1.5 Final Project Planning¶
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to get used to the documentation process. The other page for how I made this website can be accessed here.
Overview¶
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am incredibly indecisive and also very easily stressed. Because of this I have planned out two potential final projects. The first potential project would be a record player because I love playing vinyl records and I think it would be cool to have a player that I made myself. My problem with this project is that I would have to make a phono pre-amp which takes the needle vibrations and turn them into sound that a speaker could play. I did a little online research about making your own pre-amp and have thus far not found a good source on what you need to make them or how to go about that. Me, being very easily stressed got extremely concerned and stressed about this, so in case I cannot find out how to make a pre-amp in the next few weeks I will make the other project I have planned out. This project being a triangular lamp that would respond to an IR remote to turn on and change color while the brightness of the lights would be controlled by a photoresistor or other light sensor. The light sensor would make sure that the darker it gets, the brighter the lamp will be. I want the outside panes of the lamp to have a design laser cut into them and then behind that a frosted piece of acrylic would allow the light the come out through the holes in the outside panel’s design. Below you will find sketches of each of these projects along with consideration questions.
Sketches For Potential Projects¶
Consideration Questions¶
- What do you want your project to do?
- Potential project 1: I want it to play vinyl records. The platter should spin so the needle can properly capture the sound. I would also need some type of pre-amp to take the needle vibrations and boost the signal so the music can play through the speakers.
- Potential project 2: At it’s most basic I want at lamp that responds to an IR remote and the brightness of the lamp is dependent on how dark the room it. The darker the environment, the brighter I want the light to be.
- Will you project be inside or outside?
- Potential project 1: Inside, you can’t really have a record player be an outside feature
- Potential project 2: It would also be an inside project, but if I
- Will your project be portable?
- Potential project 1: No, if I pick this project I would want the base to be a big slab of wood and not be portable
- Potential project 2: No it would be a desk or side table lamp and I intend to leave it there
- Will your project connect to the internet?
- Potential project 1: No
- Potential project 2: No
- Will your project use Bluetooth?
- Potential project 1: No
- Potential project 2: I currently do not want it to connect to Bluetooth, but it could be a possibility
- Will your project use a vinyl cutter?
- Potential project 1: No
- Potential project 2: No
- Will your project use a laser cutter?
- Potential project 1: No, but I might need to use it if something comes up as it is a highly useful tool
- Potential project 2: Yes the light side panels would be laser cut as well as the diffuser panel behind the decorative exterior panels
- Will your project use a 3D printer?
- Potential project 1: Yes I would need to design holders for the central motor and belt system I would plan on using
- Potential project 2: Possibly. I might need a 3D printer for light management on the insides or for a way to conceal my electronics
- Will your project use a large CNC machine?
- Potential project 1: Yes I would use the Shopbot for the base plank which everything sits on
- Potential project 2: Yes I would use it to design the base holder for the lamp
- Will your project use intelligence (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.)?
- Potential project 1: Maybe, I might need it for the on/off button and the motor on/off button, but I believe I could also do it without
- Potential project 2: Yes, I would need either an Arduino or a small RP2040 chip for this project
- What are your project inputs?
- Potential project 1: The vinyl record would be the input as well as the buttons
- Potential project 2: The IR remote and the photoresistor/other light sensor would be the inputs
- What are your project outputs?
- Potential project 1: Sound coming out of a speaker connected to the player (I would not build the speaker) would be the output
- Potential project 2: The lights responding to the input of the remote and photoresistor would be the output
- What are the dimensions of your project?
- Potential project 1: Roughly 14” x 18” but this might change
- Potential project 2: Roughly 8” x 8” x 12’ but this also migh change
- What materials would you use?
- Potential project 1: I would use a plank of wood, 3D printer fillament, a small motor, a piece of ~ 0.5” plastic, 1 or 2 on/off switches, possibly some thinner (1/8” or 1/4”) wood, and some skate bearings
- Potential project 2: Thin (1/8” or 1/4”) wood, some 1/8” clear acrylic, a block of wood for the base of the lamp and potentially also for the top, some NeoPixels, an Arduino or RP2040 chip, an IR sensor and remote, a photoresistor or other light sensor, and potentially some 3d printer fillament
- How would you conceal you electronics?
- Potential project 1: I would hide them either inside the record player in little cavities or underneath it
- Potential project 2: I would hide them in the base of the lamp or in a small discreet housing behind the lamp