16. Applications and Implications¶
This week is an overview of my final project, answering various questions about its form and function.
Q1: What Will It Do?¶
The board will light up different colors depending on how many times a button is pressed for that particular day.
Q2: Who Has Done What Beforehand?¶
I have not been able to find any comparable projects from previous years.
Q3: What Will You Design?¶
Since this hasn’t been done before, I had to design everything from scratch. I had to design the main body or base and the barrier, or middle portion. I also had to design the top acrylic layer, with matching dimensions and through holes for assembly.
From there, I designed multiple boards, focusing mainly on the breakout boards that were custom made for each pocket. I was able to use an existing control board, from sashakit, and modify it to meet my needs.
Q4: What Materials and Components Will Be Used?¶
Main Body:
- Plywood
- Felt
- Acrylic
- Resin printed buttons
Electronics and Components:
- NeoPixels
- Buttons
- Headers
- Cables/Wires
- Custom breakout boards
- Control board
- Power supply
Q5: Where Will They Come From?¶
The main body components such as the plywood and acrylic are from the local hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes). The felt was ordered on Amazon from FabricLA. The buttons will be printed on the FormLabs resin printer.
A majority of the electronics were from supplies we had on hand, which were ordered from DigiKey. The NeoPixels were ordered from Ebay.
Q6: How Much Will They Cost?¶
- Plywood: $75 (approx)
- Acrylic: TBD (Estimate $130 for a sheet)
- Felt: $60 (Ordered two yards each of black and white, just in case)
- Resin: Sourced from the lab
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Vinyl: Sourced from the lab
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NeoPixels: $26 for 100pcs
- Remaining components: Sourced from the lab
Note: Almost all the material listed was bought in “bulk” or with the intention of either making multiple or having extra as back up. The total cost of what was actually used will be calculated later.
Plus pricing is a bit wild right now, but who knows, it may stay that way.
Q7: What Parts and Systems Will Be Made?¶
Base: The base has two parts, a top and bottom. I used ½” thick plywood, but needed the pockets to be ¾” deep, so I layered two pieces on top of each other. The top section has the main portion of the pockets, while the bottom section has the remaining depth and the channel and pocket on the back side for the control board and power supply.
The control board and breakout boards all needed to be designed, manufactured, assembled, and programmed.
Q8: What Processes Will Be Used?¶
- CAD/CAM
- CNC Machining
- Laser cutter
- 3D Printing
- Electronics Production and Design
- Vinyl Cutting (extra)
Q9: What Questions Need to be Answered?¶
- What size/shape/design/material does the button need to be?
- What is a reasonable size for the final product? (Writing area versus space requirements, mounting locations and weight)
- What additional functions could it serve in the future?
- Does the design allow for simplicity in use? (Is it self explanitory or does the usage get lost in the design?)
Q10: How Will It Be Evaluated?¶
Functionality: Does it do what it was designed to do? When a button is pressed for a day, does the color change to the corresponding number of presses? If this was given to someone to use, would they be able to use it easily and as intended?