Advanced Mechatronics

a.k.a. STEM Design & Construction XT

Year-Long with Wind Power Unit

for experienced 8th graders

First Few Days in the Barber Shop 💈

Important Links are all on Schoology, like the Daily Slide and our class-shared Google Doc, called "Delicious Biscuits." During the first few days, we go over procedures, readying our laptops and our minds for a safe, fun building environment:

First Day Google Form (1 pt)
Intro to the Barber Shop Slideshow
Laptop Check '25-'26 (14 pts)
How to Adobe Illustrator for a lasercutter (This is MY basic video how-to for a scribble. Mech XT students will use these skills to make much more advanced lasercuts after you make a BETTER how-to, for sharing with Mr. B on Google Drive and this website, Screen-Cast-O-Matic (now ScreenPal).
How to CAD a nametag on TinkerCad ... older version, but it leads you to making a small nametag. I suggest making SURE that your letters intersect and are BIG, BLOCK, AND CHONKIER.
We will be CADding Gears AND a Potato Circuit

Click below to access a copy on Google Drive for printing:

Henley Shop/Technology/Education Class Competencies/Syllabi/Pacing Guides 2025-2026 (in English) (En Español)
Henley Media Permission/Safe Shop Rules/TinkerCad Permission Form 2025-2026 (in English) (En Español)

Arduino (See my Intro to Microcontrollers & my Arduino webpage)

My YouTube Arduino Playlist with tutorials

2025-2026 CASE Challenge Website

KidWind Competition

Putting together the plastic, beginner, practice turbines (you have to plan and cut your own blades, but you can keep them for your REAL turbine!)
Which Blades are Best??

REAL TURBINE BUILD- All Mechatronics XT students and teams will build Wind Turbines and test them/compete in my classroom. The Top 3 Teams will have the opportunity to attend the Charlottesville Regional, but ALL STUDENTS/TEAMS ARE COMPETING IN MY CLASSES both to place in my class AND for grades on the Q3 grading period. I'm working on having some JMU Professors and Grad Students bring a wind tunnel and the appropriate equipment to my space so that even non-attending teams can also get a similar experience to the 3 teams attending the Charlottesville Regional.

Important Dates/Locations

Charlottesville Regional Challenge Information:

Piedmont Virginia Community College (Albemarle, VA) - All day on March 25, 2026

Age Divisions- There are three age divisions:

→ Elementary Division (4th-5th Grade)

→ Middle School Division (6th-8th Grade)

→ High School Division (9th-12th Grade)

We are supplying and using a KidWind Generator (ES, MS, & HS Divisions)

(I will post more here when I know anything)

Generators

The generator your team uses determines how we classify and evaluate your turbine in the wind tunnel and compare energy and power generation. There are three classes of generators you can use. (We will be using one that Mr. Barber got from Vernier)

Blades

Wind turbine blades and their orientation to the wind are very important parts of a wind turbine design. You could study this for years and still not be an expert! Blades must use safe materials and fit within a 48” x 48” wind tunnel, and must NOT USE PRE-MADE AIRFOILS or other pre-manufactured blades. We see students using all kinds of materials to make blades: cardboard, balsa wood, 3D printers, you name it. Just don’t use razor blades!

Gearboxes or Belt Drives

While building a gearbox or a belt drive can be challenging, it can also greatly increase the power output of your wind turbine. Belt drives or gears can give your wind turbine a mechanical advantage and multiply the mechanical force of the turning blades.

2026 Rule Book 2025 Rule Book 2024 Rule Book

Turbine Design Guidelines

As you construct your turbine, please keep the following rules in mind:

Student team members must do all of the work building wind turbines, preparing for Challenges, and making adjustments. Teams can be disqualified if it is discovered that parents or coaches have or are working on turbines.
Each registered team must have its own turbine. Teams can not share turbines or switch blades with another team.
The turbine must fit inside the wind tunnel and operate within its 48” x 48” internal dimensions. Keep in mind that as the wind tunnel runs, it will suck in the vinyl sides of the tunnel, reducing the internal dimensions. We HIGHLY recommend designing your turbine to fit within these dimensions with plenty of room to account for shake and wobble. Sandbags and other weights will be available for use.
There are no budgetary restrictions for your turbine design, but it is important to keep in mind that part of the judging process is the economical use of resources. Please use materials responsibly.
Teams are allowed to have multiple generators and rotors in one turbine placed in the tunnel. All of these rotors must still fit into the standard wind tunnel. Keep in mind that if you have multiple KidWind generators, you will be placed in the Open Division.
Power must be generated solely by wind using the wind tunnel.
Your turbine can be built on either a vertical or horizontal axis.
Your turbine may use a gearbox, pulley system, or similar mechanism to increase power output. You may use pre-manufactured gearboxes and other parts, but keep in mind that innovation is a critical judging criterion, and parts that you make on your own will earn you more points.
You cannot use pre-manufactured wind turbine blades or airfoils/sheets.
Your wind turbine must be free-standing. A tower/stand will not be provided.
The use of 3D printed parts and components is allowed. While you do not have to use files you created yourself, you should bring documentation about the CAD files to the Challenge and be prepared to discuss the design and the 3D printing process. Judges will want to make sure you understand this technology if you decide to use it.
No shrouds are allowed.

