Jonah G.
WISRD Member
8/31/26
I am the worst person ever and have not journaled since forever so I will attempt a summary of the last little bit. In the last semester we wrapped up the standing wave machine project as Aiden has left the country and the project was terminal. Our final steps, in no particular order, were:
We aquired a much stronger pump that to powerful to the point where we had to use a variac (speed controller, used to adjust the voltage) to lower the water pressure so it wouldn’t spray everywhere
I modeled and printed a piece to flatten and divide the water so it would have a more even flow, that part being key to the functioning of the model
We were able to fully seal the model using pond liner over the main wooden body and sealing the cracks between the metal sheet and tarp with caulk to prevent any leaks
To let water out we cut a rectangle in the back wall of the model, emptying into a large plastic container, also covering the area around the hole with pond liner as we had an issue with water dripping down the sides and getting into the wood
Our goal of creating a cycling wave machine was not complete, though theoretically possible, the size of the container we would need was to large to practically fit in WISRD or the storage unit
We added extendable legs to the model, mainly for practicality and to limit that amount of bending down, but also to fit the container under the model so the water can drop down into it
A back cover was added using more pond liner and two small pieces of wood to prop up said pond liner. This was to prevent an issue we continued to have where water would spew over the top due to the pressure of the pump. While it didn’t hinder the performance of the model it required a lot more clean-up after every test and the cover contributed to the overall quality of life of using the model
Between and after these changes we continued to test the functionality of the model. The curvature of the metal was right the way we had it so no adjustment was necessary, it came down to adjusting the pressure. The only issue we were unable to resolve was when we would start a test, we would start the variac at a low voltage in case something went wrong. When at this low voltage, the pump would struggle to get the water over the curve, leading to a pool forming. If this happened we would have to empty it and reset, as even when we would later turn up the voltage it would still pool and not properly flow. We found we had to start the pump higher, which led to incidents with water spraying everywhere, but was the main way we could get the model functioning. If we were to continue the project, putting in drains on the side may have helped to alleviate this issue, but also could’ve led to a loss in pressure as water would be coming out the sides. Regardless of this issue, we were able to get the model functioning, and in the end it worked as intended, if not a bit messy. The photos of the final model and the video of our final test which we did at the spring 2026 poster session will be attached below.
2/3/26
The distribution system was finished and printed, and we tested it today. While it works fine, the pressure and width need to be better, which comes down to the pump. We found one that is much more powerful than the last one and should work. In the meantime, the large plastic container we ordered for the model should be here by tomorrow, which will allow us to create legs for the model to put it on top of the container. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to research for my Inquirer article.
1/29/26
Over the past two classes, I finished the 3D model for the water distributor in Fusion and sent it for printing. We also ordered a large plastic container to hold the water for the machine, which should be here by next week.
1/26/26
Our ultimate goal this semester is to complete our functioning large-scale model by spring break. Our steps are:
Create a distribution system for the water
Figure out the amount of water pressure needed for our design
Put it all together
1/21/26
Today, we tested the waterproofing on the model by using the pump to shoot the water up the curves. While the model did not leak, the water was not reaching the pressure we needed for the experiment. To increase the pressure, we tried crimping the end and cutting down the tube, which both helped, but we still need more pressure. Our plan is to 3D model and print a distribution system, which I have been working on. We may need a stronger pump in the end, but for now, we will continue to work with this one.
1/14/26
Over the past week, I’ve been reading up on electroconvulsive therapy for my Inquirer article, and we finished sealing the prototype with caulk.
1/7/26
Going into this semester, I want to finish our large-scale model and get working tests done. Today, we finished sealing the aluminum around the sides of the box.
12/1/25
Today, we used caulk to test how sealing aluminum with our liner would work. The caulk is going to take 24 hours to dry, so in the meantime, I looked over our poster to make sure everything is ready.
11/19/25
We cleaned up the aluminum where we cut it, melted together more of the liner to create a proper seal, and test-fit the aluminum. We still need to melt together more of the liner, but we’re getting close to water testing.
11/11/25
Helped test the new Bambu printer and worked on our poster.
11/10/25
Worked on our spring poster
11/5/25
We continued melting the pond liner together and molding it, still working on it.
11/4/25
The pond liner came today, and it should work well. We cut down a piece to size and started using a heat gun to mold it to the box. Tomorrow we’ll finish shaping the liner.
