Project Eclipse: Dec 8 to Dec 15 Update

As the Christmas season draws near and the weather gets colder, Car Club students and Mr. Da Silva focus on reaching the goal of getting the rear audio video system started on the rear of the BR Spirit Car.

First, we had to decide on some sort of relationship between an electric linear actuator and the lever system which holds the TV screen. With some brainstorming, we came up with a rough sketch:



We also spent some time looking at more of Mr. Mule's tech design class submissions for the layout of the audio system and how it would all fit into the Eclipse.



After constructing a rudimentary lever and frame system, Mr.  DaSilva showed his students how it would hold the screen, and actuate in a forward motion from an acute angle in the trunk to a 90 degree angle for upward viewing.



While he outlined the motion of the actuator on the screen, a senior Car Club member removed and reconditioned the front tablet holder to even out any residual bumps that might have shown in the earlier paint job. We primed it to match Mr. DaSilva's hair before painting it black.





Minutes later, Car Club split into two teams. One team resoldered a missing coil pack on our demo engine on a stand- a 1995 Dodge Neon DOHC 2.0 litre engine. With the coil pack wiring soldered in place, the engine once again roared to life, now usable by senior students for tune ups and compression tests.



Mr. DaSilva often enjoys seeing older students mentor younger ones in the auto shop. This promotes interest in the course as well as sets good examples on how to work wisely and safely in the shop with tools and equipment.

Back at the drawing board, the other team of Car Club students were given a quick lesson in relay control and then wired up a simple module which will control the linear actuator from a single three way switch.





By the end of the class, Car Club students had the automation system wired up and temporarily fitted into the back of the Eclipse. From here, we can now design and construct the sound system around the motorized screen.



With the control switch flicked, the screen motorized flawlessly out of trunk! Well done students of 114!

As classes wind down in preparation for the Christmas holidays, Mr. DaSilva's Car Club wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to resuming Car Club in January where we will shift gears and continue construction of the rear audio system in the BR Spirit Car!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Project Eclipse: Nov 24 to Dec 1 Update

We are back at it in the auto shop, and for the last two weeks, Car Club students have been focussing on maintaining the shop and sculpting custom parts for the BR Spirit Car.

Last week, groups of students focussed on keeping different areas of the shop neat and tidy. It is a good way to prepare for a good work ethic in the world of work. By keeping tools cleaned and in the right places, and keeping the shop layout organised, safe and efficient work can be maintained throughout the year.

In terms of custom work on the Eclipse, we spent two weeks designing brackets to fit specific components into the car. While keeping the design of parts in mind, we had to remember to make the one-off parts pleasing to the eye, functional and safe.

Continuing our focus at the front of the Eclipse, we dropped our first prototype tablet holder because its frame warped under the strain of the fibreglass resin when it dried,
Mr. Da Silva explained that the bracket needed stronger side brackets to keep the tablet holder's shape in the dashboard.
So with a different approach, we cut the passenger side airbag trim to accommodate the tablet in from behind, and affixed a new wood frame and thicker side brackets with screws to hold it all securely in place.





We then pulled stretchable fabric over the entire thing, applied fibreglass resin to it, then trimmed away the excess and sanded it down to create a solid structure, ready for paint.





While the structure's primer and black paint coats dried, we focussed on the rear of the vehicle where we had to assemble a complex custom bracket to hold the Eclipse's two massive glass mat batteries. These batteries' sole purpose is to power the audio video system with reserve current to spare!

Once we laid out the rear trunk space and took many measurements, we constructed a lower anchor base which would bear the 100 pound plus weight of the batteries.



Once the base was done, we designed an upper bracket to keep the batteries snug so as not to shift around while driving. We have to keep the battery pack as low as possible in the trunk to allow space for the audio system above.





Soon, with the platform floor in place, the batteries fit snugly in their new home. The power source for the audio system is now in place!



The floor had to be raised to match the height of the rear strut tower braces and bridge so that designing the audio system might be easier. While the floor was constructed, Mr. Mule's tech design students continued their renditions of the sound system designs. Soon, both Mr. Mule's class and Mr. Da Silva's class will sit together and discuss each design and consider a final design for the car.



Days later, the tablet holder assembly is dry, and Car Club students help sand and prepare an extra coat of paint for the holder. Soon, it will take its new home in the front passenger dashboard of the Spirit Car.

The tablet will serve multiple purposes. It will teach students how do get diagnostic information from the Eclipse by connecting directly to its engine computer via Bluetooth. We can get real time data on its engine and watch it on the screen from the passenger seat.

The tablet will also serve as a media platform to send music and videos to the rear screen at special events.

