17. Applications and Implications¶
Assignment
Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered throughout the Fab Academy.
Questions
1. What will it do?
My final project will allow for the automated transacting of Bitcoin via RFID cards that will be assigned to unique users of my project. The project will feature a shell to house the electronics in a compact format, and will provide a seamless user experience by incorporating my interface that I designed during interface week.
2. Who's done what beforehand?
Bitcoin ATM's are relatively common in most large urban areas today. They allow users to receive Bitcoins in exchange for cash or card deposits in the machine and charge incredibly hefty fees due to the expensive transaction fees that are associated with any small transaction on the BTC blockchain. These ATM's do not allow users to purchase goods in any retail setting, they merely allow for the trading of various currencies in exchange for BTC. I've included a map below that shows the availability of 'bitcoindepot' ATM's throughout the United States. As you can see by the map,they are relatively common in most large urban areas.
I am not trying to redesign the classic Bitcoin ATM, as there is currently no possibility for innovation on any scales due to the inherent fees that are associated with transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. Instead, I am designing a system that will allow for the transacting BTC on a much smaller retail scale, with the aim of allowing transations to occur between customers and retail stores in exchange for goods rather than merely allowing the users of the traditional ATM to exchange other currencies for BTC or vice versa. Bitcoin debit cards are the closest comparable product to what I am designing, but they lack several key feature that make my project unique and innovative.
Bitcoin exists because its creator(s?) felt that a decentralized electronic cash system was vital to the security of online currency and digital transactions. Bitcoin credit cards, which are accepted by normal card readers, allow for transaction to occur between centralized Bitcoin monoliths, like Coinbase, BitPay, CoinZoom, and others. However, these credit cards stand in stark violation to the original philosophy that existed behind the creation of Bitcoin, as these credit cards operate on a centralized marketplace that is governed by credit card companies and the crytpo monoliths that stand between these companies and their end users. My project seeks to restore the decentralization to in-person BTC transactions by eliminating any third parties that are involved in these transactions by creating a fully indepedent, in-person system for the transacting of cryptocurrency in retail settings.
3. What will you design?
I will design and program many elements of my project that will culminate in the magnum opus that will be my BTC transaction system. First, I will design all of the electronics that will be stored within the device. This will require the design of a board to receive RFID UID's and communicate via serial with a Raspberry Pi that will run the interface that I will need to program in order to provide a seamless and intuitive experience for each user that uses my project. I have already completed the design process for each of these components of my final project. The documentation for my RFID board is included in extensive detail on the input week page of my site and the documentation for the development process of my interface is incluced on my interface week page. I will need to design several more components of my project that have not been designed as of the writing of this section of this page, though fortunately there are four weeks remaining in the Fab Academy for me to complete these tasks utilizing the vast array of knowledge that I have accumulated throughout the past five months of the program. I will first need to design a shell that will contain all of the electronics for my project, including the rPi that will run the interface, the RFID board, and any other boards that I decide to include to enhance the experience for users. I am currently considering including diffused neoPixels around the perimeter of the project that will provide visual feedback to users, though I do not think this would encourage people to re-visit one of my machines if it flashes red when a transaction is declined. I want this shell to be as small as possible, though I will need to make it at least 7" wide in order to include the large touchscreen that my project will require. I will certainly make it wider than the screen though to provide stability for the screen and an important aesthetic improvement tot the overall body of the device. I will design all of the board for my project as well, which currently include a board to manage RFID UID's and send them over serial when needed and a board to run the LED's that will be included in some yet to be determined capacity within my project. I will also design housings for these boards to increase the durability of my boards if the device is every dropped or battered. I will design various visual components to be included on the outside of my project that will enhance the overall design using various machines that I have learned how to use throughout the course of the Fab Academy. For example, I will design various tasteful stickers to display the purpose of the machine to potential users and will design and vinyl cut a small logo that will bear the name of my still unnamed machine.
What materials and components will be used?
