Hi everybody, hope everybody had a good vacation! This is an update on the the new plans for the Project - Fountain.
First things first. This time we won't do stop-gap work, nor will we hurry when none is required. We are allowing ourselves a longer time this time. The design remains the same in appearance but the core points have changed. No plans of any invisible sprinkler this time. No glass this time!
Instead we have decided to put up a cement slab at the top. It's expected to be lighter than the 300 kg glass. Also it would be a lot easy to plane a cement slab using POP or any other such materials (cement can be used as well). Planing will make up for lack of horizontality of the top surface, if any.
Next we are planning to build the bridge - walkway using wood/bamboo sticks/cement slab (..once again!!). An attractive sprinkler will be seen at the top as a fountain.
But the major change being the usage of moving curtain of water!
A few laser sensors will be made use of which will divide the pathway below the top in around 6-7 parts or even more. Water level (say around some 3-4 inches) will be maintained at the top, and as a person walks on the pathway, a curtain of water will fall by his sides. As he moves ahead the curtain shall move too!
We plan to use two hydraulic pistons actuated electrically and a couple of laser sensors. The water storage shall be made possible by fixing thick glass slices at the borders in the cement slab. These shall be ingrained while the slab is being made.
The main advantages of this design are :
(1) Looks pseud - with the above mentioned glass container at the top, water shooting up several feet in the air and a curtain of water moving along with a person walking below.
(2) Safety - Any number of monkeys, birds and over enthusiastic hostellites (during holi) cannot cause any damage to the structure.
(3) Cheap - The whole thing shouldn't go above 10-12 K.
(4) Durable
(5) Feasible.
ps : We require 3-4 freshies for the time being so anyone interested can contact any member of the team and join the group.
Cheers!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Apology!
Though I started and formed the team for building the fountain, I cannot take much credit in building the fountain. I was only there when these guys were sli scared and when things were rough. The whole work was nearly done by bulla and freshies. For a first timer, Bulla did a brilliant job of management. The freshies were really enthusiastic. One chap went to zoo just to find out what monkeys are scared of! If any project has anything documented means it has two assets - the team is very enthusiastic and they have some amount of planning. (As a matter of fact my first plane- want to fly - does not have anything documented properly).
The whole thing ran on the basis of one simple thing - TRUST. I trusted these guys from deep down that they can do it. These guys trusted that I can take care of any mishap - I am not really sure whether they thought about these things.
Finally, I did not allow them to finish it by hostel night. The foundation gets screwed up if water peeps into unsettled concrete. I guess the whole team (and the whole hostel! ) is angry about this. I cant really help it. I am very sorry for that. I thought hostel night is a much smaller thing compared to the future of fountain, which i want it to last forever if possible :P.
Even though the fountain is not complete it is a really shock to many guys to hostel that so much work was actually done. These guys will no longer be treated the same once the fountain is done - AND I AM VERY SURE ABOUT IT.
cya!
Ravikanth
(gRAVIty)
The whole thing ran on the basis of one simple thing - TRUST. I trusted these guys from deep down that they can do it. These guys trusted that I can take care of any mishap - I am not really sure whether they thought about these things.
Finally, I did not allow them to finish it by hostel night. The foundation gets screwed up if water peeps into unsettled concrete. I guess the whole team (and the whole hostel! ) is angry about this. I cant really help it. I am very sorry for that. I thought hostel night is a much smaller thing compared to the future of fountain, which i want it to last forever if possible :P.
Even though the fountain is not complete it is a really shock to many guys to hostel that so much work was actually done. These guys will no longer be treated the same once the fountain is done - AND I AM VERY SURE ABOUT IT.
cya!
Ravikanth
(gRAVIty)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Capacitance touch switch
A capacitance touch switch works using body capacitance, a property of the human body that gives it great electrical characteristics. The lamp keeps charging and discharging its metal exterior to detect changes in capacitance. When a person touches it, it increases the capacitance and triggers the switch.
