June 13-17, 2012 Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa www.solarsplash.

com

News of the IEEE/PELS SOLAR SPLASH 2012

Volume 20 - Number 3 - March 2012

Entry Forms Due by Monday, April 30th the Cut-Off date!

You will find the Entry Form for the competition at the website. The fee has not changed from last year the entry fee is $500. The cut-off date for entries is Monday, April 30th. Again, the entry form is critical for meeting this date, not when your check arrives! However, the entry form is your promise that you will pay the fee, even if you withdraw or cannot attend the competition.

Technical Reports Due Monday, May 21st by 5 pm EDT

As presented in the 2012 Rules (copied below), submittal of the Technical Report is less than two months away! Go to www.solarsplash.com and click on the Menu entry Technical Report Information and then download the Solar Splash Technical Report Guidelines for details concerning formatting and required information to be included in the report. The Technical Report should be submitted by email to: hq@solarsplash.com. 8.11 Technical Report - A technical report is required. A PDF copy must be received by Headquarters by 5 p.m. EDT on May 21, 2012. The boat number must be displayed on the cover in a minimum 36 pt. type. The names of all students and faculty advisors involved with the project must appear on the cover. Reports will be made available for participants of future SOLAR SPLASH Events. Requirements for the technical report are detailed on www.solarsplash.com. Top Five 2011 Technical Reports for Free. The top 5 Technical Reports from last years Splash are available for downloading by going to the Technical Report Information listing on the Splash website menu www.solarsplash.com. Reading these reports and seeing the boats and equipment provides a wealth of technical information,

plus they demonstrate how to structure a highly rated report! Also note the change in the required Technical Report sections (see below).

Change to Technical Report Required Sections

A new section (Project Management) was added last year to the Main Body (20 page limit) portion of the Technical Report. This section requires that your team report on how the team was and is being managed under the following topics: Project Management - Team member organization and responsibilities - Project planning and schedule - Financials and fund-raising - Strategy for team continuity and sustainability See the Technical Report Guidelines on the website to see how this fits in with all the other sections of the Main Body.

Rooms Available In University Dorm

Our host school, the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), has dormitory rooms available to Solar Splash team members. The dormitory is approximately 4 miles from the competition site. The nightly costs are reasonable at $15.50 per person (in a double room) and $20.00 for a single room. It is required for anyone that stays in the dorms to eat the breakfast and dinner provided by the university dining operations the days of June 14-17. Total cost for all these meals is $66.80/person. If you would like to make reservations (which are required before arrival!) or more information, please contact Ms. Kendra Willey at the email address: tkwilley@gmail.com..

Boat Ramp Entry in Iowa

The site in Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa on Wyth Lake at the George Wyth State Park (go GoogleEarth the site) has a conventional concrete boat launching ramp. Thus, teams will be able to walk their trailers/trolleys directly into the water and float their boats off -- and then on again to get their boats out. The water was fairly warm last year. Also remember that shoes must be worn in the water as you launch your boat. Our hosts are the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and the City of Cedar Falls. The site is approximately 200 miles (330 km) due west of Chicago a three+ hour drive. You can see a travel map, the site location, and other travel information by clicking on the Travel and site information link on the Splash website menu www.solarsplash.com

2012 Rules and Rule Booklet

The 2012 Rules are on the website now. We made a couple of significant rule changes as outlined in the previous Newsletter (Dec 2011), plus we found some areas to increase safety and where we could clean up the wording to make the meaning as clear as possible. Most of the changes made this year are put in bold print, but you are still responsible to re-read and follow all rules and changes, even if we didnt bold it. Although the Rules do appear on the website, the Official Rules are in the hardcopy Rule Booklets to be sent after the entry close date of April 30th. Rule Booklets and flag posts together will be mailed soon after April 30th to all the registered teams.

Ask Captain Solar

Ask Captain Solar is used to answer questions sent to Headquarters that are not of a private nature Captain Solar will not give away any of your trade secrets! So, dont hesitate to send your questions to Headquarters (hq@solarsplash.com). In addition to answering your questions, Captain Solar will pose his own Rules questions and give answers and explanations. Think of it as a Rules Quiz to keep you thinking about the Rules. Remember, all of the Rules are ultimately on the final exam, i.e. the competition! Question: Captain Solar has fielded several questions regarding the use of supplemental batteries (Rule 7.4.2). It seems that the Captains attempt at clarification in the previous Newsletter just muddied the pristine waters of Solar Splash rules. So, here goes another try to make this Rule work for everyone without allowing loopholes for unfair advantages ( not that anyone involved with Solar Splash would try such shenanigans). Answer: Rule 7.4.2 has been officially changed to read as follows:
7.4.2 Supplemental Batteries - The bilge pump and skippers radio must be powered by supplemental batteries. Measurement and telemetry devices may also be powered by supplemental batteries. Any other devices requiring electric power that directly enhance performance must use the energy storage as defined in Rule 7.4. The batteries are not limited to lead-acid technology, and the bilge pump battery must be securely fastened to the hull. Supplemental batteries may be charged from sources other than the inspected energy conversion devices.

The astute observer will note that this Rule now permits measurement and telemetry devices, whereas the previous incarnation of this Rule permitted only telemetry devices. The purpose of this Rule is to avoid conflicts with the use of now-ubiquitous smart phones and notepad computers. Note also that, in another attempt at clarification, the clause that directly enhance performance was added to further characterize the types of devices that must be charged by the crafts inspected energy conversion devices. So, if you are controlling your boat with your iPad, you must charge it with solar panels. However, if you are just collecting and/or transmitting data, you may charge it however you wish. Captain Solar hopes the water surrounding Rule 7.4.2 is now much clearer.