Solar Freaks

Hello all,

Regulations for the 2010 challenge are set to come out on February 12. Several key changes are being made from 2009 and, as a result, things are taking a little longer to agree upon and finalise.

miseli

Thanks Marc.

**Eagerly awaits**

Happy New year everyone. Yes, as Marc says the rules for 2010 are going through the final stages and hopefully will be posted everywhere end of next week. They will certainly go on the Tasmanian website immediately and more than likely NSW and Victoria as well. Unfortunately the National web site is down and probably won't be coming back but fear not, a new web site is being created and this hopefully will be up and running at about the same time in some form or another. Details will be broadcast as soon as they are finalised. Since I am the idiot actually writing up the new rules I have to point out that they are not solely of my creation but an amalgam of ideas, calculations, tests, simulations and lots of arguments that have been going on since before the event in Melbourne, so I don't want any snide remarks from anyone who thinks that they have been picked on, got at or just feel badly done by. After competing for 9 years I know what it's like, we never fully liked the rules and always thought someone else was getting favourable treatment. So get over it and get on with the task in hand. Now that I've got that off my chest I will be available to answer any and all questions relating to the rules and their interpretation as long as they are relevant. What I cannot answer or am unsure of I will check cross check with head scrutineer Stan Woithe and/or fellow conspirator Ian Gardner so you can be pretty safe that the answer you get will be as accurate as possible and unlikely to get countermanded at national scrutineering. I will also put up a synopsis of the rules but these are for reference only. You MUST read ALL the rules (both documents) CAREFULLY as there are many small changes that will affect your car and the way races are run. I will elaborate on some of the things that have been allowed in the past but will not be tolerated any more in later posts. Don't forget, READ.

The 2010 regulations are out in NSW page.

http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/sunsprin ... egulations

I think its been out a few days ago.

Hello all,

The 2010 regulations that are currently on the NSW site are a DRAFT version only and should NOT be there. There have been several changes made since then and the official finalised copy doesn't come out until February 12.
The final version will be uploaded onto the Tas website and also posted here tomorrow. Other state websites should soon follow.

Until then, try to avoid this draft version until it has been replaced with the final copy.

miseli

Looks like someones made a mistake.
I spoke to Ian a coupe days ago, and he said they are yet to be finalised.
I was wondering whats going on..
Anyways that explains it.
Cheers.

Thanks for the clarification Mark.

I was dumbfounded when my friend insisted that they were on the site and it wasn't today till i saw it. I was aware that it would be out on 12 of Feb, but i thought i might have been a leak.

Thanks again.

I have just today sent out the final rules for 2010. Marc will have them on the Tasmanian web site straight away. There will be a new national website <www.modelsolaraustralia.org> up and running by about Tuesday and the rules will be there. Unfortunately the rules on the NSW site are a draft not meant for publication and so cannot be trusted. Prem Kumar is away this week which means that the wrong rules will stay there until she returns so please let everyone know the situation. The only correct versions are all dated 12 February 2010 on the front page. After you have read them fully and carefully I will be available to answer all those difficult questions.

OK everyone,

At long last, here are the finalised regulations for 2010 as promised.




As John has mentioned above, he will be available to answer any questions.

Marc

Despite the lack of response on the forum I have received numerous emails asking for clarification of the rules regarding the bulkheads and the cargo space. Either all the forum visitors are extra smart or too embarrassed to ask?

1. It appears that a lot of people (including many Victorian teachers) do not know what the word 'bulkhead' means so I will give the Macquarie Dictionary definition.

bulkhead 1. Naut. one of the upright partitions dividing a ship into compartments. 2. a partition built to withstand pressure, as between the airlock and the cabin of a submarine or spacecraft. 3. Civ. Eng. a partition built in a subterranean passage to prevent the passage or air, water or mud.

Get the idea? We want a solid, rigid, vertical wall at right angles to the direction of travel. (No, paper is not rigid by itself.)

Because the car can only be 320mm wide the 200 sq cm bulkhead could be 320mm wide x 62.5mm high so this is as low as you can go. The 100 sq cm bulkhead could be 320mm x 31.25 mm but be careful because the weight block is 50mm high so it won't fit next to this bulkhead.

The car can only be 180mm high so take out the solar array, say 5mm, and the ground clearance, say 25mm, the height could be 180 - 5 - 25, or 150mm high. This means the narrowest bulkhead could be 133.33mm wide x 150mm high, making the 100 sq cm bulkhead minimum width 66.67mm wide, but again, be careful where that pesky 100mm x 100mm weight block is going to fit.

This then sets the limits for your bulkheads. What was so difficult about that? You can use any shape you like, they don't even have to be rectangular, as long as there are 4 straight sides. And you can make them bigger if you like in order to round out, as it were, your bodywork. You can have the big one at the front or back, it doesn't matter.

And don't forget that you can have nothing in this space except basic car wiring and panel ballast.

2. The next tricky word is 'enclose'. Once more, the Macquarie Dictionary.

enclose -closed, -closing. 1. to shut in; close in on all side. 2. to surround as with a fence or a wall.

Again, not hard. You can have any shape you like between the two bulkheads as long as the space is fully enclosed. That means no gaps or holes whatsoever. When the top goes on, and the top can be the solar array, the space must be fully enclosed, but you must have space in there somewhere for the weight block. I don't understand why you'd want to go making some weirdo shape but if your uncle is Chief Aero-dynamicist for Red Bull Racing then who am I to comment.

3. It might affect your car design but be aware that you now have to be able to put the eggs in and out quickly and with the solar array in place. This means that no more can you have a quick fold down panel between the driver's cabin and the cargo space, so be careful.

