Solarbotics The paris flyer carousol kit Operator's manual

www.solarbotics.com 1-866-276-2687

solarbotics.com/products/60420/ Document revision: March 27 2018

Basic soldering & tools required 1-2 hours build time

Intermediate ages 12+skill level -

Solar powered

(no batteries needed)

Elegant airship travel cleverly

powered with SolarEngine

Technology

Paris Flyer

The

CarouSol Kit

“The Trans-Atlantic TeslaTech Dirigible ‘Paris Flyer’ is about to depart for New

York City. Please stow your luggage and wait for our attendants to ensure you

are strapped in securely. We will be reaching a rotational velocity of 0.628

radians per second and maximum G-Force of approximately 4 times natural

during the launch cycle.

The approach to the Trans-Atlantic Ion energy channel will take approximately 9

minutes after launch, after which your harness will release and you may explore

your cabin. Enjoy the view from our climate-controlled viewing gondola while

we approach our maximum cruising altitude of 3000 meters, or settle in for a

meal from at our 4-star restaurant.

We thank you for flying TeslaTech Airways, and hope you enjoy your flight.”

Introduction

Kids, build your own model TeslaTech Dirigible like the ones that used to fly the Ion-

channels so long ago! We’re going to build a SolarEngine to wirelessly charge and

power your airship, much like TeslaTech Ether-Engines used to do, but we’ll be

using solar energy rather than Ion channels.

Be prepared with appropriate soldering equipment for the electronics, and suitable

model-construction tools for the wood and mechanical assembly. When complete,

your model will activate between every 30 seconds in direct sunlight to every 5

minutes in indoor lighting, and you can imagine how it was to travel trans-

continentally in the age of TeslaTech!

Alternate history play-time fantasies aside, the Paris Flyer is a kit inspired by the

whimsy of creative wind-driven mobiles and the wonderful autonomy of self-

activating solar-powered energy.

Unlike other solar-powered devices, our SolarEngine allows us to extract useful

energy from light levels otherwise unusable by solar cells. In direct sunlight,

activation happens in seconds; in an interior flourescent-lighted office, every 6

minutes. If there is sufficient light to read by, this device is still working.

We hope you enjoy the little story our model tells, and have fun with both the

mechanical and electrical assembly. As with all Solarbotics’ kits, we guarantee a

successful “no-fear” build, so do enjoy the process even you experience a broken or

lost part. Contact us, and we’ll set things right!

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

PARTS LIST

ŸWhite glue / wood glue

ŸWire strippers (30AWG capable)

TOOLS REQUIRED

1 x Double-sided

sticky tape (DSST)

1 x SolarEngine

circuit board

Transistor 1381

Miller SolarEngine1.3 Solar

ŸSoldering Iron

ŸSolder

4 x Laser cut wood panels

1 x Rotation point

& screw

1 x 3/4"

counter-

balance

1 x Spinning

surface

1 x Propeller

1 x Motor

2 x SCC3733 solar panel

2 x 13” long

30AWG wire

1 x Solar Engine:

1 x 0.22F capacitor* 1 x 22µF capacitor*

1 x Diode

1 x MCP112-195

voltage trigger

1 x TR2222

NPN transistor

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

* - they look alike. (See Step 1.2) Pay particular attention to these capacitors

We will start by assembling the SolarEngine. This is a clever, simple

circuit that allows solar energy to be harvested and used in low light

levels - much lower than is usually possible. There is soldering

required, so if you are new to the process, review the “how-to” link

on the right.

Find the transistor (A), trigger MCP112 (B) - (also

looks like a transistor), small 22 F capacitor (C) - the μ

one with paper on the legs, , small 0.22F capacitor (E)

and diode (D). Clip or peel any paper from the end

of the leads.

Install and solder the parts in as shown. Pay particular attention to the values marked

on capacitors. The capacitors are similar in physical size, but in fact are 10,000x

different electrically. The 22µF installs near the middle, where the 0.22F

(220,000µF!) is near the side.

