finalproject

Hero shot.

First, the Social Responsibility committee launch de "Green Campus" iniciative and I decide that I want to present a project to the authorities. The inspiration for my project begun when i saw a public luminary outside the University Campus that had Solar Panels, then I just remember that our students love to rest over the grass of the Campus, then I remember one exhibition that held in Mexico City a few years ago that I helped to mount in the Museo Mexicano de Diseño that the Trienalle di Milano brought, and some of the objects exhibit there resemble this big flowers like in Alice in Wonderland and for last I remember a project that one former student design like 2 years ago in my class, the objective was to use Biomimesis to design some decorative or functional object and she, Paulina Russ design this Lirium like little lamp to use it in a bed side table and then I think this project could look awsome in a bigger scale, really bigger scale like some 6 or 7 meters tall. This proyect is about giving our students a place to rest, to study, to talk, to re-connect with nature, with each other, to have a conversation without devices, an old-fashion conversation an "analog" one, so I talk to Paulina about this project and she agree to participate with her original design.

So, I start to design the new form , function and the electronics to accomplish the requeriments that was to build a mockup to show it to the authorities in the frame of this "green campus" iniciative in collaboration with Paulina that help me to design the lower base of this new big Lirium.

DESIGN of the green spot

a place to re-connect

Here are some sketches and notes regarding the redesign and activities to do.

She is Paulina. Here we are sketching the new components of the green spot over a 3d image so she can redesign the base and I can continue with the design of the new components.

Measuring the bearings so I can start filling the Parametrycs in fusion360

This is the Parameters window, her you can add or change your own data, like NAME (name your parameter) UNIT (mm, cm inch,etc) EXPRESSION (the dimension like 11, 12 or 34) VALUE (is the same that you use in EXPRESSION).

A section view of the bottom support of the rotation axis, with the bearing, the brass rod and the acrylic pipe. To design this I use the parameters mentioned above, if I need to change a component, or put some tolerances I don´t have to redraw nothing, just change the EXPRESSION value of the parameters I already use.

A section view of the solar cell support that will be 3D printed.

In every stage of the model, If you need to change something, with parametrics and constraints is much more easy than other softwares.

Cheking the base 3D model in Slicer, this software convert your 3D models into different forms of construction techniques, in this case we use the Interlocked Slices because I want to make it with corrugated cardboard.

I want to fit this components into the base, so here I made some drawings in the image to show it to Paulina so I can explain better my idea and wich components to fit in.

A drawing direct into the slicer image to indicate where I need the space to fit those components.

investigation

a place to re-connect

position of the sun

Path of the sun here in the Universidad Anáhuac México

Different methods to choose the right angle to set up your solar panels

path of the sun in summer and during winter

the incline I choose for my panels is 16.9º

this is a table with the altitude and azimuth of the sun in its path right above the University

I made this to visualize the path of the sun mention in the above table, with this I be able to define the position of the solar cells and time spending in that position during the day, the next day, at 6:30 AM they return to the initial position

IHere we can see the recomended high of the leds and angle of light of public luminairies

I choose the 5vcc and 160mA for the project, because of the batteies and the servo

The connection of the solar panels should be in paralel to maintain the Voltage of 5V but sum de Amp, in this case 160x4=640mA

production

a place to re-connect

Image of the PCB with components and traces ready to export it to a PNG image

My redesign of the SAMDINO, the Hugodino, this PCB its the one who´s going to control my project

PNG image of my SWD PCB

PNG image of my LDR PCB

Opening UBUNTU to open MODS

Opening MODS

The PNG image of my PCB, always import a PNG image of the PCB and of the outline if need it

Here I´m about to change the offset so I obtain better clearance between traces

Setting the offset on 8

Setting the origin to start milling

Settings on MODS

Putting some double adhesive masking to the coper plate to stick it to the sacrifice bed

The copper plate stick to the sacrifice bed

The MODELA just finish milling my SWD

All the components that our PCBs need are here in little boxes

This PCB is for the LDR and those are the components I need to put on it

The list of the components I will weld at my Hugodino board

My SWD board previously to start welding the components

A shot of the SWD finish, with this I will program my Hugodino board

The leafs covers in Autocad, this drawing is in a DWG format. Here I´m choosing the color of the layer so the laser machine knows if it is a cut or just engrave.

This is the setting panel of the laser machine, here we put the size, the proporties and the scale

The custom properties initial panel

Here I´m going to select the material that I´m about to cut, in this case is "cartulina ilustración" or ilustration board.

This must match the layer color I choose in order to cut or engrave, in this case the red color will cut with a 75mm speed and a 35 of power settings

Laser machine display, here we can see the name of the archive display and we can select different functions like level up or down the material in order to had the right separation between the laser nozzle and the material.

My pieces already cut, it is recomend to put some paper below the cardboard to protect the downside face of our pieces.

Some of the base pieces that also were cut in the laser machine

the "Z" pieces that fit in the base, al the pieces has a "code" number so you know in wich place they fit.

More cardboard pieces

Te base almost finish with the cardboard pieces

All the pieces of double corrugated cardboard that forms the base in place

once you have your object ready to print, export it in .STL format, so you can import it to the 3D printing machine software without problem.

Sample of one object imported.

When in Advance settings, first, be sure to choose the right material, in this case could be ABS or PLA, then you can set up the support, the layer thickness, the speed in general or for the outside or inside face of your object.

If you need to rotate the object into a better position to fit better the print process you can do it with the rotation menu in X, Y or Z Axis and you can dcecide the angle need it and then you can click the Stick object to bed to be sure it is in the right position.

The Gcode is already export and in this screen you can se the printing layers with the slide that you can find at the right of the screen, the one who has the 223 number, you can go up or down.

Here you can see that is printing the support that atache the object to the bed of the machine, over this will start to print your final piece

Once printing just wait and from time to time just check if everything is fine.

Cardboard leafs and the perimeters printed in 3D some in ABS and others in PLA. I did this to check settings, printing time, texture and quality.

The axis of rotation and the solar cells support printed in 3D

electronics

a place to re-connect

first Ilook for the schematics of Arduino for the Servo and the LEDS with LDR to start to do some programming and test the variables of the code

Then I look and install the libraries missing for the servo

Here´s a code that moves a Servo motor in different degrees, thats just what I need for my project.

And works well, it was easy

Here I´m testing leds ON/OFF with an LDR

Then I redesign the SAMDINO to fit my requeriments so I can replace the arduino with it and start programming a new code

First I had to connect my SWD to "life" so I can program my PCB Hugodino with this

Here are the hugodino board and the SWD, the connection was ok

Everything goes well. Here we use the EDBG to "turn on" the hugodino board using the WSD PCB

The led of my PCB is on indicating we are good

Mhere the code for the SAMDINO that makes the LED blink, in the future I´m going to use the SAMDINO code to design my own codes to fit my requirements

The servo is moving, thats really fine

Testing the LDR PCB with a breadboard to see it it works before use it directly with my board.

an image of the first 2 PCBs I did for my project

I put some masking tape to identify wich cable is for what component-connection

Remember the space i need to be done in the base in the design phase? here it is, and the servo, batteries, PCB etc will fit inside the base.

ASSEMBLe

a place to re-connect

different materials to be used in the prototype: corrugated cardboard, bearings, acrylic pipe, cardboard and a brass rod.

3D printed components

Electronics components

some 3d printed objects; solar cell support, axis of rotation.

Cardboard and 3d printed pieces that will form the leafs

testing LEDs in the leaf

Checking the voltage, then I charge the rechargeable batteries with the solar cells, I made an exercise of half an hour and the batteries went from 5.0 to 5.286