(This is the third post in a series; be sure to read the first for context).

This Class project was a year in the making: It began last spring, and I posted then about the class plans and my conversations with the working group as they “pitched it” to me and sought my approval and sponsorship. It is worth checking out this previous post to show the sequence, beginning with designing and planning and now culminating in completion:

Below are the student overview of the project’s purpose and procedure, and after the jump (more)  is the Solar Oven Project.

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Purpose:  The purpose of this project was to provide the school’s students with an environmentally friendly way to charge their laptops.

Procedure 1. Screw wooden beams onto the preexisting structure. 2. Cut L-shaped metal to the correct length to fit the desired mounting angle of the panels and cut L-shaped metal to fit the length of the panel. 3. Attach the metal to the panel. 4. Attach the panel supports to the metal running the length of the panel. 5. Put the panel on the roof. 6. Attach the panel by screwing it to the structure. 7. Run conduit from the panels to the wall. 8. Drill a hole through the wall. 9. Run the wires from the panels through the hole. 10. Attach the panel wires to the charge controller. 11. Attach the charge controller to a car battery. 12. Attach the car battery to a power inverter. 13. Run a power cord from the inverter to a wall outlet outside.

Diana’s Solar Oven

Procedure

My Procedure for the Original Oven:

1. I used a speaker for the original oven . 2. I proceeded to cover the speaker in foil. 3. I then put a cup of water in the bottom of the oven and one sitting outside of the oven. 4. Then I put a thermometer in each cup. 5 There was a small difference in temperatures between the cups, but not much. 6. Then more foil covered, cardboard panels were added to the top of speaker in order to catch more sunlight. 7. There was a much bigger temperature difference between the cups after the addition of the new panels. 8. After a certain point oven was too hot and duct tape used to hold on panels and foil started to melt.

Supposed Procedure For Second Attempt:

1. I cut 12 rectangular pieces of cardboard measuring 24cm x 61cm each. 2. Then I traced and cut the following shape on each cardboard panel. 3. Made a straight fold at 24cm distance from the small end of the panel. 4. Punched a hole in each of the two “ears” at the narrow end of the panel, as shown, and folded the ears away from me. 5. Placed the panels side by side, along the longest edge of each panel, and taped them together until all 12 panels joined to form a ring

Timeline For Project:

  • The temperatures for the above oven weren’t high enough, so I felt the need to make another oven.
  • The duct tape melted when I added the new panels for the speaker solar oven.
  • Next I made a 12 sided parabolic cooker, 1/5 scale.
  • Parabolic cooker failed miserably.
  • I ended up adding extra panels because it did not make a ring with just 12 panels.
  • I raised the amount of panels to 24.
  • Then they would not make a proper cone shape.
  • Soon a solution was found and the panels were lowered back down to just 12.
  • Because it was a 1/5 version of the original, it would not work properly.
  • Of course, it would take too long to cut out pieces for full scale oven, so I decided to not continue this project and make smoke bombs instead.
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