Zum Freizeitvideo

[ENG]

Now the time has come: We say goodbye to Banská Bystrica. At 8 a.m., we begin our journey home. Everyone is still quite tired from the night before, but we can sleep in the car. After leaving Slovakia behind, we stopped for a meal in the restaurant Stará Myslivna Konopiště in the Czech Republic. Strengthened, we were able to continue our journey home and finally arrived safely back at home. 

To the leisure video

[ENG]

The last day has arrived. On the agenda for some is a visit to the spa to relax after the exhausting days. But first, we went back to the school, returned the borrowed materials, and said our goodbyes. The spa group consisted of: Nick, Kseniia, Sacha, Jan, Yves, Tiffany, Mr. Pohlemann, and Mr. Neunemann. In addition to several sauna sessions, Mr. Neunemann and Mr. Pohlemann showed the students how to master the water slides. When everyone was back at the hotel, we went out together for one last meal at the Donovalský Pivovar and celebrated one more time. In the evening, we played cards until the early hours of the morning and then went to bed. 

Auch heute ist die Teamchemie noch enger geworden, und wir haben den Abend glücklich und in Gemeinschaft ausklingen lassen. 

[ENG]

After the presentation was over, we all grabbed a drink and fired up the grill. The project burdens were gone, which briefly made us feel a bit sad, as it meant that our time here would soon come to an end. However, we quickly moved past that and focused on the here and now. So, we stood together in the rain under a wooden shelter, listened to music, ate, chatted, and laughed a lot. Once everything was grilled, we all went inside and played a large round of Knack. 

Today, the team chemistry grew even stronger, and we ended the evening happily and in great company. 

To the project video

Kurz vor Mitternacht hatten wir dann tatsächlich einen Durchbruch. Mit einer anderen Bibliothek sowie einem anderen Treiber ließ sich der Motor nun korrekt ansteuern, sogar ohne nebenberuflich als Heizkraftwerk zu fungieren, ha!

Von da an ging es Schlag auf Schlag. Wir entdeckten einen weiteren Transportschaden an der Waage – eine Kabelverbindung war nicht mehr fest. Nach erneuter Initialisierung und Kalibrierung tat sie nun wieder ihren Dienst. Auch andere kleine Fehler bei den einzelnen Teilen konnten wir noch beheben, soweit so gut. Die Stimmung war inzwischen wieder deutlich gestiegen, und es kam ein einzigartiges Team-Erfolgserlebnis auf, juhu!

Wir versuchten an diesem Abend zwar noch, die einzelnen Komponenten gemeinsam in Betrieb zu nehmen; schließlich war der Zeitdruck riesig – keine 16 Stunden mehr bis zur Vorstellung des Projekts –, aber dies gelang uns leider nicht mehr. So viele verschiedene Komponenten zusammen über die ESP32-Microcontroller waren schon eine Herausforderung…

So entschieden wir uns in Anbetracht der weit fortgeschrittenen Uhrzeit doch erstmal für eine Mütze Schlaf. Wir hatten wieder Hoffnung gefasst, dass unser Projekt vielleicht doch nicht in einem ‚Totalschaden‘ endet und wir es schaffen, in den letzten paar Stunden das Ruder herumzureißen – Challenge accepted!

[ENG]

The day’s failure gnawed at us so much that we all met in the evening in the common room of our accommodation, wanting at least to try to salvage something—even though no one really had any hope left and despair was slowly spreading.

We started with the motor. Back to square one: disconnect all the wiring, back to the breadboard. Every detail was scrutinized again: Do we have the correct ‚additional URLs‘? Are there errors in the code after all? This darned error had to be somewhere, and we were determined to find it!

Shortly before midnight, we actually had a breakthrough. With a different library and driver, we could now control the motor correctly, even without moonlighting as a heating plant, ha!

From then on, things moved rapidly. We discovered another transport damage on the scale—a cable connection was no longer secure. After reinitialization and calibration, it was back in operation. We also managed to fix other small errors in the individual parts, so far so good. The mood had significantly improved by now, and a unique team success experience emerged—yay!

We still tried that evening to get the individual components up and running together; after all, the time pressure was immense—less than 16 hours until the project presentation—but unfortunately, we didn’t manage it anymore. So many different components together over the ESP32 microcontrollers were quite a challenge…

So, considering the late hour, we decided to get some sleep first. We had regained hope that our project might not end in a ‚total loss‘ after all and that we could manage to turn the tide in the last few hours—challenge accepted!

Heute war unser letzter Tag in der Schule, den wir am Vormittag verbrachten. Gegen 15:30 Uhr fuhren wir nach Banská, wo wir zusammen mit den Lehrern eine spannende Stadtrallye unternahmen. Dabei erkundeten wir die wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt, wie den Schwarzen Obelisken, das Monument und das Flugzeug im SNP-Museum sowie den angrenzenden Park. Ein besonderes Highlight war der Besuch des Aussichtsturms, von dem wir einen fantastischen Blick über die Stadt genießen konnten. Zum Abschluss des Tages gingen wir gemeinsam essen.

