PASCO ME-6977 User Manual

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Fan Cart

1

2

Accessory

Tray

Control

Panel

ME-6977

Instruction Manual

012-10538B

Included Equipment Part Number

1. Fan Cart

2. Sail

3. AC to 9 V DC power adapter (not shown)

Compatible PASCO Tracks

PAStrack

1.2 m and 2.2 m Dynamics Tracks

1.2 m and 2.2 m PAScar Tracks

Force and Motion Track

ME-6977

648-10601

540-076

(See the PASCO Catalog for details)

ME-6960

ME-9435A and ME-9458

ME-6953 and ME-6954

ME-6958

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Fan Cart Introduction

Introduction

The PASCO Fan Cart produces Low, Medium, High or Variable Thrust either contin­uously or for selectable time intervals of 1, 2, 4, or 6 seconds.

The direction of thrust can be adjusted from zero to 180 degrees to demonstrate the
vector nature of force.

The Fan Cart has a sophisticated rechargeable-battery powered electronic controller
that provides a constant voltage to the fan motor so that the Fan Cart approaches con­stant fan speed operation that is not dependent on the battery terminal voltage.

The Fan Cart nests on top of the PASCO Dynamics Cart or PAScar to utilize the
Dynamics Cart’s or PAScar’s plunger and bumpers.

The Fan Cart is compatible with all PASCO tracks (please see the PASCO catalog) or
can be used on a smooth surface without a track.

The Fan Cart comes with a Sail for the “Fan Cart with Sail” demonstration.

The Fan Cart has a light-emitting diode (LED) that indicates when the battery is being
charged. The LED flashes when the battery is low.

Battery

The Fan Cart’s high energy density lithium-polymer battery can run the fan continu­ously at medium thrust for about 1.5 hours before the ‘low-battery’ LED begins to
flash. Since the battery recharges quickly (typically in one hour), even short periords
(10 - 20 minutes) with the charger plugged in will recharge the battery sufficiently to
continue.

• Partial charging and recharging will not adversely affect the battery life.

• The replaceable battery pack is designed to last at least five years in normal
application.

• Unlike nickel-cadmium batteries, for maximum battery life, the lithium-polymer
battery pack should not be run down completely before recharging.

• The battery pack can be left in a partially charged state for long periods without
damage.

• Maximum battery life can be attained by charging the battery after each use.

• The charger may be left connected indefinitely because it shuts off automatically
after the battery reaches full charge.

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Model No.ME-6977 Introduction

THRUST

selector switch

VARIABLE

THRUST

knob

Operation

The control section of the Fan Cart has eleven light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a
VARIABLE THRUST knob, and three selector switches: THRUST, PULSE TIME,
and FAN ON, STANDBY. The CHARGING LED flashes when the battery needs to
be recharged and stays lit while the Fan Cart is charging.

PULSE TIME

selector switch

FAN ON, STANDBY

selector switch

FAN ON, STANDBY, and OFF

To turn on the Fan Cart, press the FAN ON, STANDBY selector switch. The LEDs
will light momentarily, and then the green LED next to STANDBY will remain lit.

To turn on the fan, press the FAN ON, STANDBY selector switch again. The fan
will turn on and the yellow LED next to FAN ON will remain lit. The default setting
is continuous blowing at LOW THRUST.

To turn off the fan, press the FAN ON, STANDBY selector switch again. The fan
will turn off and the green LED next to STANDBY will remain lit.

To turn off the Fan Cart, press-and-hold the FAN ON, STANDBY selector switch
for one or two seconds. The green LED next to STANDBY will stop shining.

THRUST Settings

To change the THRUST setting from the default value (LOW), press the THRUST
selector switch once to select MEDIUM. Press the selector switch again to select
HIGH, and press the selector switch again to select VARIABLE. Press the selector
switch once again to return the THRUST setting to the default value.

When the THRUST setting is set to VARIABLE, turn the VARIABLE THRUST
knob clockwise to increase the thrust or counterclockwise to decrease the thrust.

CAUTION!

Keep fingers and other
objects away from the moving
fan blade.