4. The last thing I want to mention at the moment is the fact that a certain 'expert' in a certain state insists that the solar array cannot go over the top of the driver's cabin. Absolute rubbish. There is no requirement to be able to look down on the eggs, only in from the front and sides over the full 180 degrees. Don't be fooled.

thanks for the classifications given !! i hope everything's going to be fine .. i am also hoping that these regulations will be followed ..

Just a brief but timely note about solar panels over 12 watts.
The present rules allow for solar panels that produce over 12 watts, provided that they are commercial panels clearly designated as being 12 watts or less. This year these panels will have an extra weight penalty and next year it is likely that they will be banned completely.
The original decision to allow these over producing panels came about because commercial panels such as Solarex once upon a time carried individual test data. Now these panels carry a generic label and with the improvements in solar cells it is not uncommon for a 10 or 12 watt nominal panel to produce a great deal more, especially when tested by our '50% and double it' method. It was deemed unfair to penalise teams who had themselves done nothing wrong
However, some teams would appear to have been using this to their advantage in intentionally selecting panels that are over powered.
It can be shown that, under the old rules, particularly where cars had small frontal area, these higher powered panels have had a distinct advantage, especially in two lap races.
This is why the scrutineers have modified the weight formula and added the extra penalty for this year and want a total ban from next year. It can now be demonstrated that two well built cars (and that is the big crunch), one with 6 watts and one with 12 watts, but both with a 200 sq. cm. frontal area, will be very close over both one lap and two laps.
All of the above performance claims are derived by Ian Gardner's simulator which uses data from countless cars over many years.
From next year various states may still allow these panels but the affected teams should be advised that they will not allowed at the AIMSCC finals.

John there are a few teams here in NSW that purchased the Scorpio panels (the light flimsy ones) last year. During tests i had readings in the 11-13 watt range.

Are these panels considered commercial, and thus allowed to be used? or will they be banned next year?

It is my understanding, following discussions with other scrutineers, that from 2011, when measured using whatever testing method is in force at the time, the 12 watt absolute power limit will apply to ALL panels, irrespective of manufacture.

State competitions have always been able to run their own rules but the feeling is that anyone running over 12 watts in their local competition should be made aware that this will not be allowed at the national level and that they should therefore take steps to comply with the national rules if they are to be allowed in the national competition. This is why we are making the impending rule change public now to allow as much time as possible for teams to take appropriate action.

There is no need to panic yet as this decision will not affect the 2010 competition but take effect from 2011.

As far as using two of the Scorpio 6 watt panels goes, they are classified as a commercial panel and as long as they are either clearly labelled by the manufacturer as being 6 watts or there is solid evidence produced to the scrutineers that they are promoted as a 6 watt panel then they will be acceptable for the 2010 competition, with the extra weight penalty if appropriate. The same applies to Solarex or BP Solar panels or any other off the shelf panel labelled as 12 watts or less.

There is the proviso in the 2010 rules that the 12 watts power limit using the 'double 50%' method is extended to 14 watts for genuine 12 watt labelled commercial panels, and this proviso will simply be removed from 2011. So, using 2 Scorpio panels will still be OK as long as they do not exceed 12 watts when measured. There will be no extra weight formula for exceeding 12 watts but there may be other far more draconian penalties involved.

I should also point out that further discussions are under way to decide on the testing method. At the moment the favoured method is to continue the 'double 50% Sun' but also measure at 100% Sun and take the maximum. This has been brought about by changes in the quality of the solar cells being used affecting the ratio of series to shunt resistance. High series resistance gives a higher power using the double 50% method but lower shunt resistance gives a lower power using this method, relative to 100% testing.

Since probably no-one has bothered to read the 2010 rules sections 1 to 7, I feel it appropriate to clear up a possible contradiction in the rules regarding the end of the races, and to ward off some aggravation before it starts.

Rule 4.5 states 'All races will finish at a point on the straight flat section of the track approximately 9 metres beyond the starting position."

True, the timing equipment is located in this position and the car that passes this point first, after 1 or 2 laps as appropriate, will be declared the winner of the race, provided it also complies with all other rules.

I refer you to Rule 7.5 which further states 'The race will not be considered to be finished until both cars have stopped and been removed from the track.' Rules 7.5 then proceeds to outline the permitted stopping procedure and outlines the penalties for not following this procedure.

So then, even if your car crosses the Finish line first, you may still lose the race if you do not comply with Rule 7.5.

This is an attempt to eliminate the carnage that was rampant in Melbourne when several cars sustained severe damage through no fault of their own but as a result of the practices of the other team.

You have been warned, the judges will be merciless.

So, the 2010 car Vehicle Wraps regulation has a new and better rule. It helps us comply easily to the new regulation. Anyway, the newly set rules are all for the sake and goodness of us.

johnwraps wrote:So, the 2010 car regulation has a new and better rule. It could help us comply easily to the new regulation.

Which one were you referring to?

I have received a query regarding the cargo space floor. The question is, does the floor have to be rigid?

In short, not necessarily. Rule 8.23 states: "There must be no holes, gaps or cut outs whatsoever in the floor or the enclosing sides." Later it adds: "The front and rear boundaries of the space must be flat rigid fixed transverse bulkheads..."

What is "rigid"? The Macquarie dictionary gives the following. 1. stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard. 2. firmly fixed, set or not moving.

Unlike the bulkheads, there is no mention of 'rigid' concerning the floor, as long as it complies with all the other requirements such as no holes and load bearing capability.

I know i this might sound dumb but i cannot find it anywhere in the rules that you cant put axles or holes through the bulkheads, is this true or am i not looking hard enough?

Sorry for the hastle guys

Karo

Hi Karo,