Week 19 – Project Development

Summary

Implement project plan Apply time management techniques Summarise and communicate the essence of your project development Have you answered these questions?

Tasks & Schedule

Project and Time Management Plan, this served as a living document during the project development and remains now as a proof-of-work.

Urgent & Important (Spiral 1)

Important & Non-Urgent (Spiral 2)

Supply-Side Time Management

Day Time Place Task
Thursday, May 20th 9:00 - 13:30 Nueval 1 - 7
16:00 - 19:00 Nueval
Friday, May 21st 8:00 - 14:00 Get Electronics from Tokyo
15:00 - 19:00 Design Enclosure
Saturday, May 22nd 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Design/Redesign Enclosure Get Electronics
10:00 - 18:00 3D Print/Lasercut Enclosure
10:00 - 18:00 Test Electronics Parts & Driver
10:00 - 18:00 Nueval 11 & 12
Sunday, May 23rd 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Design/Redesign Enclosure Get Electronics
10:00 - 18:00 3D Print/Lasercut Enclosure
Monday, May 24th
Tuesday, May 25th
Wednesday, June 26th Online Global Session: Homework Final Page
Thursday, May 27th
Friday, May 28th Model Modules
Saturday, May 29th 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura
Sunday, May 30th 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Peltier and Motor Driver
Monday, May 31st 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Printing Side Structures, Designing Modules
Tuesday, June 1st 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Printing Modules
Wednesday, June 2nd Online Documentation Updates Global Session: 1min Video & Slide
Thursday, June 3rd Get Missing Parts, Finish Design Board
Friday, June 4th Kamakura Mill, Make and Test Board, Print more Modules
Saturday, June 5th 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Lasercut Enclosure, Programming, Video
Sunday, June 6th 10:00 - 18:00 Kamakura Programming, Video
Monday, June 7th Bug Fixing, Video & Slide
Tuesday, June 8th Bug Fixing, Video & Slide
Wednesday, June 9th Online Final Presentation

Visual Abstract

TODO: Make Visual Abstract

Appeal Points, Unique Selling Propositions

This document is in chronological order.

Design Progress & Challenges

Drivers

We need Drivers for the following devices:

In Fab Inventory:

Name VREF VCC A Link
A4953 โ€“0.3 to 6V 8 - 40V 2A https://akizukidenshi.com/catalog/g/gI-12317/
DRV8838DSGR 1 - 7V 1.8 - 11V 1.8A https://akizukidenshi.com/catalog/g/gK-06273/
DRV8830 I2C 2.75 - 6.8V 2.75 - 6.8V 1A https://akizukidenshi.com/catalog/g/gK-06273/
BD6231F 3 - 32V 6 - 32V 1A https://akizukidenshi.com/catalog/g/gI-05088/
BD6211F 1.5 - 5.5V 3 - 5.5V 1A https://akizukidenshi.com/catalog/g/gI-05087/

Option 1: Buck 12V to 6V, BD6231F @6V, then 3x 1Ohm (1W) Power Resistors Option 2: Buck 12V to 5V, BD6211F @5V, then 2x 1Ohm (1W) Power Resistors Option 3: Buck 12V to 3.3V,BD6211F @3.3V, no Power Resistors

Option 3 sounds like a good solution. BUT. I also want to use a separate 3.3V Voltage Regulator on the Logic Board, the input voltage for this regulator ZLDO1117G33DICT-ND needs to be between 4.5 - 18V.

ESP32 Pin Assignment

I2C

The ESP32 has two I2C interfaces (Datasheet, p35)

Default I2C Pins:

pinMode(PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);

ESP32 & Internal Pull-up Resistors

I am use two DS18B20+Temperature Sensors on a 1-Wire Bus, and a Time-of-Flight and OLED Display on a I2C Bus. Both buses need a pull-up resistor to ensure the values are read correctly.

The ESP32 has the following Pins with internal Pull-up Resistors:

Which pins (GPIOs) on the ESP32 can and should be used for PWM?

ESP32 Data Sheet

https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32_datasheet_en.pdf https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32-wroom-32_datasheet_en.pdf

https://circuits4you.com/2018/12/31/esp32-devkit-esp32-wroom-gpio-pinout/

ESP32 Pin Assignment

All Output Pins can be configured for PWM:

ESP32 can 8, 10, 12, 15-bit resolution for PWM.

ledcWrite(pinChannel, dutyCycle);

Learning Outcome

I learned that Supply Side Time Management is a critical skill to complete a project on time. One challenge is to accurately estimate the time, certain tasks of a project should take, the other challenge is to make a fine-enough spirals. Theses skill develop with experience and exposure to skills.

Critical and crucial steps should be rehearsed and mastered before committing them to tasks and schedules.

I also learned to build in more redundancy and more checks in the processes, that allow for better comprehension of the problems and solutions, and for learnings to occur.

Post-Script - or: What did not work

It is one thing to make a plan, and another to follow it.

I made the classic mistake of leaving the integration until the end, hoping that - the individual parts can all be finished in the allocated time. I struggled to finish tasks on time - and when one task is not finished, other parts of the project that depend on it, gets also pushed back.

In retrospect, I also think that I was seduced by the possibilities we learned during the course. I added features, without proper testing them - and without asking myself, if the projects needs that feature or not.

Make a Simpler Project,

I know, I know, Neil, all the instructors said it all the time: make something simple, but working. In retrospect that is the best advise.

The FabAcademy is a rush - from the beginning through the end. Especially if you are new to 3D Printing, 3D Modelling, PCB Design and Production... it can get very much, very quickly. Every week you are exposed to new methods, processes and ideas, every week your ideas and possibilities also get bigger and more ambitious.

More often than not, the week's assignment is only finished just-in-time, leaving no room for reflection and deeper learning of previous weeks.

Maybe I should add a FAQ section to this documention... Things I wish I had known before starting the FabAcademy:

That starts to sound very much like Neil's advise from the beginning of the course. ๐Ÿ˜ And so the circle starts again.

Files