Backyard Ice Resurfacer

Capstone Senior Design project for Northeastern University, completed July-December 2019 with teammates Filip Adamowicz, Jake Peabody, Nicolas Fong, and Darryl Robinson
Skating on ice degrades the surface quality over time. To maintain ice quality, rinks require a method of resurfacing. Efficient solutions exist for full-scale ice rinks (i.e. the Zamboni) but do not exist for small-scale or “backyard” ice rinks. The most common backyard solution is to water the rink with a hose, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, as well as an inefficient use of large volumes of water. Creative DIY solutions exist, but there is no solution capable of efficiently creating quality ice comparable to that of a professional Zamboni. A preliminary patent search which was completed for my Capstone project yielded no inhibitors to this idea.
The problem statement was to design and develop a device to resurface small-scale backyard ice rinks
The project was divided into five main subsections: frame, drivetrain, steering/suspension, water dispersion, and controls system. I led the development of the frame and controls system, and my team collaborated throughout all phases of the project.

Designed and fabricated frame out of 1” 8020 aluminum extrusion, and completed SolidWorks FEA to ensure strength
Led development and programming of microcontrollers for radio frequency control of onboard electronics via a handheld remote controller through use of Arduinos and RF transceivers
Spearheaded all electrical circuit building and wire management of the project, including development of onboard and handheld circuit systems
Machined several steel components for steering and drivetrain using lathe and bandsaw

Frame development was instrumental to all other subsystems and had to be carefully designed to accommodate the needs of other team members’ subsystems early in the design stage
Lack of expert programming or microcontroller knowledge required several weeks of work to learn and apply the necessary skills for controlling high current systems and converting them to RF controls
Low temperature and wet environment of outdoor ice resurfacing required careful attention to battery and material selection, as well as proper insulation of the electrical control system

A fully operational prototype ice resurfacer vehicle, operated via handheld remote controller, was developed
- Frame size constrained by onboard 20 gallon water tank, final vehicle dimensions of approximately 4’ x 2’ x 2’
- Handheld remote controller to toggle drive motor (on/off), water pump (on/off), and steering (joystick) via RF Arduino control
- Rear-wheel drive vehicle powered by 12V DC motor with studded tires for additional traction on ice
- Rigid suspensions steering system using rack and pinion controlled by a stepper motor
- Water dispersion system from storage tank through pressure control value and pump, water dispersed via four fine mist flat spray nozzles
The device drastically cuts down on time, effort, and water quantity required to create resurfaced ice, while simultaneously increasing the surface quality and user experience when compared to traditional hose resurfacing
The initial prototype proved concept feasibility, and a second generation prototype and business model are currently in production through funding and coaching from Northeastern’s IDEA Venture Accelerator

Advanced Solidworks Weldments features used for design and simulation of the vehicle’s frame
Microcontroller (Arduino) programming skills for integration of DC motors, stepper motors, relays, and RF transceivers
Electrical circuit development for high current systems, including usage of current splitters, relays, motor controllers, fuses, and voltage regulators
Various methods for soldering of electrical connections
Further experience in metal machining including manual lathe, mill, bandsaw, and aluminum chop saw