Capacitance switches are available commercially as integrated circuits from for example:
- Omron: Model B6TS04LT (4 channel) and B6TS08LT (8 channel).
- Quantum Research Group: Model QT 113.
Friday, March 21, 2008
FOUNTAIN REPORT - discussion on 20.3.2008
firstly, we all went through the design and finalized it. the waterfall looks as it is in bulla's prev post...
we then discussed on the positives and negatives abt the design...
damroo n i will be going to the zoo asap n collect info abt the solutions to the monkey problem..
2 way n moddey will go to the construction site to find out the construction cost (of the structure above the pathway)
hawaa is supposed to gather info abt the lighting...all the stuff nada talked off
patel will find abt the acoustic repellant (soln to monkey problem) n more abt the tap n material to be used
nada has to calculate the water input available, output required n ways to increase the water output....
dats it 4 now........
next meeting on sunday...9 pm...our usual time...
cheers
capacity...
we then discussed on the positives and negatives abt the design...
damroo n i will be going to the zoo asap n collect info abt the solutions to the monkey problem..
2 way n moddey will go to the construction site to find out the construction cost (of the structure above the pathway)
hawaa is supposed to gather info abt the lighting...all the stuff nada talked off
patel will find abt the acoustic repellant (soln to monkey problem) n more abt the tap n material to be used
nada has to calculate the water input available, output required n ways to increase the water output....
dats it 4 now........
next meeting on sunday...9 pm...our usual time...
cheers
capacity...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Quiz week update
From what was discussed n decided in the previous meeting, there's a slight bit of finishing touch given to the design by a few of us.
The design appears something like this:
the structure
top view of our pond
- We'll be having an arc shaped pathway right at the middle of the pool, over which only homo sapiens would walk/occupy space. A rectangular surface will be placed above the pathway, say, at a height of 2.2 metres - this height is to allow our dear Fishy to walk as well.
- The rectangular surface is designed such that water has flow in the form of thin sheets, but with discontinuity at 4 places - 1 for the human entry, 1 for the human exit and 2 breaks on either side, at the middle of the longer side of the rectangular sheet.
- Water is supposed to be pumped up through a pipe(s) which would actually be concealed by makin them pass through within the hollow supports we plan to use for holding the rectangular surface at the required height. This water would then be goin to the centre of the surface n from there up - the tap idea.
- Water wud now fall down from the tap into a small vessel. This collection of water is to bring the flow to zero velocity. So, at zero initial velocity (...nearly), we hav water flowing to the 4 openings of teh surface.
- We plan to hav a rough edge at the surface tip. This is to create tiny lines of flow so as to ensure that the sheet does not converge from top to bottom. Meet in person in case further details on this funda is required.
- Width of the pathway is decided to be 3ft approx.
- For the monkey problem, the pond part can be fitted with thorn-like metallic projections at the bottom. This wud prevent monkeys from jumping inside the pond. Ideas on preventing them from spoiling the tap structure in this design, are needed. Protection from volleyball/football strikes are also to be implemented
Rough calculations on the amount of water required and other parameters were done. More depth in terms of these are needed.
The above was Phase-I i.e., this part is to be finished by Hostel-Nite. Details on Phase-II will be discussed n decided in forthcoming meetings.
So, this was the update.
Awaiting comments n cribs.
Cheers
Bulla
The design appears something like this:
the structure
top view of our pond- We'll be having an arc shaped pathway right at the middle of the pool, over which only homo sapiens would walk/occupy space. A rectangular surface will be placed above the pathway, say, at a height of 2.2 metres - this height is to allow our dear Fishy to walk as well.
- The rectangular surface is designed such that water has flow in the form of thin sheets, but with discontinuity at 4 places - 1 for the human entry, 1 for the human exit and 2 breaks on either side, at the middle of the longer side of the rectangular sheet.
