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- Adding an indicator attachment to the reflector assembly that allows users to determine whether its angle is properly adjusted for solar elevation; this is done by ensuring that the wooden post casts no shadow upon its plywood base
Outdoor testing
Once the prototype was ready for field-testing, the team waited for an appropriately sunny day, placed the solar cooker on a cart, and took it outside into the south-facing parking lot behind Winter Lab. This was done on March 7, 2010 around solar noon. Given Ithaca's high latitude compared to Nicaragua, the solar elevation at this time was lower than the prototype had been designed to accommodate. However, we were able to lower the angle of the reflector assembly by positioning the front edge of the cooker to protrude past the edge of the cart, allowing us to lower the reflectors below the level of what would normally be the ground. The team decided to test performance qualitatively for the initial run, with the plan that more systematic quantitative tests could be devised if performance met expectations. The following protocol was employed for the qualitative testing run:
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