Project Breakdown
Weekly tasks and progress
Week 1: Website creation
During the first week, I've created the website and narrowed down my final project proposals.
Week 2: Project Management
This week, I created a more solid idea of what I want my final project to be like, named it, researched existing alternatives and used the course structure to create a plan for the process of creating the final project. I also made issue cards in GitLab to have a more intuitive project management area.
Week 3: Computer-Aided Design
This week we're meant to "model (raster, vector, 2D, 3D, render, animate, simulate, ...) a possible final project, and post it on your class page". As a group, our lab decided to focus primarily on Fusion 360. I created and "animated" a four-part model of my Will o'the Wind.
Week 4: Computer-controlled Cutting
I am very familiar with the vinyl cutter, so my plan is to create a Logo and QR-code that links to my website. For the parametric laser cut design, I will recreate my Bunobe units in Fusion 360. They are not related to the lamp, but they are kerf-aligned units that can be assembled in all the same ways you can assemble sonobe origami units.
Week 5: Electronics Production
We made FabISP, which is a type of in-circuit programmer. I managed to program mine successfully and used it to program a rgb hello board.
Week 6:3D scanning and printing
I scanned my son's favourite toy and printed the first prototype of the internal mechanism for my final project.
Week 7: Electronics Design
Redraw the echo hello-world board, add buttons and LEDs with resistors. Check, make, test, measure and simulate. This assignment will be a good opportunity to gain skills that I can apply to my final project.
Week 8: Computer Controlled Machining
make something big: Create the base and post for the lamp. It needs to withstand harsh weather conditions and be deployable, while still stand firmly, so it doesn't fall over at high windspeeds. Perfect opportunity to mill design into fencepost?
Week 9: Embedded Programming
I look forward to reading a microcontroller data sheet, to get to know more about them. I intend to program my board to generate multiple types of light using rgb LEDs. I will try Arduino programming and other languages. I hope to try the same program with a vinyl cut flexible circuitry.
Week 10: Moulding and Casting
This part is going to be a lot of fun, since I haven't worked with the materials available in the lab before. I would like to create moulds for some of my parts, to make it easier to recreate them the future. This also grants access to other materials that the 3D printer or laser cutter can offer, which might be a way to make the lamp more weather-proof. Together with the rest of my group, we will review the safety data sheets for each of our moulding and casting materials, make and compare tests with each of them. This will give us a great foundation for future experimentation.
Week 11: Input Devices
I think I will use a phototransistor as my primary input device, but it will be interesting to experiment with adding pentometers to customize the type of light (multiple colors, perhaps a looping sequence) the device outputs. That way, the color and mode of light can be controlled via a remote from indoors, which is a good project to continue in week 16: Network and communications.
Week 12: Output Devices
During this week's assignment, I will add several RGB leds to a microcontroller board I'll design, and program them to change color in a coded sequence.
Week 13: Interface and Applications
I created an app that allows the user to pick a color on a color wheel, then send that color to the lamp. I neet to test it, but can't until we get our bluetooth connection working for the circuit boards.
Week 14: Networking and Communications
This week went primarily into trying to interface with an RN4871 bluetooth chip. Despite multiple attempts, we were unsuccessful.
Week 15 and 16: Mechanical Design and Machine design
Our group project was adding a 4th axis to an old milling machine. I worked on an app for the machine, and created the limit and homing switches.
Week 17: Wildcard, the Indexer
I chose to further our understanding of the Indexer, and created a small test project to round a rectangular piece of wood and adding a spiral.
Week 18: Applications and Implications
This week's project is to more thoroughly document my final project and how it will work.
Week 19: Invention, Intellectual Property and Income
Here you can find information about my plans for dissemmination and licensing.
Week 20: Project Development
I used this time to finalize my project and prepare the presentation.