NOTE: The Fan Cart turns
itself off if is not used for ten
minutes.

You can change the THRUST setting while the fan is in STANDBY, or while the fan
is on.

PULSE TIME Settings

You can change PULSE TIME settings only while the fan is in STANDBY.

Press the PULSE TIME selector switch once to select 1 s (one second). Press the
switch again to select 2 s (two seconds). Press the switch again to select 4 s (four sec­onds), and press the switch again to select 6 s (six seconds).

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Fan Cart Demonstrations and Experiments

Force

Air Flow

v

Press the PULSE TIME selector switch once again to return to the default setting
(continuous blowing). No LEDs in the PULSE TIME section will be lit.

Once you have set the PULSE TIME setting, press the FAN ON, STANDBY selector
switch. The green LED next to STANDBY will blink three times, and then the fan
will turn on and run for the selected amount of time.

If you want a PULSE TIME to repeat itself, press-and-hold the PULSE TIME selec­tor switch until the LED for the desired time interval begins to blink. Press the FAN
ON, STANDBY selector switch. The green LED next to STANDBY will blink three
times and the fan will turn on and run for the selected time interval and then turn off.
After a total of twelve seconds from when the fan first turns on, it will turn on again
and run for the selected time interval. For example, if 2 s is selected and you
press-and-hold the PULSE TIME selector switch (and then press FAN ON,
STANDBY), the fan will run for two seconds and then turn off for ten seconds before
turning on again for two seconds.

NOTE: To cancel the PULSE
TIME repeat function, press
the PULSE TIME selector
switch again.

Charging the Fan Cart

The red LED next to CHARGING blinks when the battery needs to be charged.

Connect the AC to 9 V DC power adapter to an appropriate outlet. Plug the power
cord into the socket on the left side of the Fan Cart. IMPORTANT! Use only the
power adapter that is supplied with the Fan Cart to charge the battery.

The red LED next to CHARGING shines continuously while the battery is recharg­ing. When the red LED stops shining, disconnect the AC power adapter.

NOTE! If you ignore the
blinking red LED and the bat­tery pack becomes severely
discharged, the Fan Cart will
turn itself off and the red LED
will not shine. The Fan Cart
will not operate when the
battery becomes severely
discharged.

The Fan Cart cannot be operated when the AC power adapter is connected.

Demonstrations and Experiments

Using the Fan Cart and Sail

1. Place the Fan Cart on a level track.

2. Set the fan angle to zero degrees. Set the THRUST to MEDIUM and set the

PULSE TIME to 2 s (two seconds).

3. Turn the fan on to demonstrate which way the Fan Cart moves without the sail.

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Model No.ME-6977 Demonstrations and Experiments

Force

Air Flow

Equal
Force

Force

v

Air Flow

Greater

Force

4. Attach the Sail to the Fan Cart by plugging the pegs of the sail into the holes at
the edge of the accessory tray on the cart. Attach the Sail so that its flat side faces
the fan.

5. Set the THRUST to VARIABLE, turn on the fan, and turn the VARIABLE
THRUST knob fully clockwise. Then, adjust the VARIABLE THRUST knob so
that the fan remains motionless. Turn the fan off after a short period of time.

6. Leave the thrust at the same setting, but remove the Sail and re-attach it so that its
curved side faces the fan.

7. Ask the students to predict which direction the cart will move with the sail
attached. Turn the fan on to show the direction of the cart’s motion.

Explanation: There is a force on the cart in one direction due to the fan pushing air
and there is another force on the cart in the opposite direction due to air hitting and
bouncing off of the sail. The bouncing air hitting the curved side of the sail causes
the force on the sail to be greater than the force of the air on the fan.

NOTE: Many students will
expect the cart to not move.
However, the cart will have a
small acceleration opposite
to the acceleration without
the sail.

Suggested Experiments

Experiment #1:

Use a Motion Sensor or Tape Timer to measure the acceleration of the Fan Cart due to
a constant force. Add mass to the accessory tray of the cart and repeat. Determine the
relationship of acceleration to mass for a constant force.

