1. Principles and Practices
Goals for the week:
Getting Started!
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to getting used to the documentation process. I knew going into this program that I would have to come up with something to not only fulfill my own curiosity/amusement, but also to present as a final product to my peers and instructors. Since my entire existence seems to revolve around refining/automating certain processes to keep my ADD in check, these were some of my first ideas:
  • Automatic laundry folder
  • Auto-scooping litter box (Akin to this litter robot by whisker)
  • Medication alarm clock
  • Universal device charging station
  • Self-aware potted plant that takes care of itself
  • Adaptive pet tank
  • LED Constellation-learning display
Project Idea Sketches
The potted plant project proposal
Pet Tank/Enclosure with modules for more customizable and controlled environments
Litter box that scoops automatically
LED Array that displays constellations along with info about them
Eventually, I decided that I didn't really want to do any of those, and I went for something practical instead.
The laptop that I got for college has some pretty high-end hardware inside, but whenever I play some of my favorite games, the built-in cooling fans spin up like a commercial airliner prepping for take-off, and the CPU temp skyrockets into the 80°C range. Seeing that I want this thing to last more than two years, I decided to take it upon myself to create a solution.
The first iteration of my Thermometric Cooling Tray can be found on my final project page.