Christopher Coffman

14 posts

Wind Turbine Final Report Pt. 2

April 26, 2016

Looking back on this semester, I have definitely gained new skills, both technical and analytical. The main difference I have noticed is my ability to see things differently. Prior to this semester, I viewed most engineering projects with the mindset of function, rather than form. Throughout my engineering curriculum, I have been taught to design…

Wind Turbine Final Report

April 19, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Final Report Main Project 2016, Student Work

I have finally completed my wind turbine! After multiple iterations, much troubleshooting, and plenty of trips to McGuckins, it came together quite well. As with any design process, I ran into a multitude of issues that set me back a bit, but each one taught me valuable lessons about the turbine. The process of creating…

4/13 Update Wind Turbine

April 12, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work, Update Weds April 13 2016

Since my post last week, I haven’t made much progress on this project. I am planning on completing the housing for the motor and hub over the weekend, as I will have plenty of time to do so. I am still troubleshooting the electronics portion of the turbine, but that should be completely ready and…

Progress 4/6

April 6, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work, Update Weds April 6 2016

My motor has finally arrived! It is a 120V 2500rpm DC motor wind turbine generator, and it was only $22 on Amazon. It is actually much smaller than I originally imagined, measuring about 4.5 inches long. I have attached a picture of the motor below. 120V 2500 rpm motor The reviews I read…

3-30-update

March 29, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Impact of 20th Century design movements plus update Weds March 30 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

At this point in my project, I have acquired the blades and materials for a potential mount. I am going to head to McGuckins later today to pick up material for the wind vane and arbor. I am also browsing online to find a suitable motor that I can purchase by the end of this…

Timeline

March 15, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work

Here is my scheduled timeline for my wind turbine project. 3/29 – Have all components ordered / bought 4/1 – Have all components in hand 4/6 – Construct propellor assembly, create wind vane 4/8 – Attach blades to motor shaft with arbor 4/11 – Create mounting tower (reduced size for presentation purposes) 4/13 – Troubleshoot…

Wind Turbine Top Constraints

March 9, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2016, ZZ 2016

Here are the top 5 constraints for my proposed wind turbine design. Altitude. These small wind turbines are not very effective and won’t produce significant electricity unless they are at least 20 ft off the ground. This is due to the drag force the ground exerts on wind. Blades. Wind turbines require incredibly precise blades…

DIY Wind Turbine

March 2, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Main Project Design Review 2016, Student Work

For my final project I have chosen to construct a wind turbine that I can actually use at my home. I came up with this idea from another one of my classes, where my group is creating a business plan for a hypothetical hydro turbine company. After doing plenty of research on small turbines, I…

Inspirations

February 25, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Main Project Inspirations 2016

I am not entirely sure what I am going to do for my project yet. I have played around with a couple of ideas, but I am leaning towards using a breadboard or Arduino to make my project come to life. I would love to be able to do some electronics work while making a…

Aspirations Chris Coffman

February 16, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Aspirations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

As I approach the end of my college career, I still hope to gain a few skills in my final courses. Primarily, I hope to gain a thorough understanding of system assembly as my senior design team begins to manufacture and assemble our massive GE senior project. I think this process will be very eye…

Chris Coffman Skill Set

February 10, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Skill Sets 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

Over the past few years I have actually developed a different skill set than most engineering majors. I added the business minor during my sophomore year, so I was introduced to the principles of accounting and finance at a pretty thorough level. I studied financial accounting (vs. managerial accounting) which taught me how to organize…

Light Bulb Candle

February 3, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work, Upcycle Project Report 2016, ZZ 2016

My inspiration for this project came from a few different things. First, I really wanted to use the most basic materials I could to create something new and artistic. I didn’t want to go to the store and buy a bunch of new material for my project. I wanted to create something that anybody could…

Chris Coffman Upcycle Progress

January 26, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Student Work, Upcycle Progress 2016, ZZ 2016

My idea is to create an representation of a globe using bottle caps (seems to be a recurring theme) and an old basketball that I have laying around. I think that this would serve as pretty cool artwork for any home, if done right. I will start by spray painting the basketball blue like the…

Drone Surf Footage

January 19, 2016

Christopher Coffman

Aesthetic Explorations 2016, Student Work, ZZ 2016

The past few years have seen a sharp increase in the scope of what drones can capture on camera, as well as the environments in which they capture this footage. Ever since my childhood, I have been a huge fan of surf films, ranging from The Endless Summer in 1966 to the recently released View From a Blue…