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Fan Cart Specifications

Air Flow

Hanging

Mass

Pulley

Air Flow

Force, F

F cos





Experiment #2:

Determine the force of the Fan Cart by connecting the cart to a mass that hangs over a
pulley. Adjust the hanging mass until the cart doesn’t move.

Next, turn the fan at an angle and determine the component of the force. Determine
whether the force component in the direction of motion is F cos . (This experiment
must be performed on a PASCO track so the cart will go in a straight line.)

Experiment #3:

Put the Fan Cart on a track and incline the track until the cart can’t climb the incline.

Experiment #4:

Put the Fan Cart on top of the PASCO Friction Cart and adjust the friction (or the
VARIABLE THRUST on the Fan Cart) until the cart goes at a constant speed.

Experiment #5: The Cart Race

Set up a “race” between the Fan Cart and a Motorized Cart (PASCO Model
ME-9781). Put two PASCO tracks side by side. Mount a Motion Sensor on the left
end of each track. Place the carts on the tracks approximately 15 cm in front of the
sensors. Position the carts so that they start at the same position. Set the Fan Cart’s
thrust to LOW. Adjust the Motorized Cart’s speed to maximum. Start the carts going
at the same time. Starting at the same point and time, the constant speed Motorized
Cart initially takes the lead but is ‘caught’ and passed by the Fan Cart moving at a
constant acceleration.

Specifications

Mass, Fan Cart, and Mass, Sail Approximately 0.300 kg and approximately 0.100 kg

Battery Pack 7.2 volts, 1.25 amp-hour. One hour typical recharge time.

Thrust: LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH Approximately 0.04 N, 0.15 N, and 0.22 N

Thrust: VARIABLE (minimum to maximum) Approximately 0.01 N to 0.23 N

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Model No.ME-6977 Technical Support

Technical Support

For assistance with any PASCO product, contact PASCO at:

Address: PASCO scientific

10101 Foothills Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95747-7100

Phone: [phone] (worldwide)

800-772-8700 (U.S.)

Fax: [phone]

Web: www.pasco.com

Email: [e-mail]

Limited Warranty

For a description of the product warranty, see the PASCO catalog.

Copyright

The PASCO scientific 012-10538B Fan Cart Instruction Manual is copyrighted with all rights reserved. Permission is granted to
non-profit educational institutions for reproduction of any part of this manual, providing the reproductions are used only in their labora­tories and classrooms, and are not sold for profit. Reproduction under any other circumstances, without the written consent of PASC O
scientific, is prohibited.

Trademarks

PASCO, PASCO scientific, DataStudio, PASPORT, Xplorer, and Xplorer GLX are trademarks or registered trademarks of PASCO sci­entific, in the United States and/or in other countries. For more information visit www.pasco.com/legal. Windows is a registered trade­mark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in
the U.S. and other countries.

Product End of Life Disposal Instructions:

This electronic product is subject to disposal and recycling regulations that vary by
country and region. It is your responsibility to recycle your electronic equipment per
your local environmental laws and regulations to ensure that it will be recycled in a
manner that protects human health and the environment. To find out where you can
drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local waste recy­cle/disposal service, or the place where you purchased the product.

The European Union WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) symbol (to
the right) and on the product or its packaging indicates that this product must not be
disposed of in a standard waste container.

Fan Cart Battery Replacement and Disposal Instructions:

Removal/Replacement - Tools Required: #0 or #1 Phillips screw driver. Remove
the single screw holding the battery door, and remove the battery door from the Fan
Cart. Slide out the Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) battery pack and reach in to disconnect
the battery cable connector. Reverse these instructions for a battery replacement.

Battery Disposal: Batteries contain chemicals that, if released, may affect the envi­ronment and human health. Batteries should be collected separately for recycling, and
recycled at a hazardous material disposal location adhering to your country and local
government regulations. To find out where you can drop off your waste battery for
recycling, please contact your local waste disposal service, or the place where you
purchased the product.

The Li-Poly rechargeable battery used in this product is marked with the international
symbols (to the right) to indicate the need for the separate collection and recycling of
batteries.

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