Wind Tunnel

Wind turbines will be tested in a 48” x 48” wind tunnel at a wind speed of approximately 3.5 to 5m/s. Wind moving at 3.5 m/s within a space this large is much more powerful than a single box fan.
All teams may be given time to tweak their turbine in the tunnel before actual testing begins. How much time will be determined by the type of event, number of entries, and free time available.

Testing Guidelines

Once the testing session begins, you will be given two minutes to set up your wind turbine inside the tunnel.
If you are using a KidWind Generator, the wires at the base of your turbine will be attached to a circuit with a 30 ohm resistor in series and will simultaneously measure voltage and amperage.
If you are using a homebuilt or advanced generator, you will attach your desired load to the turbine or our measurement tools and then attach the wires at the base of your turbine to the circuit that will simultaneously measure voltage and amperage.
In order to receive full marks for functionality, your wind turbine must be able to start producing power without external assistance once the wind tunnel is activated.
Once your turbine is in the tunnel and connected to the data collection system, the judge will turn on the fans and ask your team if you want this test to count. If your team says yes, the judges will collect data on your turbine. If your team says no, you may remove your turbine, make a small tweak and try again. If there is a line of students waiting, you will probably need to head to the back of the line. This process will vary depending on event.
During testing, the wind tunnel will be running constantly. We will collect power and energy output data between 30–60 seconds. Your energy output score will be calculated using a Vernier datalogging system that collects voltage and amperage readings simultaneously.
If your wind turbine slips, breaks, or falls over once the timer is started, you will either be given two minutes to set up your wind turbine again, or you will be allowed to remove the turbine to make repairs. In the latter case, you will be moved to the back of the line for retesting.
Depending on your local Challenge rules, size, and time frame, you may have between 1 and 5 trials for testing, and only your best trial will contribute to your final score.
Local judges have final say on rulings and disputes.

Defining Catastrophic Failure

An event that causes a turbine in the wind tunnel to produce zero power while collecting test data is defined as a Catastrophic Failure Event. This could be due to either a mechanical or electrical failure. If this happens, you will be offered the following options:
Take two minutes to set up your wind turbine again, or remove the turbine to make repairs. In the latter case, you will be moved to the back of the line for retesting. Failures that lead to REDUCED performance are NOT Catastrophic Failure Events.
UPDATE: Catastrophic failures that are INDUCED by a mechanism will not be treated as a catastrophic failure, and NO RETEST will be awarded. This means tripping something to cause a failure, like knocking a blade or gear off, does not qualify as a catastrophic failure.

Turbine and Team Evaluation

At every KidWind Challenge, teams can expect to be evaluated on energy produced. Depending on the local event and the number of teams present, there may be turbine judging, Instant Challenges, and a Knowledge Test that are part of your overall score. All team members must participate in all components. Here is an example score breakdown:

I REALIZE THAT THE SCORES ADD UP TO JUST 90 ... JMU says that competition will be

Turbine testing - 35%
Design and Documentation judging - 50%
Knowledge quiz/Instant challenge - 15%

My Project Grades & Placing in the Competition will be based on 100 points from the following rubric (that KidWind uses, too):

Turbine Performance (Tested in Wind Tunnel) (40%)
Turbine Design (30%)
Written Documentation of Design (20%)
Instant Wind Challenges (15%)

Turbine Performance (Tested in Wind Tunnel) (40%)

The total energy output of your turbine over the 30 to 50 second trial period will be collected using data-logging software. Each team’s energy, measured in joules produced during the trial period, will be ranked relative to that of other competitors. Each team will receive points corresponding to its rank.
Energy scores will be ranked on a comparative basis using one of two methods. In all cases, you want to generate as much energy as possible to get a high score.
Rank Method Turbines will all be ranked by energy output. The highest producing turbine will receive the full number of energy points. Each turbine below that will receive from 2-5 less points than the one above them.
Example: The top turbine produces a total of 100J and receives 35 points. Your turbine is ranked 6th at 80J and each rank down receives 2 less points. You get 25 points.

