The Journey

Team PFC shares a progress report video with the MIT OpenAg online forum.

Ordered 5” Elecrow touchscreen as a replacement for the original 3.5” AdaFruit touchscreen which essentially allows the team to optimize lab workflow.

A special heartfelt thank you goes to Machine Technology Professor William Riggs and Counselor Scott Smith at Kansas City Community College for helping Team PFC with the following:

• Custom cutting the motherboard so we could proceed with mounting the electronics, fan, heater, and other controllers.
• Custom cutting the plastic sheet which is a critical component of the growing chamber.

Back in the lab Team PFC was on a role! Additional items checked off Team PFC’s to do list were as follows:

• Soldered and installed the last batch of grove connectors to the Arduino.
• Completed testing the electronics elements utilized to connect the inputs to the Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
• Loaded and refreshed the software on the Arduino.
• Foil taped the entire growing chamber to make it as environmentally sound as possible.
• Researched alternatives to a laser cutter in order to adapt 3'x4' sheet of Lexan, which provides a window into the growing chamber. The challenge here was when custom cutting high quality plastics, such as Lexan, there is a risk it will shatter which in that case a new sheet would have to be ordered. Not only is Lexan an expensive part but it would put Team PFC behind in terms of time and general progress.

Team PFC received the remaining parts needed for construction in house.

Team PFC established staging lab on campus.

JCCC’s initial Team PFC is established.