- Water is supposed to be pumped up through a pipe(s) which would actually be concealed by makin them pass through within the hollow supports we plan to use for holding the rectangular surface at the required height. This water would then be goin to the centre of the surface n from there up - the tap idea.
- Water wud now fall down from the tap into a small vessel. This collection of water is to bring the flow to zero velocity. So, at zero initial velocity (...nearly), we hav water flowing to the 4 openings of teh surface.
- We plan to hav a rough edge at the surface tip. This is to create tiny lines of flow so as to ensure that the sheet does not converge from top to bottom. Meet in person in case further details on this funda is required.
- Width of the pathway is decided to be 3ft approx.
- For the monkey problem, the pond part can be fitted with thorn-like metallic projections at the bottom. This wud prevent monkeys from jumping inside the pond. Ideas on preventing them from spoiling the tap structure in this design, are needed. Protection from volleyball/football strikes are also to be implemented
Rough calculations on the amount of water required and other parameters were done. More depth in terms of these are needed.
The above was Phase-I i.e., this part is to be finished by Hostel-Nite. Details on Phase-II will be discussed n decided in forthcoming meetings.
So, this was the update.
Awaiting comments n cribs.
Cheers
Bulla
Thursday, March 13, 2008
fountain report
hey guys sr y for the delay .... so here's wat we did on 13/3/2008... We inched closer to a design .... saw some gr8 designs on the net too .... cheked out the ahmedabad tap waterfall whose tap we plan to use, stone pathway in the middle tht people can walk on and cascading water towards the center where we plan to have a disc or a rectangular fall of water surrounding a place tht sum1 can stand to have the experience of their lives...., liner required for sticking stones etc. , filters ...and most of all thot abt monkey problems for a long time n d had gud ideas.. rite nw tarun's building up on his acoustic monkey repellent , capacity goes to the zoo, ... next meet on friday the 20th of march 2008
lighting - ambience
this is one of the most important aspects in the design of a waterfall. since we thought of a design which includes both waterfall and fountain, proper lighting can make the fountain part look amazing. one idea is to make the fountain outlet part big with the nozzles placed quite far apart and lights of different colours can be placed near each nozzle. after accomplishing this, the water jets coming out from each nozzle will have different colours at their base. this is shown pictorially:
lighting a cascade waterfall looks brilliant compared to other kinds of waterfalls. a cascade waterfall is one in which water flows over a series of steps. in that case, each step can be lighted using lights of different colour as shown :
and of course, submersible lights like halogen lights can be used inside the reservoir/pond. various colour lights can be used there too.
we can make some fascinating things out of fountains like hydraulophone. this can be kept besides the waterfall and an attract huge crowds for sure.
A hydraulophone is a fountain that can be played as a musical instrument. These fountains are like woodwind instruments, but using water instead of air. The embochure of the instrument occurs at the finger holes (referred to as "mouths"). Hydraulophones often have multiple "mouths", so that a player can put each finger into a different mouth at the same time, in order to play chords, while independently manipulating each finger for separate and individual control of the embouchure of each note in a chord. A skilled hydraulist can slightly "bend" each note in order to play just intonation in any desired key, or to gently and fluidly vary intonation or temperament as a piece of music changes from one key to another.
lighting a cascade waterfall looks brilliant compared to other kinds of waterfalls. a cascade waterfall is one in which water flows over a series of steps. in that case, each step can be lighted using lights of different colour as shown :
and of course, submersible lights like halogen lights can be used inside the reservoir/pond. various colour lights can be used there too.we can make some fascinating things out of fountains like hydraulophone. this can be kept besides the waterfall and an attract huge crowds for sure.
