Budget

Allotted Project Budget

Equipments and Parts $4500.00

Machine Shop Expenses $500.00

Total Budget $5000.00

**Additional funding available upon sponsor approval from grants given by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Expected Expenses:

• Projector(s)

• Acrylic for base model

• Axial fan

• Arduino board

• Screen Goo (rear projector coating)

• Support equipment (breadboard, supports)

• Additional design parameters (CO2 gas valve, mesh netting, etc.)

Possible Budget Issue(s):

1. Projector Selection

• A fly's vision is able to pick up movement at speeds as fast as ~200 Hz. This means the projector to be used must have a refresh rate with a minimum spec of this value- preferably greater.

• The model currently being used is a TI Lightcrafter 4500. They project at a high enough refresh rate and with a bright enough light intensity. However, they are relatively small, and cannot project a large enough image without compromising the brightness of the projection. For a wind tunnel spanning 1.5 m, we would need multiple projectors to cover the span of one wall. Having to project along 3 sides of the tunnel, the budget becomes an issue as each TI Lightcrafter 4500 costs $1200~1300.

• Possible Solution #1: As suggested in the project outline, we can follow the Weber project model in using one high-grade projector and reflecting multiple images along the tunnel walls. A downside to this method is that the distance the light of the projection travels must equal each other or the images become unfocused.

  • Possible Solution #2: Removing the color wheel within a projector has proven to increase the refresh rate of a projector to nearly double. This allows us to buy a cheaper 120Hz projector and produce images at 240 Hz upon modifications. Possible downsides must be researched.

Sponsor's Fiscal Contact: Janet Shin

Project Fiscal Manager: Hyun Joo (Harry) Ahn

Latest Edit: 18 March 2015