Weather Balloon Projcet Help

[wikki]

Hi every body

 

I am a teen, and am a junior in highshool. i saw this website for the first time and liked it so i registered on it, so that i can get some help since i m doing this for the graduation project. ( i do have some electronics knowledge so i m not a newb)

 

I have seen alot of peopl do this kind of project so its not really exceptional, except nobody did it for school tho so... .

 

Now the problem is on all the weather balloon project websites they used the components that are old...really really old, and with the technology nowdays they are useless for me...(note: please dont tell me some thing real expensive that goes above my budget....lets say my budget is $500-800)

 

I need a microcontroller/ or a computer of some kind that is compatibe with the following item:

1) an HD camera ( i m thinking of th GoPro camera since it is good hd quality)

1.1) also a way to keep the backup of the pictues and video it takes as well as switching back and forth from video to picture mode.

2)GPS

3) sensors (temperature)

4) I want to use a wifi router to send back live data from the system. i will use a amplifier with it tho but i dont know which kind. (atleast which can broadcast the signal 20+ miles).

5) a solenoid valve/switch which i can use to transfer air from the inflated balloon to a deflated balloon ( so i can prevent the balloon from popping)

6) i have limited power so i will be attaching solar cells with it.

7) i dont want the package to get real heavy

8) i need to some how make the camera movable.

 

Also i was thinking abou putting a small laptop in there insted of a microcontroller because laptop can extend my possibilites and make things easier....but i'll see if i cant find a micrcontoller.

 

I know how complicated i made this project but i like it.....so please give me some help.

 

(NOTE: SOME OF THE IDEAS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY ME ;D)

 

 

P.S. can some mod plz move this post to the amateur science section rather than the experiments...so i can get more help.

Edited January 1, 2011 by wikki

[Mr Skeptic]

You might be able to get away with using a cell phone for most of that. And the cell phone battery instead of the solar panel.

[wikki]

You might be able to get away with using a cell phone for most of that. And the cell phone battery instead of the solar panel.

 

 

I know i can do that but the cell phone cant really broadcast me live picture and video etc. also i will be using a battery in it but since i will be attaching 2 balloon on it, one is inflated the other deflated and once it up there the solenoid valve turns on and transfers the air to the second balloon to balance the air and prevent it fronm popping. also the solar cells are on there to make the power last longer.

[Red Hypergiant]

I'm going to be making a weather balloon over the summer. Remember, you must have some heating device inside the payload, or the batteries will drop below minimum operating temperature. Lithium (not lithium-ion) batteries are strongly advised.

 

 

Check out this website:

1337arts.com

[Guest cashmart35]

As your budget is low you can use rotational molding of natural rubber for producing weather balloon. Their uniform wall thickness prevents premature blowouts and they are ozone resistance.

 

ceiling fan parts http://ceilingfansparts.net/

Edited December 14, 2011 by cashmart35

[scienceguy1200]

here, check out mine

 

--

[Charles Sansom]

Hi every body

 

I am a teen, and am a junior in highshool. i saw this website for the first time and liked it so i registered on it, so that i can get some help since i m doing this for the graduation project. ( i do have some electronics knowledge so i m not a newb)

 

I have seen alot of peopl do this kind of project so its not really exceptional, except nobody did it for school tho so... .

 

Now the problem is on all the weather balloon project websites they used the components that are old...really really old, and with the technology nowdays they are useless for me...(note: please dont tell me some thing real expensive that goes above my budget....lets say my budget is $500-800)

 

I need a microcontroller/ or a computer of some kind that is compatibe with the following item:

1) an HD camera ( i m thinking of th GoPro camera since it is good hd quality)

1.1) also a way to keep the backup of the pictues and video it takes as well as switching back and forth from video to picture mode.

2)GPS

3) sensors (temperature)

4) I want to use a wifi router to send back live data from the system. i will use a amplifier with it tho but i dont know which kind. (atleast which can broadcast the signal 20+ miles).

5) a solenoid valve/switch which i can use to transfer air from the inflated balloon to a deflated balloon ( so i can prevent the balloon from popping)

6) i have limited power so i will be attaching solar cells with it.

7) i dont want the package to get real heavy

8) i need to some how make the camera movable.

 

Also i was thinking abou putting a small laptop in there insted of a microcontroller because laptop can extend my possibilites and make things easier....but i'll see if i cant find a micrcontoller.

 

I know how complicated i made this project but i like it.....so please give me some help.

 

(NOTE: SOME OF THE IDEAS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY ME ;D)

 

 

P.S. can some mod plz move this post to the amateur science section rather than the experiments...so i can get more help.

 

I subscribe to Nuts and Volts magazine. It has for several years now been running a column about near space exploration using weather balloons. It is authored by Paul L. Verhage, and he along with several universities have done a lot of work in this area. You will not have to reinvent the wheel if you subscribe to this magazine and go look at all the past issues online. Alternatively, there used to be, don't know if it's still there, an extensive treatment of this by the same author on the Parallax website, but I don't remember exactly on the website it was. The information is in quite a few chapters. It describes airframes, the balloons, the flight computers, cameras, batteries, solar cells, etc. etc. There are FAA rules that must be adhered to if you're going to stay within the law in this activity also. You would do well to access all of this information from both sources. I don't know if the info on the Parallax site has ever been updated, but I know that he describes a new design for his airframes in the latest Nuts and Volts edition, and he has come out with different flight computer designs in the past. Do a little digging around, you'll find a wealth of information. Good luck!

 

Charlie