17. Applications and implications¶

This week I worked on defining my final project idea and start to think about it.

Assignement:

   Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered, 
      answering:
         What will it do?
         Who's done what beforehand?
         What will you design?
         What materials and components will be used?
         Where will come from?
         How much will they cost?
         What parts and systems will be made?
         What processes will be used?
         What questions need to be answered?
         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 

For my final project, my idea is to make a smart tap for my van. Because I don’t have running water connected to my van, I will use jerrycans, one for clean water and one for grey water. The smartiness of the tap will be in motion detectors to switch on or switch off the tap. It will be useful when we want to clean dirty hands without touching the tap to make the water run. The idea is to make a peristaltic pump to bring water from the jerrycans to the tap, it is food safe so I can also drink the water.

What will it do?¶

The water will be bring from a jerrycan to the tap by a peristaltic pump. To turn on the tap there will be a motion detector and also to turn it off. It will be a module that I will add to the workplan of my van. Water will be drop in a sink and then collect in another jerrycan

Who’s done what beforehand?¶

A former student had done a peritaltic for his final project. I will be insipire by it to creat my own peristaltic pump.

Some smart tap are available to be bought, but the one I would like to design will be a tap that does not need to be connected to the water network. It can be used with jerrycan in a van, its main use.

Here it will be a simple tap, economic, and be able to be done by yourself.

What will you design?¶

For this project I will design the sink support in wood that I will laser cut, I will design the peristaltic pump that I will try to make it work, I will design the tap and the packaging for the movement detector and print it with a 3D printer. I will design the electronic to turn on the pump motor according to the motion detected.

Here is the deign of my idea.

And I deign it again to have each components separately to be able to work with them for laer cutting and 3D printing.

What materials and components will be used?¶

Materials:

Electronics components:

Where will come from?¶

In my van, I am not plugged to the runnning water, like a house, that’s why I need a sink to be able to wash my hands, or to cook, to be more confortable in it. I tap that works without touching is very useful, specially with dirty hands. It will be a system made for my van, so fully adapted for it, with jerrycans that can be fill and unfill according to the place I am parked.

How much will they cost?¶

For this project I bought the two jerrycans for 20 euros, I bought them because I will use them in daily life, to carry water or stuff, but I could have used recycling containers. The other materials are recovery. I will use ultrasonic sonar sensor for the price of 10 euros for 5. I might use two of them. The rest of the cost will be the electronic components as the material is salvage. So the total cost will not excess 30 euros.

What parts and systems will be made?¶

I will try to make a peristaltic pump because this kind of pump can pump the water and it stays clean so I can also drink it. I will make the tap, the sink support, the electronics, and the programming between the motion detection and the start up of the pump motor.

What processes will be used?¶

The sink support will be lasercut. The pump and the packaging will be 3D printing. For the electronic I will use a powerful DC motor to make the peristaltic pump, a sonar, and all the components to make both working.

What questions need to be answered?¶

Is it food safe? Will it work without touching? Is it useful for vanlife? Can it be easily make by someone who is converting his van?

How will it be evaluated?¶

The goal of my project is to turn on and off a tap with a motion detector such as a sonar. The project can be considered as a sucess when the flow of water is responding to a movement.

Useful links¶

• ultrasonic sonar sensor
• final project from fabacademy former student with peristaltic pump

All the files¶

• File for the sink furniture