Design Presentation to Judges (30%)

A panel of judges will examine your wind turbine design at an In-Person Challenge. This 10-20 minute interview is to get a better understanding of the process you went through as you designed and tested your turbine. You should be prepared to discuss/defend the choices you incorporated into the design. Questions judges may ask about your turbine design:
Does your turbine have a gearbox, a pulley system, or is it direct drive?
Did you have any issues with friction? How did you reduce friction in your drive train?
When building your turbine, what kinds of obstacles or challenges did you face?
How did you balance your blades? Do you notice any vibration when your turbine spins up to speed?
Why are modern wind turbine blades shaped like airfoils? Are your blades shaped like airfoils? Did you try to make any airfoils?
How did you determine the number of blades you would use? What experiments or testing did you perform?
How did you determine the pitch (angle) of the blades?
Why are your blades as long as they are?
What materials did you use to make your blades? Why? What was important as you were building your blades?
What techniques did you use to increase the power output of your wind turbine?
What materials did you use to make your tower? What were some of the challenges you faced making a tower?
What changes did you make to your turbine that lead to the most performance gains?
Discuss the craftsmanship of your design, including creativity, economic, and environmental decisions.
Did you use recyclable materials?

Documentation (10%)

All students must complete a Project Profile Form (see Appendix). This sheet should be presented to your judges when you enter the judging room. In addition to this sheet, teams may also share additional documentation with the judges that showcases, in more detail, their design process and knowledge of wind energy science. It is up to each team to determine how they want to document this part of their project. In the past, we have seen:

Short reports
Engineer’s notebooks
Videos (maximum of 4 minutes)
PowerPoints
Science fair poster boards

Students must provide the means to play any multimedia. A projector may be available — check with your event organizers for details.

Instant Challenges (10%)

At some KidWind Challenges, students may be asked to put their knowledge of wind energy to work at an Instant Challenge. Instant Challenges don’t require any preparation or planning before the Challenge, just a solid knowledge base to refer to for on-the-spot engineering. The number of points that these Instant Challenges are worth will vary among Challenges. During past Challenges, Instant Challenges have accounted for 10-15% of the final score. At some locations, we may be piloting bonus Instant Challenges and other categories for testing. Please check the KidWind Challenge website and your local Challenge registration page for more details.

Helpful Hints (measurement and size is the most important part!)

CASE YouTube Channel
HUB
- Designing a hub can be as easy as cutting a piece of wood in a circle and drilling holes ... just make sure you place & size your holes correctly
- (video 00:22)
AXLE
- You need to pick a durable axle that will be long enough to hold the weight of your hub and blades AND spin easily. Past students have used an old fidget spinner to attach the axle to the base with the ball bearings to start their gearbox.
GEARS
- Once you have your axle picked out, you can start creating your gears! Don't lasercut or 3d print unless you have the correctly-sized hole in the center of your gear.
- I SUGGEST ONLY 3D PRINTING ONE GEAR AT A TIME. MULTIPLE GEARS ARE FREQUENTLY FAILING!
- Gears can be more complicated (designing on TinkerCad and 3d printing or designing on Adobe Illustrator and lasercutting have proven to be the best ways in the past).
- Compound gears are a good way to increase speed!

~Research Section~

Wind Resources: As you construct and test your wind turbine, you may want to learn (or learn more about) the major parts of a wind turbine, wind energy, and other related topics. Check out these sites to learn about wind turbines and wind energy in general:

→ Student Energy - Wind Power

→ PBS Wind Power Episode

→ Department of Energy - Wind

→ National Renewable Energy Lab - Wind

10 Big Questions:

Here are some questions to get you thinking about clean energy in broader terms. You will likely need to draw on your understanding of these questions to be successful at Instant Challenges, knowledge tests, and in the judging room! While these broad questions can be explored by students across the grades, some subquestions may be geared to younger or older students. Coaches can help steer students to the questions most appropriate for their grade level. You do not need to become an expert! Just make yourself knowledgeable.

1. How do we generate and use electricity? — and how do we move it around? From what sources do we generate most of our electricity in the U.S.? How does a generator work? What are the primary sources of electricity in your region of the U.S.? What are some of the ways we transform energy from one form to another? How much of the electricity that is used in your country is generated by wind, solar, or other clean energy? How has this changed over the last ten years? How do we move electricity from power plants to our homes? What is distributed generation?

