Winter Break

MIT's Independent Activities Period is good and bad.  Its good because there are a lot of opportunities and it gives students a break from regular semester classes.  Its bad because it lasts until February so that I won't graduate until June!  Regardless, I have been making the most of my time recently by keeping busy.  I was lucky enough to spend over a week at home which my family, which included Christmas and New Years.  Despite the festivities I somehow got some work done!

First off, I had to help my dad fix the tire on our minivan.  He teaches a high school auto shop class, so its really cool to see where he works and learn from him.  The front-right tire pressure was dropping to around 15 psi just days after filling it up, so we knew something was wrong.  After a quick inspection it turned out the culprit was a huge nail the van must had run over recently.  As I learned, the way to plug the hole is apparently to coat it in industrial rubber cement and jam a sticky, jerky-like stick in the hole.  My dad told me he's been doing it that way for decades, so it must work pretty well.  Once you let it set for a minutes, you just pump up the tire again, trim the ends off, and voila!

The ends wear off as you drive. Who said car maintenance was pretty?

I also finished up the CAD for my first electric vehicle.  Its not terribly exciting, but the project is suitable for a beginner.  I was inspired by the idea of wanting to make a scooter, but not having the materials or money to make an expensive one.  I present to you.... 2x4 Scooter!

Composed almost entirely of wood 2x4s, it has two 8" wheels, rear wheel drive via a brushless outrunner motor coupled with a timing belt, and I plan on making a lithium-ion battery pack to give it plenty of power.  I'll post the build once its finished!