1.2

Intro to soldering

slrbtcs.co/solderVid2

1.1

Back side

ASSEMBLY STEPS

1. SolarEngine Circuitry

Step

Small

22μF

capacitor (C)

Transistor (A)

(flat side

facing in)

Trigger (B)

(flat side

facing in)

Diode (D)

Polarity stripe

Front side

Small

0.22F

capacitor (E)

2.2

Cut four 3” pieces of wire (two of 1 color and two of the other) and remove 2mm of

insulation from each end with your wire strippers. Place your solar panels face down

and edge to edge as shown. Connect the positive of each solar panel together with a

wire, and the negative of

each panel with another

wire. Use opposite colors

for positive and negative.

Make sure to match the orientation markers & stripes. Make the stripes match the holes nearest the ‘-’

symbols. These components do not work backwards!

SolarEngine

circuit board (F)

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

ASSEMBLY STEPS

2.3

Connect the positive pad of one solar

panel to the positive pad of the

SolarEngine and repeat this process for

the negative pads.

2.4

Don’t cross up the motor wiring. It will still work, but your dirigible will fly backwards!

Use the remaining wire to connect the motor to the SolarEngine. Strip the insulation

back 2mm and solder the pager motor wires to the wires from the SolarEngine.

2.5

Let’s test the propulsion setup to make

sure all is good. Gently press the prop

~1mm onto the end of the motor as

shown. It will still work backwards, but

with only about 70% as much thrust.

Place your solar panels in direct sunlight

or under incandescent light and wait 2-8

minutes, holding the motor so the

propeller can spin freely. When it

activates, you should feel it push air

away from the motor. If not, reverse the

motor wire connections.

Once it runs fine, insulate the bare

motor solder connections with a dab of

glue.

If you haven’t seen any action after 10

minutes, consult the Troubleshooting

section.

You get best thrust with the small diameter on

the propeller hub facing away from the motor.

After successfully testing the propulsion system, remove the propeller with your

fingernails or a small screwdriver. This makes it easier to add the motor into the

dirigible during final assembly.

2.6

smaller diameter

RED motor wire...

BLUE motor wire...

...still RED to this

connection

...still BLUE to

this connection

bigger diameter

desired

air flow

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

ASSEMBLY STEPS

2. Assembling the Tower

Step

Remove the 4 tower bottom sections

(1) and remove cutouts. Apply glue to

each highlighted area, and fit each edge

together to create the three-

dimensional tower bottom.

2.1

All the laser cut parts are labeled and marked on the panel. Assembly is a simple

process of find, prepare, and assemble!

Remove the large platform (2) and

remove cutouts. Add glue to the indicated

areas and push the large platform down

onto the “fingers” of the tower bottoms.

2.2

You may need to wiggle the tower bottoms a

bit to get the fingers into the holes of the large

platform.

Do your best to complete all the

assembly before the glue dries. Being

able to wiggle components while putting

this together speeds construction.

Remove the 4 x tower middle section (3)

and remove cutouts. Add glue to each

area indicated and fit the edges together

to create the three-dimensional tower

middle.

2.3

Don’t pause here - complete step 2.4 before

letting the glue from this step completely cure.

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

Remove the small platform (4) and remove cutouts. Add glue to the indicated areas

and push the small platform down onto the fingers of the tower middle section.

2.4

Remove the 4 x tower top parts (5) and

remove cutouts. Add glue to the indicated

areas and fit each edge together to create

the three-dimensional tower top.

Add glue to the indicated areas and

push the assembled top tower into the

holes on the small platform.

2.5

ASSEMBLY STEPS

Install the assembled middle tower into

the holes on the large platform.

Remove the tower cap (6) and remove any cutouts. Add

glue to the indicated areas and push the tower cap onto the

fingers of the tower tops.

2.6

2.3 cont’d

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

You may need

to spread &

wiggle the

tower base

fingers to get

the fingers into

the holes of the

large platform.

Center and glue the spinner surface assembly to the tower

cap. Be generous with the glue to firmly secure it.

2.8

Remove the 4x bottom railings (8) and

remove cutouts. Add glue to the

indicated areas and slot the railings into

the notches on the large platform. We

need to keep the public on the viewing

platform safe!

2.9

Remove the 4x top railing (9) and

remove cutouts. Add glue to the

indicated areas and slot the railings into

the notches on the small platform.

