The Tetherator is an electricity generating game machine that can be played in the park, at the beach, and any place where there is no outlet available. A hand crank generator at the top of the Tetherator generates electricity while the Tetherator is being played when the ball is hit by the players and made to fly around the pole, similar to traditional tetherball.  Unlike traditional tetherball, players work to move the ball in the same direction, and a player loses a point when that player fails to keep the ball moving fast enough to turn the generator, and the rope begins to wind around the pole. This allows for charge and fun to be combined into one. Other variations of play include using a soccer ball, baseball, tennis ball, etc.

I started my project by creating a simple system in which energy would be generated by turning a handle.  It was a bit heavy and hard to create enough amps of energy.  I decided to make a simpler model and stick the motor directly on the handle which worked out really well to our surprise.  It created a lot of amps of energy and was very easy to build.  I worked off of our second prototype and created a larger version which created the most amps of energy.   Mr. Moody ordered a KTOR which is a product very similar to what I am trying to make.  I decided to disassemble it and see the mechanics inside.  I brainstormed about my idea with Mr.Moody and I thought about a different path for my project.  I figured out that most teachers wouldn't allow an interactive wheel to spin for energy in their classrooms because it is distracting.  Additionally, one would need to spin the wheel hundreds and hundreds of times in order to generate a small amount of energy.  As a result we thought about the playground and how much energy simple activities make such as the merry go round, tetherball, and jump rope.  We thought about attaching something similar to the KTOR to a tetherball pole in order to create a fun game that would create enough energy to charge a phone.  I continued to pursue the tetherball idea and I started to actually build a prototype.

I had a PVC pipe, a metal pipe and a ball bearing screw.  At first I was going to create a fairly large (5ft) prototype.  I wanted to create a stable base for the ball to attach to.  Mr. Moody ordered another hand crank phone charger (an Eton BoostTurbine 2000) which I dismantled. At this point I was considering just using this device in my tetherball pole instead of trying to create a new one which would require a lot of time and knowledge.  I cut the wire to see if it would be possible to lace the wire down to the bottom of pole while still keeping the crank on the top.  We decided to test it out in the hallway with the KTOR that we already had.  We attached a large punching bag and soccer ball on it.  The punching bag was too heavy and too hard to rotate.  The soccer ball to our surprise worked very well and was able to spin the handle with ease.  It was light enough that it didn’t drag the KTOR down, but heavy enough that it spun the handle.

From my previous experiment I got a large piece of wood to create a new prototype.  I want to create a groove down the middle and attach another piece of wood to it so that it would be hollow for wires to run through it..  The wood was a good height at about 6 feet tall which isn’t too tall and also isn’t too short.  I drew out what I want to do in the next couple days.  

I disassembled the hand crank generator again only leaving in the gears.  I removed the battery as well as the usb port.  I wanted to attach the crank to the top of the tetherball machine and wire the electrical pieces down the wood in the hollow area.  Additionally, I wanted to create a stronger handle that can withhold the force of the spinning ball.  I needed to figure out a way to stabilize entire hand crank generator to the top of the tetherball pole.  I decided to make a structure that is build around the generator and that would properly secure it.  I got a lot of scrap wood and started to measure around  the generator.  From there I began to cut the wood and piece it together.  I then learned that I have to drill a hole into the first piece of wood and then go in with the nail to prevent splinting.  I nailed all the wood in and the generator was able to fit perfectly inside.   

I was then toying with the idea of using a lazy susan in my project.  It will help lower the stress on the handle of the generator as well as preventing a lot of friction.  I had to attach a scrap piece of wood to the end of the box so that I would be able to screw the lazy susan on.  Then from there I noticed that handle kept pulling up so I taped it down so the handle could continue to spin but also stay down.  Mr. Moody and I created a design on a computer software to put over the lazy susan.  I measured the diameter of the circle and the length and width of the handle and created a hole within the circle.  We used the laser cutter to cut out the shape that I designed and it fit well over the lazy susan.  I had to screw the piece we laser cut onto the lazy susan and somehow figure out how the straps will attach to it.  Next I screwed on the piece of wood onto my Eton device.  I used nuts and bolts and I changed the strap that was attached to the ball.  Ellery and I tested my machine out and this time the ball went around and swung with ease.

Since the mechanical elements worked I then decided to focus on the technological aspects of the project.  I disassembled the Eton generator and started to rebuild a better version.  I decided to make the wires longer, and I soldered the new wires to the old ones.  I then tested it out to make sure that the hand crank still generated energy which it did.  I used 6-foot long wires which was more than enough wire for my machine.  Since the technology worked I went back to rebuilding my final product to make it more clean.  I cut another piece of wood out that is much longer than the original, and I added curve to the wood.  I continued to work on my project, and I cut new pieces of wood and screwed it in.  Once I screwed everything in, the hand crank generator was a bit loose.  To create a snug fit I added folded sticky notes to the sides.  I raised the height of the hand crank generator by adding a small piece of wood under the hand crank generator and reattached the top.  After many days of failing with my machine I decided to not waste anymore of my time and went back to the working prototype.  I screwed the the top on and it worked very smoothly.  I centered the circle on the bottom of the machine because it is the place where the pole is going to be inserted.  I figured that one block of wood wouldn't be long enough for the pole to fit so I added 2 more two-by-fours to the bottom of machine so that the pole would be steady.  I then created a hole in the wood in order to insert the pole.  The hole was slightly too small so in I used the Dremel to shave the inside a bit, but unfortunately I shaved it unevenly so the hole was too wide at the top and too narrow on the inside.  In order to make a perfect fit I cut two new pieces of wood and created a new hole with a more perfect fit.   I then added some duct tape to the pole so that it had a snug fit.  I also noticed that the volleyball used was too light, so I used a basketball which is a bit heavier.  This worked out much better because it caused a faster rotation with less kinks in it.  I also cut the 10 foot pole down to 7 feet using a hacksaw.  I used an umbrella stand to support the pole for indoor use.  Nyah helped me test it out and it worked out very well.  The only problem that I came upon was the rope kept wrapping around the pole if the ball was not hit hard enough.  But then it became clear that that could be the point of the game.  The stand was a bit wobbly, but when it is installed in the ground it will be very stable.  Overall, I got a lot of positive feedback from observers, especially the students.