2024 Science Olympiad Tower: Initial Builds
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- In this video, we'll take a look at my first two builds of the Science Olympiad Tower 2024 season. I compare a non-bonus and bonus version of a Division B tower built with similar materials to see how they compare to each other and what we can learn from the results.
What density balsa do you recommend using (Ex. LD, MD, HD)? Also, just to clarify, did you use C-grain balsa in this build?
I would say mostly "light" density is where you'll want to be for these builds. Both of my best Div B and Div C (not shown yet) towers did not use C-grain balsa. While that might eventually help you get a tiny bit more performance, I would not bother using it this early in the season. It's much more important to get the pieces at the correct mass and a balanced build than to worry about the grain type. Good luck!
Hi, I was wondering for when you connect the sides of the legs do the sticks have to be between the legs like this I---I or do you have to have two sticks one on each side connecting it like that? Sort of like this -I---I-
Hi! There are no rules about the construction process. I encourage you to try things out to see if they work better for you. If you want to duplicate exactly what I have done, the cross-members are attached on the same side of the legs and glued in the middle. Good luck!
Thanks a lot for sharing. What's the frame per second setting in the slow-motion video? Thanks.
For most of these recent tower videos, I've been shooting the high speed at 1472x600 @ 2564 fps
Can you please send me the file for the 3d rig so I can print it out on a 3d printer?
Thanks
Hi! I have links to all the jig stl files in the description of the Intro video here: ua-cam.com/video/ECcz3T6fzPg/v-deo.html
Hey Mr. Balsa engineering I have just started printing out the 3d jig and my 3d printer is not big enough for the bottom bonus layer. Can I make it in two parts and cut it vertically? Also how long did it take you to build the bonus tower?
Hi! Yes, I would recommend using Microsoft's free "3D Builder" app to cut the STL file however you need to to make it fit. That what I used to chop the original complete jig into 3 pieces myself. Good luck!! P.S. If you are just getting started, I would recommend working with the non-bonus version first, especially if that fits your printer. Leave the bonus builds until later in the season (if ever).
What’s your opinion on three-legged towers? My team has already created a jig for a three-legged tower since we found that it performed better than the four-legged tower although it may have just been a coincidence. Thank you in advance
We tried some 3-legged towers in 2017 and didn't have a lot of success. If you can get > 3500 actual efficiency (Div B) or > 3200 Div C, go for it, otherwise I'd stick with easier 4-legged towers
When referring to the legs as 1/8 x 1/8, does it refer to the width and length of the balsa wood? Also, would this be the consistent wood thickness and size to use throughout the design or would we use different types of wood? Finally, would the paper template work just as well as the 3-D printed jig or is it better to have the jig instead to build the actual tower?Thank you in advance.
Hi! The legs are 1/8" x 1/8" width/height. Their length is just over 50cm for Div B and just over 60cm for Div C. You definitely want to use smaller dimensional wood for the cross-members. In my various builds I have used everything from 1/16 x 1/16 to 1/32 x 1/20. See my "Notes" video and the "Benchmark" videos for the best examples. There is no one correct answer there as it highly depends on the density and cross member spacing you are using. You can build good towers by building 2 sides flat on paper first, but you will really want to have some sort of assembly jig to get it perfectly symmetrical. Good luck!
Thank you so much
Thank you very much for the videos. I followed them and build the tower around the jig. now I won't be able to slide it off the jig. What would be your recommendations?
nm... got it off. Thanks for the videos.
@@zhshengcn No problem! Glad you got the tower off the jig. I was actually going to make a specific video on just that thing, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. What works well for me when it happens is I 3d printed a small block that is 5mm by 3cm x 3cm. I temporarily tape this to the top of the jig. Then carefully turn the entire jig upside down and firmly push on at least 2 legs at a time until it pops off. This has worked for me several times. Good luck this season!
Hello, I was just wondering if you are going to do a bridge design? This is my last year of Division B and I want to make sure I can do well. I am also now considering doing Tower Building as well as bridge.
Hi! There is always just one structural building event in Science Olympiad. Tower replaces the Bridge event from last year. They typically go on two year cycles between bridge, tower, and boomilever. So next year will be a harder version of tower, and then after that, it will be boomi. Good luck!