2. How do we measure and quantify electricity? What are the units we use to measure electrical energy consumption? How much does it cost to power your house each month? What is the difference between energy and power? How much power and energy do common objects like toasters, TV, cell phones and other devices use? Can you read a power bill? How can we reduce our electrical consumption or make it more efficient? How does electrical energy usage vary between countries?

3. What is climate change and how can clean energy impact this phenomenon? What is climate change and who does it impact? What are the environmental benefits of generating electricity using wind or solar power? What are some of the tradeoffs? What challenges might we face in generating over 50% of electricity from clean resources in the U.S.? How does efficiency and conservation play a role in reducing the climatic impact of electricity generation?

4. What kinds of devices transform the power of the wind and the sun? What types of devices have been used to harness wind or solar power, apart from being used to generate electricity, and what were their uses? What are the various styles of windmills and turbines? What are the various types of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic panels? What is the equation that defines how much power is in the wind and what are the most important variables? How do we measure the power coming from the sun? What components of wind turbines are undergoing rapid change and development? Which changes seem to be having the most impact in improving turbine performance? How has the performance of solar panels been improved?

5. How does weather and geography impact clean energy production? What causes wind? What are the windiest or sunniest parts of the U.S.? Where are most of the wind turbines or solar farms located in the U.S.? How does an offshore wind farm work, and where are they located? How do the seasons affect wind or solar energy production? How could the science of meteorology impact and improve the performance of solar or wind farms?

6. How can we store electricity? What is electrical storage? How can storage impact the “variability” of clean energy resources? What are the challenges of implementing small or large scale storage? What kinds of technologies are used in the storage of electricity? Electric vehicles have huge batteries in them — can we use them for storage in our homes?

7. What are local impacts of a wind and solar-powered future? What are some of the physical and social impacts of solar and wind farm construction and operation? How can we reduce these impacts? Which impacts seem most concerning to local communities? How do these impacts compare to those of fossil fuel-generating facilities?

8. How do we pay for clean energy? How do we financially subsidize clean energy resources? How does this compare to fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies? Do you feel that subsidies are appropriate in the energy industry? If you feel that subsidies are okay, what energy sources would you subsidize and why? How can we provide affordable, clean energy to all communities around the globe?

9. What does a clean energy-powered future look like? Is it realistic to think we can power the grid with 100% clean energy? What role does nuclear have to play in a clean energy future? What are smart grids and microgrids and how could they be an improvement over the power grid we currently have? How would large numbers of Electric Vehicles impact the power grid? How can use less electrical energy but still have all the modern conveniences we want?

10. What are clean energy careers? Developing and installing clean energy components and systems like wind turbines and solar panels requires professionals and experts from many different fields of study. What are some of the careers and jobs that make clean energy possible? What do you need to study to work in these fields?

Study Guide Topics:

Climate Change and how wind energy affects/helps it
How to read a turbine specification sheet
Energy statistics (percentages, distribution of wind farms, etc.) in Virginia and the US
Energy consumption by avg. home
Power vs. Energy
Components of a wind turbine
Measuring wind speed
Understanding the power equation
Renewable vs. non-renewable resources
How wind turbines work and basic functions
Converting scaled measurements
Virginia’s Energy Goals

Using the power equation
Understanding swept area of a turbine
Wind measurements
Understanding the Smart Grid
Small Wind Turbine Siting
Vertical Axis (VAWT) vs Horizontal Axis (VAWT) Wind Turbines
Energy Subsidies in the US
Wind Turbines and wildlife impact
Careers in wind energy

VOCABULARY

amperage – A measure of the rate of flow of electrical charges. 1 ampere = 1 volt = 1 watt or I amp = V = P 1 ohm 1 volt R V
blade pitch – Angle of the blades with respect to the plane of rotation. In a wind turbine, also called wind resistance. The friction of the blades against air molecules as they rotate. Drag works against the rotation of the blades, causing them to slow down.
drag – In a wind turbine, also called wind resistance. The friction of the blades against air molecules as they rotate. Drag works against the rotation of the blades, causing them to slow down.
lift – A force encountered by the blades that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow of air. Lift is a force working to speed up the rotation of the blades.
multimeter – An electronic instrument that can measure voltage, current, and resistance.
power – The rate at which energy changes form from one form to another, or the rate at which work is done
voltage – The electrical pressure or potential difference that drives the electric current. 1 volt = 1 amp × 1 ohm = 1 watt / 1 amp
wattage – the metric unit of power. In electricity, one watt of power is equal to one ampere of electric current being forced to move by one volt of potential difference. One watt is also equivalent to one joule of energy per second. 1 watt = 1 volt × 1 amp.