Assignments

Complete your final project, tracking your progress:

• What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?
• What has worked? What hasn't?
• What questions need to be resolved?
• What will happen when?
• What have you learned?

What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?

What is the deadline? How much time do I have left?

My final presentation will be on the next week, June 13th, 2018, so I have exactly one week to go (from this day 6th of June).

What tasks have been completed?

Designing, fabricating, and assembling the product is done. All of the crucial parts are done, different designs are integrated, and the temperature screen stucture is assembled. The mold for finishing, and casting a silicone cover for the sensor board measuring the outside temperature is prepared, as well as the board with its connector cables is prepared for casting.

Testing the sensors and PCBs in general is done, as well as all the connector cables after fabricating them.

The finishing has been into consideration during the whole project, so I have finished each small piece of the project immediately when working on it, e.g. cables are done using heat shring tubing and carefully designed holes in the screen structure and the cable holders are taking care of the working and peaceful layout.

As a last, I have started programming by combining the codes for NeoPixels, temperature sensor board, light sensor board, and networking done during the previous weekly assignments. I have the first results to know, that the setting is working in general.

The initial structure of the presentation slide is prepared.

What tasks remain?

Completing programming is the most crucial thing that remains.

When time, I will finish the sensor board measuring outside temperature by casting it into a silicone rubber to make it weather proof.

Finishing the Final Project documentation and creating the presentation video.

How will I complete the remaining tasks in time?

The last weeks schedule for finishing the final project will be as follows:

DONE	SCHEDULE	TASK
7.6.2018	7.-8.6.2018	Finish the main idea of the programming
13.6.2018	7.-8.6.2018	Finish the last details on the weekly assigments documentation
8.6.2018	11.6.2018	Cast the NTC sensor board measuring outside temperature into a silicone rubber
	11.6.2018	If time, design and make a sun shield for NTC sensor board covered by silicone rubber
13.6.2018	7.-10.6.2018	Finish the last parts and details on the Final Project documentation
12.6.2018	9.-11.6.2018	Finish the presentation video
12.6.2018	8.-12.6.2018	Finish the presentation slide
	11.-13.6.2018	If time, try different programming options
12.6.2018	9.-12.6.2018	Prepare for final presentation
13.6.2018	13.6.2018	Present the Final Project for Neil Gershenfeld and the whole Fab Academy 2018 world-wide society

What has worked? What hasn't?

Works

I am super glad to say, that it seems, that everything in the structure and physical parts is working as planned.

The parts are attached together and the shapes match, and screw holes in the corners match through four different layers structure going through and connecting:

• the front aluminium frame
• the transparent acrylic sctructure as a middle layer
• 3D printed cable holders, and
• the white acrylic structure of the screen on the bottom.

Moreover, the PCBs placed on front of everything together witht the aluminium frame seem to match good.

Does not work

One of the most difficult and frustrating part of the hole project has been so simple than attaching the NeoPixel strips on the white acrylics back layer. I could never imagine that this could be one of the most challenging issues in finishing the project. I have tried several methods and tools on attaching them but nothing seem to work perfect, because it is very hard to attach anything (thin) on the slipery surface of the NeoPixel strip. I have tried by using the double-sided tape it had on it, I have tried schancing the tape to another one, and I have tried glueing it with super glue. Moreover, I have made the surface of the acrylic a bit rough by sanding it with sanding paper. At the moment most of the strips are quite well attached, and the front screen structure as well as the side connectors will of course helping them to stay on their positions.

There is some small bug in the programming code so far, that likes to keep one certain NeoPixel ON most of the time, which need to be find out.

What questions still need to be resolved?

In programming and thinking about "a history table": how to shift temperatures from the right column to their left column so that they form a data graph on the NeoPixel screen.

What have you learned?

I have gone in details on every of the design and digital fabrication processes that Fab Academy covers. Even I was familiar with quite many of the processes beforehand, I was not aware and I had not utilized the fabrication tools even close on their maximum potential. I did it now neither, only touched the surface, but now I am able to e.g. take into account the laser cutter kerf in my designs, as I did for final project already, evaluate what 3D printer to use for which purpose, what are the advantages and limitations of a CNC router or a water jet cutter, how versatile machine a vinl cutter can be to start utilizing it more, and how easy it is to modify the design when it is done as parametrical model.

One of the most important skills that has developed during the Fab Academy is the documentation skill. I have always written a lot, but now I can better put myself on the place of another person and consider what should be in the documentation to actually describe the process instead of only mentioning about things. Also, I see this documentation very valuable for myself for checking some details on the processes later on. Moreover, I have enjoyed it very much.

I have reminded myself that I have to learn prioritizing at those points, when the assignment is almost too exciting and I would just love to go further and further with it. It is a pity to do only the necessary process when I am totally into the topic, but I have to learn to complete the process and then if there is time left, I can immerse in the topic more thoroughly.