10/28/25
We’re currently waiting for a pond liner, which we won’t be able to get due to the credit card being maxed out, but once we do, we should get to do our full experiments. This month, we’ve mostly been preparing and running Dark Matter Day. I worked with Aiden on running the tool station, where the idea was to let the kids use some of the tools we use in WISRD and convince them to join. We got an assortment of tools, such as hammers, drills, staple guns, pliers, chisels, and screwdrivers for tools, plus some safety equipment and nails, staples, and screws. We also gave them wood to use the tools on and gave them a goal of making a bridge from the table to another piece of wood, which we decided against about halfway through the night. The night overall went very well; we got a good number of kids coming up and trying things out. There were no injuries, and they had some good questions about the tools and how the electric staple gun works. I left for about thirty minutes at one point to go look at what other people were doing and get some food, and Aiden held things down well. He also left for a bit, but it was when things were winding down. In the end, the night went well, though it may have been helpful to have one more person.
10/1/25
The months of September and August
I’ve been very behind on journaling, but here’s what I’ve done so far:
The large model is almost waterproof
We’ve gotten the aluminum sheet to the shape we need it to be for the water to flow properly
I’ve reviewed 21 articles for the Inquirer this semester
We’re preparing for liquid nitrogen ice cream during Dark Matter Day
We tested a pump that should work
We’re currently working to get the model fully waterproof so we can start testing water flow with the aluminum and the pump, which hopefully should be ready by next week.
5/1/25
I tried to refit the tarp so it would be tight against the box and aluminum using binder clips, but that didn’t work. Next class I might try using double-sided tape or staples.
4/29/25
Got the internal width for the box and marked where to cut on the aluminum sheet to make it fit.
3/15/25 - 4/24/25
There’s been a large gap in my journaling recently as I’ve been very busy, so I’m just going to put everything here. I worked on and finished my Inquirer article, currently finalizing it now. We had poster session yesterday, which went very well. All of our supplies came, and we assembled the base box of the model. Now we just have to cut and shape the aluminum sheet and then we’ll be ready to try some water tests, hopefully by the end of the year.
3/14/25
The wood for the meter model came today, and I spent most of the time trying to find a place to cut it. I’ll hopefully be able to do it either Tuesday or Thursday.
3/3/25 - 3/13/25
I’ve been working on my inquirer pitch and research for a while, I’ll most likely work on it more during spring break.
2/26/25
I read the lab review and worked on the water distribution piece in Fusion.
2/19-21/25
Worked on and finished my Inquirer pitch.
1/28/25
I finished the material list; I just need to confirm it with Aiden before anything gets ordered.
1/23/25
I’ve been trying to put together a material list and find the right dimensions for a bigger model, and I’ll continue doing that today.
1/7/25
This semester I want to:
Make a bigger non-3D printed model of the wave machine
Update my journal more
Make my poster for the spring poster session
Write my Inquirer pitch
Test water flow on one of the models
12/13/24
Continued on the new model. Here are some photos.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OGPg0aJMznBYz8VG3X-75faL3qEzlRf0V3NxCaE-SDA/edit?tab=t.0
12/12/24
Started a new Wave Machine model as the current one has some glaring issues such as angles that are too sharp and the water having to be pushed uphill. Hopefully, I should be able to finish it before winter break.
12/6/24
Worked on the poster abstract.
12/5/24
Finished the process portion of the poster.
12/4/24
Got the model printed and tried running water through it to find some flaws in the design. The water doesn’t have enough pressure to make it up the slope and just pools at the bottom. Hopefully, with more water pressure and a tighter output area, we can solve this problem in the next model.
12/3/24
Worked on the poster.
11/23/24
Finished the new model, I’ll probably print it when I get back from break. (Photos linked below)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pzhIqXwS3LR7mmn4QzZpqtfgBlTBs2dej7k8OihDK2E/edit?tab=t.0
11/22/24
Started remodeling the machine in Fusion instead of TinkerCad to make things easier to print and to make it to scale (I also don’t like TinkerCad).
10/31/24
I managed to get the model printable after a bit of slicing. I’m probably going to print it out next week.
10/30/24
I’ve been doing an awful job of keeping up with the journal, partially due to dark matter day prep taking up my time in the lab. We’ve been prepping for dark matter day for a while and it happened last week. This week I’m going to try to work on making a physical version of the wave machine, probably through 3D printing it.
9/26/24
Today I made a pretty simple mockup of the machine.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HFp5hqKTabgMxarFr5KQXdfppcm32g5KoEHjQfDgFMI/edit
9/25/24
For the past week or so I’ve been looking at designs we can use as example for what we want to to and also have been looking at materials we might need for the machine. Hopefully by next week we can start gathering materials.
9/13/24
Today I continued to research wave pools and how they can be more sustainable. Here are some links that I found/ were sent to me.
https://wavegarden.com/sustainability/
https://52f.a91.myftpupload.com/tech/
9/11/24
This is my first, very late, entry. For the past couple weeks I’ve just been helping people and getting used to the lab. I decided to join Aiden B’s project which is an alternate wave pool concept. Today I researched a bit about how the wave pool works and the environmental impact of them. Here are the articles I read.
How wave pools work:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/wave-pool.htm
Environmental impact: