April | 2016 | Jess at ITP

Battery Box

External

Case – Custom 3-ply corrugated cardboard box. Cardboard is strong, easy to use, and basically free. It’s something that can be scrounged easily and you only need a box cutter and PVA (Elmer’s) glue to work with it. It can also be sealed with polyurethane or any outdoor paint, if desired.

Solar Plugs – MC4 connectors. Instead of wiring the solar panel directly into the box, we’ll use standard MC4 connectors. Most 100W solar panels are sold with MC4’s attached. Including them complicates the build a little bit, but complies with industry standard.

Inverter – This is external to the box, but necessary. Inverters that would be appropriate for this build can range from $25-$400, depending on type and tolerances. It’s better to educate people about the different kinds of inverters and allow them to buy the one that meets their needs the best rather than recommend one and hard wire it into the system.

Solar Panel – I have a 25W panel for demonstration purposes, but this system can take up to a 200W solar system.

Misc – Velcro to keep the box closed, waterproofing if desired.

Internal

Battery – 2 12V 35Ah sealed Deep Cycle batteries. Wired in series this will produce 70Ah. This should be enough energy storage for running a small mini fridge, or something along the lines of a sleep apnea machine. Of course it is also suitable for phones, laptops, tablets, and other small electronics. Downside, it will be quite heavy. But, there’s no way around that with lead acid batteries.

Charge Controller – This keeps the batteries from damaging the solar panel when they’re full. The particular model also allows you to see how full the batteries are, when their charging, and you can program it with charge timing.

12V Cigarette Car Lighter Port – This is included instead of wiring the inverter into the box directly. Having a port allows more customization. Folks can buy an inverter that meets their needs without changing the project build. Also, allows access to direct DC power if needed.

Fuse & Fuse Holder – This protects the box’s electronics from a surge in the inverter, or whatever is plugged into it.

Misc – 10 Gauge wire for connecting everything up, round terminals for the wires, butt connectors to connect the fuse inline.

Tools

Xacto Knife or Box Cutter

Adjustable Wrench

Brush

Glue

Screwdriver

Crimpers

Microbiome

These articles tickle me because I’ve spent a great deal of time this semester learning about the reaches and wonders of space. I’ve spent whole evenings in the Hayden Planetarium looking at visualizations of the known universe, but these articles about the bacteria living in my gut are what has made me feel small.

They really give me a sense of how little we know about the world we live in. For all the understanding we do have, there are millions upon millions of things that we don’t. Right now it seems like the best thing you can do, is just to do your best. Try to limit how many resources you consume and the amount of trash you produce. Encourage diversity in all areas of life. Be nice to people. Smile more. Because no matter what, there’s an entire world that we don’t even know about effecting our lives. The earth seems too complex for us to control, or to fix at all. Maybe all we can do is try our hardest, and let the rest sort itself out.

Mental Mapping

The Memory Palace

In this project we seek to make a map of the city. But, this will not be a digital or physical map. Instead, we attempted to create the maps in our own minds. Inspired by the ‘Memory Palace’ mnemonic tool, we decided to engage in a series of close looking exercises that would translate the length, width, and height of New York into a new neural pathway. Essentially, the map would be the new connections made in our brains.

For our exercise we chose to create a series of blind contour drawings. In this technique the artist will draw without lifting their pen or pencil and does not look at the drawing as they are making it. Instead, they focus on the object they drawing. This exercise is focused on the act of looking, rather than the creation of a drawing. The final drawing is merely the record that the act of looking took place, rather than the goal.

We selected three locations for our drawings. The first was the bridge over Amsterdam Ave at 116th St. This view would allow us an uninterrupted view down the island. The second was from the Top of the Rock, which would let us observe the city from above. The third was from Tudor City Pl at 42nd St, where we could look west across the city. In this way we could observe New York across all axes.

Month: April 2016