cone. Maybe as two separate halves with the weight in the middle.
Pilon by
Duane Jacka, on Flickr
Both-Maybe putting a remotely tethered sensor in a cone is best, and the remaining hardware is elsewhere.
Maybe this post will spur on the best solution through further discussion.... Thoughts?
Show Posts
