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I think that Dave Cloud had those batteries "sitting around" so yes, I think they were not counted in the cost of this project. I know that they are used batteries, which makes the ~200 mile range of the Dolphin even more impressive; as lead acid batteries lose their capacity relatively quickly in this sort of use.
By the way, I had zero luck with the wind tunnel in Garry's Mod -- there is no "real" control on the speed control of the air. In other words, you can vary the speed, but it is an arbitrary scale. The two other obstacles are getting a SketchUp model into the program -- my son picks this stuff up quickly, and he was not able to get it done. The last challenge is how to see the air flow -- if you could model realistic tufts, that would be best; or if you could model smoke trails, that would also work. But until I can get the model in, it doesn't matter.
Has anybody on the forum been in contact with Dave Cloud, or seen the Dolphin in person? I emailed him a little while ago but no response yet. I may give him a call ... I'd love to hear any updates on the Dolphin!
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