Ferndale Foto Finishes

Description of The Humdinger courtesy its creator: 

ART: The Humdinger emulates the 1930’s era. The art features an art—‐deco hummingbird drinking from a walnut gramophone record player. A wireless speaker is hidden in the box for music, but a real record will be spinning for aesthetics. The art is made out of insulation form board attached to metal tubing. The wings sit about 14 feet high and we’re hoping they don’t get blow off by the wind. The pilots will be dressed in attire from the 1930’s and will perform a creative swing dance to entertain the crowd! ~ The humdinger is one sweet ride!

ENGINEERING: *New water propellers: 3D Printed propellers. As the pilots pedal they drive an axle with a miter gear, which spins the propeller. The pilots in the front power one propeller and the pilots in the back power the other. The propellers spin in opposite directions to help keep the kart from turning in a circle.

• Freewheel Hub Adapter: These 3⁄4” bore hubs were made to screw into our bicycle freewheels and connect to our keyed axle. This allowed us to break free from using bicycle frames. • Modular Art: The artwork needed to be designed for travel via a horse trailer. Everything was built in a modular fashion. This was no small feat!

• All Wheel Drive: Our kart has four pilots. Each pilot drives his or her own wheel. This allows for better turning without a differential, and allows us to be All—‐Wheel Drive vehicle. Each Pilot controls his or her own gear shifters.

• Steering: Our kart turns by articulating in the middle. A cable runs from the steering wheel to a large wheel in the middle of the kart. Possibly the best turning large kart out there!

• Suspension: Our kart can also “roll” by articulating in the middle, keeping all four wheels on the ground on dead man’s drop.

• Drive Train: Our gearing is set up in two parts. The first part is set up like a 21 speed bicycle, which drives a jackshaft. The jackshaft has two different size sprockets, a 10 tooth (for low gearing) and a 20 tooth (for high gearing). From one of those sprockets, a #40 tractor chain goes to a huge 72—‐tooth sprocket. This sprocket drives the wheel.

• Wheel rims: used golf cart rims. • Hydraulic Disc Brakes: taken off of the frontend of an old 700cc Honda Shadow Motorcycle found at a metal scrap yard for $8.00!

• Tires: 30” culver pipe wrapped with mountain bike tires.

• Floatation: 10 recycled 30 galloon barrels attached to a wood frame. Donated from local farmers.

• Rudder: plywood attached to round metal tubing. Steered by a pilot in the back seat.

• Gramophone: Hidden in the homemade gramophone is a wireless speaker controlled by the co—‐pilot’s phone.

OTHER: Last year was our first year to compete. We enter as “No Guts, Know Glory.” The students had a great time and we felt very welcomed by the Kinetic Community. This year we have a brand new group of pilots and an improved cart. Last year the students started a new school club on campus, “The Kinetic Sculpture Club,” and they were awarded several grants for this project. This year students decided to redesign the water propulsion system, a double propeller system, and entered their design in the Skills USA competitions. They won a gold medal at regionals, then a gold medal at state, and in June they will travel to Kentucky to present they system at the national level! The students used a computer drafting program to design the propeller system and then ran water flow simulators to find the best size, pitch and position of the blades. Then they 3D printed the propellers! As I write this we still have not actually water tested the system, it’s all based on theory. Hopefully it will be ready for the race.