Last updated Mar 12, 2000

Welcome to the "Techies" home page for the The Tech Museum Challenge ! The job of the team is to replace a satellite's battery, using the special mechanism we built that we call "The Vortex".  Our team is composed of five 6th graders from JLS Middle School in Palo Alto.  They are Kenneth, Rigel, Greg, Alex, and Michael.

Meetings:

3/11/00 (Sat) - installed a few versions of operator control.  Result: first dropped battery!  Better idea followed.
2/29/00 (Tue) - worked on ideas for operator handle/battery insertion control
2/26/00 (Sat) - changed out wood "knob and battery aligner" with plastic so operator can see where he is aiming
2/22/00 (Tue) - went to tap plastics, OSH, added X brace to front of satellite, improved battery inserter with friction mount
2/15/00 (Tue) - installed battery holder, first succesful trial run!
2/12/00 (Sat) - went to Haltek, got new sliders, rebuilt frame with new slides
2/1/00 (Tue) - built "vortex" to align with front of satellite - not enough movement with sliders
1/31/00 (Sun) - rebuilt satellite to match model we saw at SJ Civic Auditorium
1/29/00 (Sat) - went to Tech Meeting at SJ Civic Auditorium
1/22/00 (Sat) - first team meeting - Brainstorming, built first model of "knob & battery aligner"
1/15/00 (Sat) - Greg and I build Satellite from what appears on tech drawings
 
 

	1/22/00: This is our enthusiastic team standing around our home-built  model of the satellite, figuring out how to put a battery in it..  Standing left to light: Kenneth, Rigel, Greg, Alex, Michael. We have to build a machine that places a battery in the battery holder in the center of the satellite, using only the two knobs Rigel and Alex are holding on to.
	This is Kenneth sawing a support
	Alex is screwing the support in to the base while Michael consults
	2/1/00 Alex finds punching holes requires some effort
	Greg saws a funnel support
	2/12/00: Rigel adjusts the height of the funnels, while Michael operates The Vortex
	SUCCESS! 2/15/00: The first successful loading of the battery into the satellite

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Modified 06/02/01