Finally, we test fit the tablet in its new holder and mount it temporarily to the passenger dashboard. Looks good so far. We will then build anchor brackets to hold it firmly in place and connect power, the HDMI output, and a USB wire to it once fully installed.




The BR Spirit Car is motoring along, sometimes with its engine running, and at other times, just by sitting there. As more students become familiar with our Student Success initiative, more interest is generated in this cool project, and we all look forward to its unveiling at this year's school carnival in the spring.

Check back soon for our next Project Eclipse update! See you soon!

Project Eclipse: Nov 10 to Nov 17 Update

Back in the Car Club, the challenging process of design and construction continues on our BR Spirit Car.

Mr. Mule's senior level Design Technology students have accepted the task of designing the general layout for the subwoofers, amplifiers and TV in the back of the Eclipse. This is not an easy task, as the interior space of the sports car must be taken into consideration, as well as the positioning of the high power speakers in relation to the delicate computer monitor.

Mr. Da Silva visited room 206 to check on their progress and found some incredible designs!

From the design tech submissions, we will narrow down a final design to accommodate all the components of the audio video system and start construction quite soon.

Meanwhile, at the front of the vehicle, we removed the passenger side airbag, as the vehicle will not be driven on the roads. We will use the airbag cavity to mold a holder for the ten inch Android tablet that will be used to send music and slideshows through the sound system and onto the rear display.

With the cavity empty, we wrapped the cavity in foil tape and fibreglassed it to take an impression of the cavity. We then shaped the new fibreglass shell for our next step.

While the mold continued to harden, some SHSM students helped remove the rear seat belts from the vehicle, as the rear seats will be ditched in order to make room for the sound system.

The small tablet plate was designed on AutoCad and plotted out on the CNC machine in the woodshop so that it could hold the tablet while concealing all of its wiring, including the HDMI, power and USB cables.

We sanded down the final example of the tablet bracket, after some minor adjustments. The bracket will be molded in front of the airbag cavity.

With a lot of fibreglass work, some shaping, and a little paint, the idea is to make the tablet look as though it belongs in the vehicle's dashboard, ready for action!

The final thing Car Club worked on was building a false floor into the rear of the Eclipse. By using tape and foil paper, we transferred a rough shape of the trunk floor onto plywood and cut it out with a jigsaw. We then calculated and cut an opening which will house two high power batteries to help deliver the current required to power the Kicker Audio system.

By next Car Club, students should be further in the design and construction of the first fibreglassed components for the audio system. We also hope to get our hands on a mobile PC computer and double din video deck for the Eclipse by then. The hard work continues and Mr. DaSilva remains proud of the dedication of the various Car Club and SHSM students who volunteer their time to building a custom work of art to represent tech achievement at BR for years to come!

See you next week!

Project Eclipse: Oct 27 - Nov 3 Update

Welcome back to Car Club!

Mr. Da Silva has been updating the blog every two weeks since we have slowed the rebuild for a short period of time while we transition from the Eclipse's interior system design to layout and construction.

Here's the status of the rebuild over the last two weeks...

While newbie Car Club students were being taught automotive maintenance by the veteran members of senior grades, a few SHSM students spent time trying to diagnose why the Eclipse developed a small water leak in the hatch area while it sat outside on a rainy day. 

Two students stayed in the vehicle and marked off a source of water entry while another student sprayed the vehicle with a garden  hose. We noted the area in need of sealing and soaked up the water with sawdust. We also discovered a small leak from the driver's window weather stripping as it leaked onto the driver's floor. We will have to figure out a way to seal out both sources of leaks.

Students also had time to set up a promo banner to acknowledge Gemsen's generous donation of more audio equipment for our project.

Back at the rear of the vehicle, students helped remove the spare tire bracket from the tire well so we could free up enough space for the installation of a special Absorbed Glass Mat battery, which will safely power the sound system when it is on location. We need to install this special type of battery in the vehicle so that it will not create dangerous gases like normal lead-acid car batteries do under the hood.

Another Car Club member helped remove the passenger side Air Bag so that we could add a special feature to the vehicle. In it's place, we intend to mould a special pod for an Android tablet. It will be hooked up to the rear main video screen and used for music broadcasting as well as real-time on board engine diagnostics.

Mr. Mule's Wood Shop club members were able to assist in the creation and routering of special subwoofer rings, which will serve as mounting points for the four ten inch subs.

Finally, as Project Eclipse continues, Mr. Mule's Tech Design students accept the challenge to design the interior structure for the sound system of the Eclipse. The job is far from easy, and we continue to experiment with various design layouts, eventually determining the optimum placement for all the cool components of the audio/video system before we begin the custom fibreglass work!

Car Club will continue its efforts throughout the winter to create an exciting model of teamwork and student success for the Bishop Reding community!

Stay tuned for the next update!