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https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KpZyNEDXdTGpVfTymJdRk8vpDWqmKHb_

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2 linkage 1 gear, spiralling+ramp+microbit

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we tried to minimise the number of mechanisms at the beginning of the machine so as to not bore the viewers or take up too much time, so we minimised it to 1 linkage and 2 gears

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2 gears 1 linkage, linkage+ramp+maze

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We started to work on it at 9 am and we finished by 1.10pm! At first the flask wasn't holding water, it was leaking really fast and the backboard wasn't waterproof like we initially thought it was. So the water was soaking through the back of the board and leaking through the front. We spent an hour trying to fill in the gaps with hot glue but it ended up leaking more than it had an hour before. So we ended up cutting the plastic bag holding all our spare parts and putting it inside the flask. So yay problem solved right? No, problem even bigger. Turns out the plastic bag also started leaking and water was slowly dripping out of it and collecting in the lower flask itself. Then it dripped out of the flask and onto the board. To fix the problem, we put on a plastic coating on the outside the flask by glueing and melting a light plastic, filled the plastic bag with water and just immediately applied hot glue to the leaks, while water was still coming out of them, so the glue immediately cooled and let us move on to another place quickly. then we realised we couldn't fit it onto the board, we didn't have enough hot glue, so we used masking tape instead! We couldn't find any of the vegetables for a chemical reaction, so we had to use food colouring instead.

Now to move on to the upper levers. We originally planned to cut a strip of plastic and stick the ends of the strings to the ends of the strip, then lay the strip on top of two brackets/braces, so that when the marble drops onto the plastic it would pull the strings as well. Turns out that didnt work either, but Sangeun had the brilliant idea to use the gear as a pulley too so that it would pull the string! And then we spent the next 40 minutes trying to figure out at which angle and which length the string should be at. The weight of pulling 2 levers at the same time was too much for the pulley, because the centre of gravity wasn't really, well, centred. We made the choice to remove one of the levers so that it would be easier to move, and was so much lighter! The string didn't need to be exactly centred, so it allowed for much more freedom. We also changed the placement of the strings, from the back to the front, so that there was less friction against the string. We tilted the lever upwards as well, so its already half in action when resting, and the amount of force needed to pull it will be significantly lesser. So now the machine works! its much simpler than what we had planned in the first draft, but we expected that from the beginning because Mr Yeow told us we might have to simplify our design due to time restrictions. its still quite cool though and I'm really proud of it! I can't express the joy I felt when I saw the machine parts working together.

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I had to observe how the parts worked for quite a few components to try and figure out how to fix them or improve them so that the machine would work together smoothly and the marble would drop when and where I wanted it to. For example, I needed to observe where the marble would drop out of the linkage so that I could position the test tube and consecutively the gear at the right spot. I also needed to observe the speed at which the marble would roll out of the tube, so that I could place the inclined plane at the right distance away from the tube and find the right length of the inclined plane as well. For the 2 levers at the top of the board, I had to observe it while it was working and make certain hypotheses  as to why one was working better than the other. I learnt that accuracy and a keen eye are very crucial in tasks and projects such as these.

We also had to persist and push through the challenges, such as not being able to find time in our hectic schedules, not being able to work as quickly as compared to the rest ,although we did manage to work faster and more efficiently towards the end, and simply persevering through our many failed prototypes. We did falter slightly when we had to remove certain parts to save time or because it wasn't very plausible or efficient, when we could get past one hiccup or took a very long time to do so, but we took a break from stressing over it every once in a while to keep us far away from burnouts, so that we could stay interested and engaged in the project to give it our best instead of doing it for the sake of doing it. We talked to our friends and got inspiration, watched their machines work to encourage ourselves to work harder and persist.

I feel that I have grown quite attached to DnT. Though I would not do this for the sake of grading again, I might consider playing with materials a bit more in my free time. I feel I have gotten better at using some of the tools, for example the drill. At the beginning of the project, I hesitated a lot while using it, wondering if I would drill into the wrong marking or if my finger was near the drill. Nowadays, I've gotten better at it, more confident of using power tools. I do a quick spot check to make sure no-one is around, my fingers are clear from the screw and quickly drill and clear up the area.  Overall, I feel this was a great opportunity to widen our horizons and get exposure to the many art forms. Even though I was out of my comfort zone, it turned out to be an enriching experience.

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i rushed in after a PTC meeting, just a few minutes before Sangeun had to rush out for her ambassador duties. she had just finished making the new gear out of thick card stock because we told each other that it was way to flimsy and had too many kinks. the gear wouldnt move because of the friction (it was a pretty big gear) and we spent alot of time trying to attach the 'test tube' in a way that didnt obstruct the movement of the gear itself. so she made a new gear and i attached a new, smaller cardboard tube so that the part was less heavy, the card stock was already heavier than the cardboard so we had to make up for it. a smaller tube also meant less distance for the marble to travel after coming out of it. i cut a slit in the gear for a tiny toothpick to go into so that the gear would stay in place while waiting for the marble to fall into it. i pretty much used the entire DnT session to make it but when i got home, it didnt really work smoothly, the gear would get stuck after a while. if i had cut the slit properly the idea would have worked, but it ended up being kind of hitchy, so i had to cut the toothpick off the board and we used bluetack intead.