A hydraulophone is a fountain that can be played as a musical instrument. These fountains are like woodwind instruments, but using water instead of air. The embochure of the instrument occurs at the finger holes (referred to as "mouths"). Hydraulophones often have multiple "mouths", so that a player can put each finger into a different mouth at the same time, in order to play chords, while independently manipulating each finger for separate and individual control of the embouchure of each note in a chord. A skilled hydraulist can slightly "bend" each note in order to play just intonation in any desired key, or to gently and fluidly vary intonation or temperament as a piece of music changes from one key to another.
gen aspects about design...
Above shows the basic design of the waterfall. Its not clearly visible and i couldn't help.. :(
Some important things i found out are :
1. Since water circulation is important, the pump has to be positioned as far as possible from water inlet.
2. A GFCI ( Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protected electric outlet would be better. It protects people from fatal electric shocks.
3. If a liner is being planned, EPDM liners are best. flexible plastic liners can also be used which are made of PVC and HDPE.
4. One more interesting thing I found out is that some species of monkeys are afraid of their own images....can this be used to save the fountain from the nocturnal monkeys?????
5. In the image above, the height of the waterfall is less.....that can be made higher and different kinds of waterfalls can be used....like punchbowl waterfall, horsetail waterfall etc...
6. To avoid the stones at the bottom move from their position, they can be sealed to the liner using (black) expanding foam sealant.
cmon guyz put enthu n lets make it awesome......
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
something abt carps
(i will keep on adding to it)
they are simplest of all fishes. eg:-goldfish, koi...
they will be very effective in control of weeds in our waterfall, as they can eat upto 200% of their body-weight, decreasing to 75% as they grow older. also they will eat insects and other arbit things for sure, thus keeping the place clean. but yes, we won't be able to use carnivores with them.
also it would be better if we build a bio-filter for them, so as to avoid them the insult od swimming in their own toilet.
they are simplest of all fishes. eg:-goldfish, koi...
they will be very effective in control of weeds in our waterfall, as they can eat upto 200% of their body-weight, decreasing to 75% as they grow older. also they will eat insects and other arbit things for sure, thus keeping the place clean. but yes, we won't be able to use carnivores with them.
also it would be better if we build a bio-filter for them, so as to avoid them the insult od swimming in their own toilet.
pirahnas
i have read abt piranas and come to one conclusion.
they will be a problem. : )
firstly they seem to be able to grow very big, as big as even 1-2 foot, making our pond nearly redunctant for them. secondly once they are inside u can't allow people to sit inside without having their legs chopped off. : ). then their is this huge problem of what to feed them. u just can't feed pellets to them like u do to goldfishes. they require feeder fishes every 4-6 hours, and these feeder fishes are goldfish, guppies and brine shrimps.
also we won't be able to use aquarium lights with them as they don't have eye-lids, so we will need a whole lot of plants for them.........
basically they are a problem.
they will be a problem. : )
firstly they seem to be able to grow very big, as big as even 1-2 foot, making our pond nearly redunctant for them. secondly once they are inside u can't allow people to sit inside without having their legs chopped off. : ). then their is this huge problem of what to feed them. u just can't feed pellets to them like u do to goldfishes. they require feeder fishes every 4-6 hours, and these feeder fishes are goldfish, guppies and brine shrimps.
also we won't be able to use aquarium lights with them as they don't have eye-lids, so we will need a whole lot of plants for them.........
basically they are a problem.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pump configuration
Type: Centrifugal Regenerative Pump
Power output: 0.48kW
Cap: 10 microFarad/440V
Rot Speed: 2800 rpm
Size: 25 X 25 mm
Head: 20 metres
Dis(Q) : 1080 lph
H.R.: 25/15m
Cost: Rs. 3000
So, as per decided, Naada has to get info on each of the above terms and post them here
Dats it for now
Cheers
Bulla
Power output: 0.48kW
Cap: 10 microFarad/440V
Rot Speed: 2800 rpm
Size: 25 X 25 mm
Head: 20 metres
Dis(Q) : 1080 lph
H.R.: 25/15m
Cost: Rs. 3000
So, as per decided, Naada has to get info on each of the above terms and post them here
Dats it for now
Cheers
Bulla
2days work(10/03)
10/3
Firstly ill come up with the points brought up today,
1 is damroos domb like structure wala idea. he wanted to have two two dombs in between which water would flow.