Zusätzlich besuchten Dominik, Herr Roth und Herr Pohlemann die Arwaburg, wo sie eine Drohne steigen ließen, um die beeindruckende Umgebung aus der Luft zu betrachten.

Zurück in unserer Unterkunft arbeiteten wir weiter an unserem Projekt, bevor der ereignisreiche Tag zu Ende ging.

[ENG]

The ninth day greeted us with a breathtaking sunrise.

Today was our last day at school, which we spent in the morning. At around 3.30 pm, we travelled to Banská, where we went on an exciting city rally with the teachers. We explored the city’s most important sights, such as the Black Obelisk, the monument and the aeroplane in the SNP Museum, as well as the adjacent park. A special highlight was a visit to the observation tower, from where we were able to enjoy a fantastic view over the city. At the end of the day, we went out to eat together.

Dominik, Mr Roth and Mr Pohlemann also visited Arwaburg Castle, where they flew a drone to view the impressive surroundings from the air.

Back at our accommodation, we continued to work on our project before the eventful day came to an end.

Doch schon bald zeichnete sich das Unheil ab: Der Motortest sollte der Höhepunkt des Tages werden,
doch stattdessen begann das Chaos …

Während die Waage und der Feuchtigkeitssensor zuvor im Einzelbetrieb einwandfrei funktionierten,
zeigten sie nun auf dem Display ausschließlich negative oder „Not-a-Number-Werte“ (→ Messfehler)
an.

Dies waren leider auch nicht unser einzigen Probleme: Der Motor, der bis zum Wochenende
einwandfrei seinen Dienst tat, schien beim Transport beschädigt worden zu sein. Er überhitzte sofort,
ließ sich nicht ansteuern und gab ungesund klingende Geräusche von sich.

Da dieser natürlich das Herzstück unseres Projekts darstellt, geriet das gesamte Projekt in Gefahr.
Trotz des Gegenprüfens mit mehreren anderen Motoren und Motorsteuerungen schafften wir es nicht,
die Funktionalität wiederherzustellen, die wir in den ersten Tagen erreicht hatten.

Nach einem langen Tag voller erfolgloser Tests und zunehmender Frustration mussten wir feststellen,
dass uns einfach die Zeit davonläuft – unsere Deadline näherte sich mit großen Schritten …

So frustrierend dies auch war – wir wussten, wir könnten es mit genügend Zeit schaffen – mussten
wir irgendwann abbrechen und uns unzufrieden auf den Heimweg zur Villa Gloria begeben.

[ENG]

The day began promisingly: the very last 3D models were sent to print and, after the final adjustments, we were now able to assemble the housing. As a final design accent, a cat was skilfully applied to the lid by hand. Everything looked great, and so we started the supposedly final test run of our project full of enthusiasm.

But disaster was soon on the horizon: the engine test was supposed to be the highlight of the day, but instead chaos ensued …

While the scales and the humidity sensor had previously worked perfectly in individual operation, they now only showed negative or ‘not-a-number values’ (→ measurement errors) on the display.

Unfortunately, these were not our only problems: The motor, which had worked perfectly until the weekend, seemed to have been damaged during transport. It overheated immediately, could not be controlled and made unhealthy-sounding noises.

As this is of course the centrepiece of our project, the entire project was jeopardised. Despite cross-checking with several other motors and motor control units, we were unable to restore the functionality we had achieved in the first few days.

After a long day of unsuccessful testing and increasing frustration, we realised that we were simply running out of time – our deadline was fast approaching…

As frustrating as this was – we knew we could do it with enough time – we eventually had to call it a day and head home to Villa Gloria, unsatisfied.

Die Gruppe, die den entspannten Weg wählte, bestehend aus Frau Rammelt, Herr Braun, Yves, Tiffany, Jan und Dominik, begann mit einem Spaziergang um einen See. Kurz bevor sie den See umrundet hatten, entdeckte die Gruppe einen Skilift, mit dem sie hinauffuhr. Die Aussicht vom Skilift war atemberaubend, ebenso wie der Blick auf die Berge. Oben angekommen, genossen wir die fantastische Aussicht. Tiffany und Jan entschieden sich, noch weiter zu wandern und erklommen den Predné Solisko, der 2093 Meter hoch ist. Der Weg dorthin war anstrengend, aber sie kletterten bis ganz nach oben und wurden mit einer atemberaubenden Aussicht belohnt. Der Rest der Gruppe wartete unten, genoss die Sonne und den wunderschönen Ausblick.

Anschließend fuhr die erste Gruppe nach Banská, um dort unseren Schulleiter Herr Pohlemann, Frau Jungheinrich, Herr Roth und Ausbilder Tim der Firma Adtran zu begrüßen. Dort tranken wir gemeinsam ein Getränk, was wirklich schön war.

