Ionic Thruster, vector control system
Jamie Brown, George watson's college
ArkWright Project
The negative
electrode which the
corona discharge
will ark too.
Prototype for ionic thruster
design, individual
componets
Electrodes,
constructed from
brass pipes and
copper wire.
Positive electrode
The wire has been
hammered into thin
points to increase the
efficacy of the ionic
wind produced when
the corona discharge
arks
-
The direction the ions will
move, will the surrounding air
molecules , Thus creating
thrust.
Negative
-
Positive
+
First Prototype design
First 3D print
after designing
on fusion 360 .
The first concept
drawings
Stage two, Vector
control system ,
inner gimbal
-This was one of the most rewarding
parts of the whole process , as afters
hours of CAD designing seeing
something I made working in the real
world was very fulfilling .
Vector control
section of the
project
Code for servo control
Cooling vents,
to prevent the
arduino from
overheating.
Makes Servo
a variable
Defines each
Servo
Defines
each
servo
Assinges Joystick
as a variable
Arduino and circuit holding cace
Servo pin connection
number, activates
servo starting
sequence
Arduino reads
the joystick value
Makes sure the servo arm
does not pas the 180 degree
mark
Represent max
limit for the
joystick bearing
Angle .
Develops signal and sends
instructions of where to move
to the x servo
Repeats for Y
servo
Time delay, to reduce
noise
Mark one,
prototype of
the ionic
thruster .
Built and
designed to
test the
vector
control
system
Arduino
Wiring
schematic
diagram
Prototype gimbal
finished
Final design of the ionic
thrusto combined with the
vector control system
Altered to
compensate
the size of
the wire
Indientations to hold electrodes in place within
the tube
Positive
43mm
diameter
Both of the final electrodes
Negative
The soldering
process, to
electrical connect
the wires.
distorted the
shape of the
electrode holder
so had to be
remade and re
soldered .
Final design
Combines all elements
together in to the final
thrustor
Inner gimbal
Positive
electrodes
Eg the
wires
Direction
of thrust
I designed all the
components on
fusion 360 , a CAD
program.
Negative
electrode
Outer
gimbal
Acrylic window, for
observation of the
corran arks and
safety
The final 3D prints
Addition of
LED to
signify when
active
Connection to power
supply
Servo controlling the Y axis
X Axis Servo
Further steps
I will next write a program to take a
input from the computer and emit a
wireless signal to the servos and
Arduino to tell them the angels to
turn to, so there is no use for the
joystick .