@balsaengineering6686 Ohh okay, thank you so much!
what kind of wood did you use for this ? and what is the maximum allowed weight of the tower
This was made from all balsa wood which is what I would recommend for these towers. There is no maximum weight, but you want to make it as light as possible that can hold close to 15kg for the non-bonus version, or just over 15kg for the bonus design. Good luck this season!
If you can how would you build a tower without a 3d printed jig. How would you make a jig?
When I coached Tower in 2017 we didn't have a 3d printed jig. We wound up building 2 sides flat on graph paper first, and then assembling them on a jig built out of a 4x4 block of wood with a copper pipe in the middle. At the top of that pipe at the correct height, we just used another piece of wood to hold the sides in place. With this jig, we attached the two sides (taping the bottom in place), and then gluing the other cross members in place. We were able to build a 4.2g Div B tower that held over 15kg, so it's definitely possibly to be extremely competitive without a 3d printed jig. Basically, you need to get creative. Even something like Lego could build a decent jig to help you assemble the sides. Good luck!
If you reach out to me at mklinger at comcast dot net I can send you a picture of what we used in 2017 if you'd like to see what I'm talking about
what are the measurements of the balsa wood that you used? If you can answer thank you 🙏, or did you get a whole sheet and cut it. If you did what measurement would you recommend to use for the legs. If you can tell what kind of glue did u use.
If you freeze this video at 1:38 you can see the length dimensions of both builds. If you freeze the video at 4:45, I talk about the density/mass of the parts. I would not clone either of these specific builds though. Look to my "benchmark" videos for better starting material choices. All my material is cut from sheets. I like to use 50 cps CA glue for all my builds. I made an entire video on that as well: ua-cam.com/video/55lb2KzSiwg/v-deo.html Good luck this season!
thx so much@@balsaengineering6686
Hey if I glued the balsa structure to the jig how do I get it off
The best way is to find or 3d print a small block. I made one that is 30x30x5mm. Temporarily tape that to the top of the jig. Then carefully turn the entire jig upside down and put it on a hard, flat surface. Then firmly press down on 2 legs at once and hopefully your tower will pop off. The key is to be pushing down on the legs from the bottom instead of trying to pull the tower off the top. Also, make sure you are building the sides with the jig on its side. That will help minimize glue usage and prevent the glue from dripping into the grooves so it won't get stuck in the first place. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip!!!
Hi Mr. Balsa. Where should I purchase these materials from? Any suggestions?
Hi! If you mean the balsa wood, I like to get my sheets from Specialized Balsa: specializedbalsa.com/products/balsa_sheets.php I prefer the 36" x 4" size sheets. If you mean all the tools and other supplies, I mostly just order them from Amazon. Let me know if you have a specific thing you are looking for and I'll try to provide a link or suggestion
Thank you so much for the quick reply! From my understanding, to make the tower for the contest, do I need to use a balsa wood sheet instead of the strips? @@balsaengineering6686
@@balsaengineering6686 Hi, I was just wondering what tools I would need for this?
@@pranavnatarajan8383 Hi! The basic tools you'll need are a scale, ruler, balsa stripper, xacto knife (or miter cutter), sanding block (and/or rotary sander), blue painter's tape, and the assembly jig.
@@balsaengineering6686 Thanks!
Hi, Is it possible to build without jig and could you please explain How to build without jig
Hi! It's definitely possible to build a competitive tower without a 3D printed jig, but I wouldn't recommend building without any jig. Back in 2017 when I coached Tower, we didn't have a 3D jig, but made one out of wood, copper pipe, and a balsa top piece. Even if you need to build something out of Lego, you'll want something to help make it as symmetrical as possible. The general idea is to build 2 complete sides flat first. Then you can put those 2 sides on your jig, taped in place if necessary, and then assemble the final sides cross members while on the jig. Good luck!!
@@balsaengineering6686 Thanks, I will try
If you cannot make a jig, you have to pin the two sides pieces horizontally in place on foam board, then place the cross members, flip and repeat to complete the 4th side. It is not as effective as building with a jig but doable.
@@jeffreywilliams9655 Yep, and if you are stuck doing that, I would also recommend trying to have some other physical item to help hold the sides in place besides just pins. It should be possible to just tape blocks on your work surface that your put your sides up against. BTW, I also like to avoid pins these days as it can put dents in the wood which can effect the performance. I have become a huge fan of just using blue painter's tape instead of pins. It works great and never damages the wood.