Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries, with their high energy density and affordable price, have risen to prominence among RC hobbyists. Effectively dethroning nickel-metal hydride, LiPo batteries enable RC vehicles to be lighter and run longer. However, as with all engineering advancements, certain trade-offs had to be made in the R&D phase. LiPo batteries can, if not handled properly, explode. This doesn’t happen often, but the very fact that it can should be a warning to every hobbyist. Do your research! One of the most common ways a LiPo battery can combust is by charging it incorrectly. It is therefore necessary that … Continue reading How I charge my LiPo batteries

In order to intuit new concepts, one must first remove the abstraction it is automatically plagued with. For me, the concepts are aerodynamics and electronics, and the way I have chosen to parse them is the radio-control hobby. This series will record the steps I took to make a 3-channel RC plane. Exposition of RC planes For the reader who may be uninformed in this hobby, the following paragraphs will provide the necessary details. An RC plane, or radio-controlled plane, is basically a toy. You have a remote, called a transmitter, that you use to control the plane’s speed and … Continue reading Conquering flight: Proof of concept (Part 1)

print(“Hello, world!”) I am a high school student who is passionate about engineering, math, coding (hence the “Hello, world!” reference), space, and more topics than I have time to study. The goals of this blog are the following: catalog all my projects in one place, develop the skill of communicating complex topics in simple terms, find gaps in my understanding of subjects, and use this blog as a forcing function for swift project completion. If you have found this blog, you are probably a college that is interested in my portfolio. Hopefully, you enjoy it. I will attempt to maintain … Continue reading Introduction