2.10

ASSEMBLY STEPS

Find the spinner surface and place it face down (dome up) on a hard work surface.

Take the spinner ring (7) and push it onto the spinner surface so it “force fits” into

the spinner ring, so the edge of the spinner surface is flush with the ring.

3. Assembling

Step

the Counter Balance

3.1

Remove the balance base (10) and

remove cutouts. Cut the double sided

sticky tape (DSST) in half and use one

piece to stick the SolarEngine to the base

of the counterbalance power station

where shown. Make sure the wiring

orientation matches the illustration.

dome

side up

press ring

down onto

dome...

...flip over!

2.7

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

3.2

Remove the 2 x towers (11) and support

bar (12) and remove cutouts. Add glue

where shown, and attach a balance

tower to each side of the support bar.

Make sure the engraved detail lines on

the towers faces outwards.

3.3

Add glue where shown, and slot the

balance tower assembly into the holes

of the power station base.

3.4

Cut the remainder of the DSST into four

strips and stick them to the areas shown

here on each solar panel:

Do your best to keep all the wires we used to

attach the solar panels to the SolarEngine

hidden in between the two cells.

3.5

Remove the 2x balance holders (13)

and remove cutouts. Sandwich the 3/4"

ball bearing between the two balance

holders and slide the assembly into the

notches on the bottom of the power

station. The parts will snuggle into place,

and everything will lock together.

ASSEMBLY STEPS

PCB side of

the solar

cell

Stick each solar panel onto the power

station assembly. Rest the edge of the

solar panel on the base so that the

height of each solar panel is the same.

DSST strips

(photo above and

illustration below

are 180° rotated

from the top view)

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

Remove the 2 x small railing (14),

medium railing (15), and 2 x large

railing (16) and remove cutouts. Add

glue and slot the railings into the

notches on the balance base.

3.6

Remove the 4 x large slot isolators (17)

and remove cutouts. Add glue, and slide

the isolators onto the power station

towers.

3.7

Remove the 4 x small slot isolators (18)

and remove cutouts. Add glue to the

indicated areas and slide the isolators

onto the balance towers.

3.8

Remove the balance arm (19) and

mounting pin tab (20) and remove

cutouts. Slot the balance arm between the

two balance holders and slide the

mounting pin tab into the hole so it goes

through all three pieces.

3.9

Pre-assemble the rotation point and

screw and slide it to the balance arm

assembly so the point sits in the middle of

the three pieces. Best to snug up the

screw during insertion, and force-slide it

the rest of the way.

3.10

ASSEMBLY STEPS

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

4. Assembling the Dirigible

Step

4.1

Remove the bottom rib (21), top rib

(22) and frame ribs (23-28) and remove

cutouts. Attach each ring to the bottom

rib, starting with (23) on the left and

continuing to (28) on the right. Once the

rings are in place, attach the top rib to

the top notch of each ring so that it

mirrors the bottom rib.

4.2

Remove mounting peg (29), and

mounting ring (30) and remove cutouts.

Push the mounting peg through frame

rib (25), through the balance arm

assembly, through the mounting circle,

and into frame rib (26). Glue the

balance arm and mounting circle where

they shoulder up to each other.

4.3

Install the motor & wire assembly next, starting by snugging the wires into each of

the tower tips as shown. At the dirigible frame, fish the wires through frame rib (25)

and (24), and insert the motor into the hole of frame rib (23). The motor will stick

out the back of the dirigible just enough so that the propeller just clears the rear of

the airship.

4.4

While supporting the rear of the motor, firmly press

the propeller onto the motor shaft, just like you did in

step 2.5.

Remember, a propeller installed backwards

still works, but at a much reduced efficiency.

ASSEMBLY STEPS

(23)

(24)

(25)

(26)

(27) (28)

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

(29)

(30)

(26)

(25)

4.5

With the motor installed, you can finish assembly of the airship. Remove the rest of

the ribs (31-34) and assemble them as shown with dabs of glue where needed.

ASSEMBLY STEPS

The ribs look best when installed with the

clean side up, as shown below:

clean side up

laser-charred

side down

4.6

With the dirigible fully finished, balance

the assembly onto the top of the tower.

By design, it should balance practically

level, but if you find it is leaning to one

side, review the Troubleshooting section

for solutions.

