Sketch planning:

Materials:

9 V mini-DC water pump

6 V solar panel ( 13.5 x 12.5 cm )

Terminal on-off switch

Sunboard – Can be replaced with foam boards, but foam boards might warp with too much moisture

Fake plastic plants

Plastic rectangular box – might have to change the size to not waste too much water since the plants aren’t real

Cardboard – Double wall + single face

Straws

Plastic PVC tube

Wires

1L empty plastic coke? bottle – might have to change sizes to match proportions with the rest of the device

 

Schedule Plan:

Feb 17-

1.Planning/sketching device

2. gathering materials

3. cutting + gluing cardboard

Feb 21-

1. Painting cardboard

2. Cutting cardboard + sunboard

3. gluing sunboard to bucket

Feb 23-

1. attaching water pump to the cardboard, using PVC plastic tube to connect to straw

2. soldering solar panel, dc water pump, terminal switch together

3. cut cardboard for switch, attach switch to cardboard, attach cardboard to rest of the cardboard

4. paint sunboard

Feb 27-

1. get water bottle and cut into thirds, attach single face cardboard around the bottle

2. melt a hole through the bottle (with soldering iron), attach straw through hole

3. attach straw to PVC tube connecting to water pump

We were assigned a task to create an energy-transferring device within 2 weeks.

Project ideas:

Elastic propeller car-

Challenge rating out of 5: ⭐

Skills used: Gluing wood and elastics, creating models with fusion

• Pros: the project would be very simple to make
• Cons: there would be some trouble finding the fan involved, but Fusion or Tinkercard could be used to create it.

Precedents:

https://www.instructables.com/Propeller-Powered-Car/

The video clearly shows how to create this propeller car, and I could use this video as a guideline while making my own device.

Audience: This device is more like a toy, so it could be targeted towards kids, adults, or anyone who just wants to have some fun.

Solar updraft tower-

Challenge rating out of 5: ⭐

Skills used: Gluing paper

• Pros: The project would be very simple to make
• Cons: It could be a bit difficult to find a lamp as this project is reliant on heat energy to make the fan move

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/solar-updraft-tower

The video provides materials and detailed instructions for building a solar updraft tower.

Audience: This device doesn’t have much practicality but could be targeted towards kids or adults who want to see how heat energy can lead to kinetic energy

Solar plant watering-

Challenge rating out of 5: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Skills used: Soldering skills, gluing skills, knowledge of solar panels

• Pros: It’s more practical and could be used in real-life situations. The video shows how to make it very clearly.
• Cons: The materials could be slightly challenging to find. Additionally, the video doesn’t provide a list of materials used, which could add to the difficulty of finding materials. However, there is a switch involved, and if this were to be used with natural plants, the user would need to add water. 

Audience: This device could be for people who want to water their plants but easily forget to. Solar energy would help them water their plants.