Gruppe 2, bestehend aus Herr Neunemann, Vicky, Nick, Kseniia und Nils, wählte den anspruchsvolleren Weg und bestieg den Berg Velke Solisko. Sie sahen unterwegs beeindruckende Wasserfälle, Bergseen und wunderschöne Landschaften. Der Himmel war strahlend blau. Sie entdeckten Tiere wie Eichhörnchen und Spechte. Der Berg hatte eine Höhe von 2376 Metern, und die Gruppe legte eine Strecke von 15 Kilometern mit ca. 1200 Höhenmetern zurück. Insgesamt waren sie 8 Stunden unterwegs – eine anstrengende, aber lohnende Wanderung.

[ENG]

The weekend was coming to an end, but today we had something special planned: a trip to the High Tatras. We headed into the Slovak mountains and split into two groups – one for a relaxed route and the other for a more challenging one.

The group taking the relaxed route, which included Mrs. Rammelt, Mr. Braun, Yves, Tiffany, Jan, and Dominik, started with a walk around a lake. Just before finishing the circuit, the group spotted a ski lift and decided to ride it up. The views from the lift were breathtaking, as was the view of the surrounding mountains. Once at the top, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Tiffany and Jan chose to continue hiking up the Predné Solisko, which stands at 2,093 meters. The hike was tough, but they climbed all the way to the top and were rewarded with an incredible view. The rest of the group waited below, basking in the sun and enjoying the picturesque landscape.

Afterward, group one drove to Banská to meet and greet our headmaster Mr. Pohlemann, Mrs. Jungheinrich, Mr. Roth, and instructor Tim from the company Adtran. We all shared a drink, and it was a really pleasant gathering.

Group 2, consisting of Mr. Neunemann, Vicky, Nick, Kseniia, and Nils, took on the more challenging route and climbed a different mountain. Along the way, they encountered stunning waterfalls, mountain lakes, and beautiful landscapes. The sky was a clear blue, and they even spotted wildlife like squirrels and woodpeckers. The mountain stood at an impressive 2,376 meters, and the group hiked a total of 15 kilometers. They were on the trail for 8 hours – an exhausting but rewarding journey.

[ENG]

The weekend began leisurely at 8 AM with a relaxed breakfast. Around 8:30 AM, we set off for our next adventure: a hike in the Slovak Paradise. Our goal was a gorge with a waterfall. To reach it, we first had to cross a stream – balancing on wooden bridges and logs, which left us with wet feet. Once we arrived at the waterfall, we climbed steep ladders, which was quite a challenge. At the top, we took in the stunning natural beauty before heading back via a hiking trail. To cap off the day, we were rewarded with delicious ice cream and refreshing drinks – the ice cream was especially tasty! In the evening, we gathered at a restaurant to unwind and reflect on the amazing experience.

Das Gehäuse, dass wir gestern begonnen hatten, wurde an die neuen Anforderungen angepasst. Er bietet jetzt ausreichend Platz für alle Komponenten, auch wenn der Einbau etwas fummelig war. Die gedruckten Fassungen für die Sensoren haben wir eingebaut, wobei es hier und da zu Nachjustierungen kam, damit alles richtig passt. 

Am Ende des Tages konnten wir die komplette Schaltung, inklusive aller Sensoren, testen. Die Verbindungen funktionierten größtenteils, aber es gab ein paar kleinere Probleme, die wir beheben mussten. Trotzdem lief die Übertragung der Sensordaten insgesamt stabil, was uns ein Stück weitergebracht hat. 

Zum Schluss haben wir die Kamera getestet. Es dauerte etwas, bis wir sie zum Laufen bekamen, aber erste Aufnahmen konnten wir immerhin machen. Der nächste Schritt wird sein, sie besser ins Gesamtsystem zu integrieren, aber es gibt noch einiges zu tun. 

Alles in allem ein produktiver Tag, auch wenn nicht alles auf Anhieb funktioniert hat. 

[ENG]

Today was another step forward, though not without a few minor challenges. In the morning, we were able to complete the display interface, which now provides a clear overview of the sensor readings. The menu structure is set up, and the potentiometer functions as a control element as planned, although the navigation could still use some fine-tuning. 

The wooden box we started yesterday was adjusted to meet the new requirements. It now offers enough space for all components, even though the installation was a bit fiddly. We installed the 3D-printed sensor holders, making some adjustments here and there to ensure everything fit properly. 

By the end of the day, we were able to test the complete circuit, including all sensors. Most of the connections worked, but there were a few minor issues we had to fix. Still, the overall transmission of sensor data was stable, which brought us a step closer. 

Lastly, we tested the camera. It took a while to get it up and running, but we managed to take the first images. The next step will be to better integrate it into the overall system, but there’s still quite a bit to do. 

All in all, a productive day, even if not everything worked perfectly on the first try.