For best effect, place it in a well-lighted

area. Even the top shelf of an office

bookcase near a fluorescent fixture

gives a pleasing performance.

(31)

(32) (33)

(34)

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

The balance arm is not sitting horizontal:

1. Are you missing any parts? Each part is factored into the balance of the device. If

even one of the slot isolators of Step 3.7 & 3.8 are missing, the balance will be

thrown off. Make sure every part of the device is installed. If necessary, add a small

scrap of extra wood to the airship or power station until it’s balanced, and glue them

in place in a hidden area.

2. Are there any cutouts you forgot to remove? These cutouts can affect the balance

significantly and should all be removed for the device to balance properly.

The airship is tipped forwards or backwards:

1. Is the airship balance arm fully seated on the airship mounting peg of Step 4.2? If

not, this can shift the weight of the blimp so that it isn't correctly balanced on the

balance arm. Re-read Step 4.2 and confirm that your balance arm is correctly

located.

2. Is your rotation point centered between the balance holders and balance arm? If

the point is not centered, it can easily cause the airship to lean.

3. Are you missing any parts? A missing part can easily cause a shift in balance. Make

sure every part of the device is present and assembled.

4. Are there any cutouts you forgot to remove? These cutouts can affect the balance

significantly and should all be removed for the device to balance properly.

The airship travels backwards when the SolarEngine activates:

Your airship has the propeller mounted on the back, and should push it forward. If

not, simply reverse the motor connection wires where convenient.

The SolarEngine doesn't activate (and/or the propeller doesn't spin):

The Solarengine activity depends directly on light intensity. For testing, be in sunlight

or near an incandescent or halogen (not fluorescent) lamp. A soldering error is 9 out

of 10 times the reason a SolarEngine doesn't work. Inspect closely for parts not

connecting (too little solder) or connecting where it shouldn’t (too much solder).

Specifically, review the following:

Are any components backwards? Compare the components to the markings on the

SolarEngine and to the pictures of Step 1. Backwards components need to be flipped

around. Use a solder suckers or solder braid to remove the solder from the board, to

allow the removal & reinstallation of the problem component(s).

Are your solar panels connected correctly? Just like a battery, your project won’t

work if either (or both) solarcells are connected backwards. Check Step 1 to make

sure that your solar panels are connected correctly.

TROUBLESHOOTING

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

TROUBLESHOOTING

No flow from leg to pad

Solder “bridge” across pads

No flow from leg to pad

Flows from leg to pad

Good solder joint should look like this:

Additional Enhancements:

•If you are so inclined, a drop of oil in the spinner dome where the rotation point

sits will additionally reduce friction for even more rotational performance.

•Flex the wires from the power station to the airship with a suitable “sag” to give

them a weighty appearance.

•Feel creative? Use a bronze or silver marker to paint the beam superstructure and

airship framework. A darker color on the tower will give it a more “ironwork”

appearance.

•Intentionally pitch the nose up or down by playing with the installation at step 4.2,

which can add a pleasing “bob” to the circular motion of the Paris Flyer.

•Particularly hobby-skilled? Use diluted white glue, fine brush and tissue to “skin”

the airship (much like in classic model aircraft construction).

•If you are so inclined to play with electronics, changing the storage capacitor from

0.35F to 4700µF results in much more propeller activity in trade for less rotational

speed. You will have to rebalance the system for level.

•Convert your Paris Flyer to battery power by directly replacing the solarcells with

replaceable coin-cells. As the battery dies, the SolarEngine will start pulsing the

power out.

The Paris Flyer CarouSol Kit

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theory, including lost profits, downtime, good-will, damage to or replacement of equipment or property, and any costs or recovering of any material or

goods associated with the assembly or use of this product. Solarbotics Ltd. reserves the right to make substitutions and changes to this product without

prior notice. Keep out of reach of children. Product contains small parts, even when assembled, that might be a choking hazard for children under five.

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Aggressive feline interaction damage? Obtuse canine posterior oscillation disaster?

Plain old damage during construction? No issue. Contact [email protected]om

and we’ll make sure you get the replacement parts (most often free of charge) to

have a successful build experience! We guarantee a successful build!

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