My project will use many components that are already in the CLS FabLab throughout its construction, but will require various electronic components that need to be acquired externally, several of which are quite costly. I've included a complete (tentative) BOM spreadsheet below that details the materials that will be used in my project and their respective prices. Materials that are already located in our lab are listed as free, the total is solely a compilation of the prices of the various components of my project that need to be acquired from beyond the CLS FabLab. The spreadsheet is currently embedded as a Google Sheets spreadsheet to allow for efficient modification of its contents, but will later be included in a locally-stored Markdown format. I acquired the template for this spreadsheet from this site.
4. Where will the materials come from?
The materials that will be used in my final project include an assortment of components that will be sourced directly from what is available in the CLS FabLab and various components that will need to be ordered specifically for their application in my final project. Several of the more specialized components are also the most costly components of my final project, including the rPi 4 and the 7" touchscreen LCD display that will be required to allow users to interact with the onboard interface that I have created. Fortunately, I already have a rPi 4 that I am using in my final project and my instructors have allowed me to order the 7" touchscreen for use in my final project.
5. How much will they cost?
The total cost of the materials is included in the spreadsheet that I included above. The cost of all of the materials that are not found in the lab total $121.46, but since I already own an rPi 4 that is going to be used in my final project, I do not need to order a different one.
6. What parts and systems will be made?
The components of my project that I will manufacture in the FabLab include all of the circuit boards for RFID sensing and lighting as well as the shell that the electronics will be placed into. I will attempt to implement as many workflows for as many machiens as possible using the knowledge that I acquired during throughout the course of Fab Academy during the desing and fabrication process of my final project. So far, I plan on using the milling machine to mill out my boards, 3D-printing the shell for my electronics to be housed in, vinyl cutting stickers to be placed on the outside of the device, and using our large ShopBot CNC machine to mill a sturdy wooden base for the device.
7. What processes will be used?
Throughout the design and fabrication process of my final project, I intend to apply as much of my knowledge that I have acquired throughout the course of Fab Academy as possible. Currently, I plan on utilizing the OtherMill machines, ShopBot CNC Machine, 3D-printers, and vinyl cutters to complete my final project, but will attempt to utilize as many other workflows as possible throughout the ongoing development process of my final project that will persist throughout the coming four weeks.
8. What questions need to be answered?
I am currently still thinking through how my design of the outer electronics housing will look. Specefically, I am still not sure how I want to orientate the RFID module within my device. I want to make the experience as seamless and intuitive as possible, meaning I want to make it as much like the current credit card scanning system that exists in most retail stores today that Americans are used to. As such, I am planning on printing a small hole in my outer shell (if I actually end up deciding to 3D print it) in order to ensure that the experience is as intuitive as possible. I also do not want to have any exposed electronics on the outside, so lots of testing will be necessary in order to determine the proper orientation of the RFID module within the device in order to achieve an adequate success rate of UID scans (>95%) when different RFID cards come into contact with the RFID module.
Additionally, as mentioned above, I still have not decided which machine I actually want to use to create the final housing of my machine. My choices are between CNC'ing an outer shell or printing it. There are very clear pros and cons to each potential method of creating the outer housing of the device that I do not want to delve into in great detail on my page, as this decision will likely be a product of future decisions that I make down the road throughout the development process of my final project.
9. How will it be evaluated?
Your project should incorporate 2D and 3D design, additive and subtractive fabrication processes, electronics design and production, embedded microcontroller interfacing and programming, system integration and packaging where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project. Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable.
Final Project Plan
In order to remain on schedule throughout the design and fabrication process of my final project, I have developed a basic plan to ensure that I will satisfy all of the requirements for the final project in the time frame that completion is required within, this being the presentation of my final project to Dr. Gershenfeld on June 16, 2021. I currently have 16 days to complete the remainder of the work for my final project, which is detailed on the Google calendar milestones that I added on my Google Calendar to ensure that I keep track of my progress.