2 is the information bulla gave on the motor. some metrics that motor had.
Then there was a long discussion on the domb.
Problems were that
-cost
-ambi( good qualities of a fountain would die like sound due to stones, sight of fountain itself actually)
-cooling effect
-no clarity about which material to use(tarun suggesting fibre glass.)
-no transperancy left
Good points were
-no MONKEYS
-light effects could be added()
Finally what we felt is to keep the domb as last idea and think of new better ones…has more –ves.
As we were discussing about this and came down to fountain area, the monkey problem came in.. n screwed up us all.
Few ideas that came up were
-Purvals sound idea…not audible to us but to them which wud screw dem if them came close by,
-Taruns idea of light which would flash at them if they came near.
-insulate the pipes etc which would be most likely destroyed by monkeys.(this meant monkeys could enter in which was a big no no.)
-nada said that we could change the taste of water so that fishes can live but monkeys cant drink.
Fish was another point we discussed…carp and piranhas.
Tarun was spsed to find more details.
Rats was another issue, unsolved.
drainage issue was another topic not given much relevance.
what is
We discussed about a seating arrangement and fencing around the pool.(just struck me now that wudnt the fencing disturb view of sum1 watching from outside..)
Anyways,
That's all I cud rem so far.
Next meeting Thursday at 9
All come up with a design
Dumroo solution to monkey prob.
Tarun with fishes
Myself report all this.
Chalo..put enthu machas..lets make it big!!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Our reservoir's life experiences!
Guys, over the past couple of days, I managed to gather bits of info on what was the previously existing thing in that reservoir of ours, and various other details regarding its maintenance flaws, etc.
From what I got to hear, the essential points sound the following way:
- the reservoir was actually existing right from the beginning of Ganga. So, it wasnt a construction any garden sec came up with.
- we never had anything there except during the hostel nite in the year 2005. The, then garden-sec, came up with some idea of placing a circular piping around the centre of the reservoir. The piping had holes and water was made to pass through the pipe. What formed was a mini spray of water from each hole towards the centre in an arc/dome sorta manner.
- the above setup was operated just for a few hours that evening (hostel-nite). Later on, neither was it used nor did anyone bothered about any maintenance or protection for the system.
- following all this, the garden-sec for the next academic year i.e., 2005-06, got it removed completely as he had been asked to do so in th GBM.
Since then, the reservoir has been used just as a dirt water pool or during Holi. Last year for the hostel nite we had plans to make it look decent by making use of some decorative flowers and a thermocol cut GANGA floating over the surface of a partially filled pond...it din work out the way we wished!
These are my updates...I wish others come up with posts on what they r upto
:)
cheers
Rakesh
From what I got to hear, the essential points sound the following way:
- the reservoir was actually existing right from the beginning of Ganga. So, it wasnt a construction any garden sec came up with.
- we never had anything there except during the hostel nite in the year 2005. The, then garden-sec, came up with some idea of placing a circular piping around the centre of the reservoir. The piping had holes and water was made to pass through the pipe. What formed was a mini spray of water from each hole towards the centre in an arc/dome sorta manner.
- the above setup was operated just for a few hours that evening (hostel-nite). Later on, neither was it used nor did anyone bothered about any maintenance or protection for the system.
- following all this, the garden-sec for the next academic year i.e., 2005-06, got it removed completely as he had been asked to do so in th GBM.
Since then, the reservoir has been used just as a dirt water pool or during Holi. Last year for the hostel nite we had plans to make it look decent by making use of some decorative flowers and a thermocol cut GANGA floating over the surface of a partially filled pond...it din work out the way we wished!
These are my updates...I wish others come up with posts on what they r upto
:)
cheers
Rakesh
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