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not exactly sure when but it happened so

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not exactly sure when but it happened so

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we decided to change the leaf part to something that represents the science lab more literally, so we changed it to a chemical reaction. Sangeun suggested that we add vinegar to boiled red cabbage water. it changes colour so that would look really cool! it also shows our theme more literally, whereas the leaf would have only showed experiments and was a less plausible to make.

The anthocyanin in red cabbages is the thing that reacts with the vinegar to change colour. other vegetables with it are blackberries, blueberries, grapes, and cranberries.

update: we have to change the red cabbage water to something else and quick

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Sangeun is in Michigan now, so i spent all day trying to make the linkage and the gear to work consecutively. not a very productive day.  i also tried to come up  with a mechanism which was basically just string and a tiny box i made out of cardstock becasue i hadnt been able to find a tiny container. i was trying to figure out how to angle it so that the marble that drops out of the gear's 'test tube' will hit the string suspended across the board, with a container of vinegar attached to the string, so that it topples the container into the larger container of cabbage water. i figured it would be very hard to try and angle it every time we're setting up the machine, so i decided not to use that method and instead try something else. still behind time...

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We painted and got the first part of the board to move together. we painted the gear and added a '09' to it,  because we're the ninth pair ;) There's science practical worksheets stuck to the board as well. the linkage moves now and we ended up making a stopper out of hot glue with the linkage slightly tilted already, so all the marble would do is dislodge it so it could move forward. we also attached string to the back at the levers at the top so they would move. we actually got a lot more work done today than the rest of the 3 hour sessions, but it left my house a mess and i got an earful from my mum. the board looks much more finished and i actually have hope that we can finish it by tomorrow. we're meeting at 8 tomorrow to finish it. i was supposed to run out and get the red cabbage and vinegar, but it started raining so i couldn't go get it. i still need to figure out a way for the marble to trigger the string because it takes quite a lot of force to flip it over.

Update: so neither of us can find red cabbage near our house so we have to change the plan last minute. i found a few substitutes for it like blackberries, blueberries and grape juice but im not sure if she has any at her house. i hope we dont have to change our plan entirely again sigh

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day 5 (still having linkage problems...)

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day 5 (still having linkage problems...)

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i put the wire casing on the linkage and it STOPPED. MOVING. i spent like 7 mins using a penknife to scrape away the tape from the casing so it doesnt obstruct the 2 bars moving at the side, and THEN i cut the two side bars a bit lower than the main 2 bars and now it works. i mean, i think someone should have told me but like at least we figured it out in time. im not really sure what Sangeun was doing today, we arent really good at communicating we barely see each other because we're always working on different parts. but its starting to change i think, we're getting better at communicating and at the beginning of the lesson, we catch each other up on what each of us has been doing so we know.

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i finally got the linkage working!!! it took 4 hours but i got it! i used the already made acrylic linkages from old projects and combined a few of the same size and it worked! but when i attached it to the board it wouldnt stay up, but it would instead fall down the second nothing was supporting it. so i asked Mr Yeow what to do and he told me to put in a screw for the linkage to rest on, but it still didnt work, so i asked him again and he told me to adjust the angle of the bar so that it was more balanced. it works, but i cant get the bar to move along with the marble. Ms Wang told me to put some strips of hot glue so that there's more friction. Wendolyn and Micaela got it to work i think, but i didnt really have time to go ask them. At least i got the linkage working...

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our prototype isnt even half done and the others are 3/4 finished. theyll probably start on their final work next week, so we decided to save time by just using our prototype gears for the final work. Sangeun tried out alot of different ways to make the spiral, but we cant get it to work. she tried out styrofoam, card stock and cardboard, but none of the materials worked out, we even looked it up online, but time wasnt working in our favour, so we decided to drop it and focus on other, more important aspects of the machine. I think im not very inclined towards DnT, i cant even get the 4-bar linkage working after 2 sessions cri. but i have to admit, this is fun, if only i could get my mind off the deadline and grading portion of it...

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day 2 (not exactly day 2 just the second day we worked on it)

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day 2 (not exactly day 2 just the second day we worked on it)

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we started on our prototype today. I noticed other groups are working much faster than us, we only managed to get the first gear and the 4-bar linkages working. the 4-bar linkages arent working very well either, i think either the bars werent the same size or maybe we shouldnt have chosen the 1 layer recycled cardboard. Either way, we need to start working faster so we dont need to rush at the end.

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We have to make a board that had to do with the theme 'experiments' and our place is the Science Lab. the challenging portion/trait is difference in scale. we spent the first day sketching the draft for the layout and decided to use a standing board as it had many more ways of use and is much easier to attach as well. here is our first draft.