17. System Integration¶
This week I worked on the system integration within my project, designing and 3D printing components for electronics/wire management. You can access all of my files here.
Assignment¶
individual assignment:
- Design and document the system integration for your final project
Electronics Management¶
In this project, I designed two main boards, a seeed xiao RP2040 board that manages the time-of-flight and the neopixels, and the ESP32 Wroom 32, which powers the TFT LCD:
For the electronics management aspect of my final project, I designed electronics cases, alongside wire mounts to reduce the likelihood of tangled wires. I already experienced a couple of ripped traces during the last couple of weeks, so I tried to design an effective and open integrated system that wouldn’t place too much pressure on the electronics. These were originally designed in Fusion360, before they were printed on the PrusaMini.
RP2040 Board Case
First, I 3D-printed a couple of mounts to keep my boards in place: for my main RP2040 tomato board, I created a similar design to Teddy Warner, adding two areas to screw the mount in and an area for the cord to go. This fit pretty well and kept the board secure.
ESP32 Board Case
I also made a similar case for the ESP32 board, using the .step file from KiCad (File>Export>STEP from the PCB editor).
To prevent potentially ripping traces when installing the last layer of the wood, I applied hot glue to the pin headers on this board.
Wire Mounts
Next, I designed these simple wire mounts, again with inspiration from Teddy’s design. I printed these with organic supports, which I found were the easiest to remove in this case.
In the future, I would recommend making these a bit larger and thicker. Although they worked pretty well, certain ones ended up being a bit flimsy.
Time of Flight Case
I went through a couple of iterations for the time-of-flight case, experimenting with circular cases primarily and magnet attachments; I ended up using this square design with a snap-on cover, which I found the most convenient to use and visually appealing.
The original supports were a bum to remove, so I printed this case rotated on its side, with organic supports added.
Back Hook
Lastly, I made this simple back hook to be fastened onto the side of the desk; this simply keeps the USB-C cable organized when transporting the desk from place to place.
I initially planned on screwing this into the side, but after some re-consideration, I decided to simply fasten it with nitto tape.
Installation + Final System¶
I used a power drill alongside threaded phillips head screws to install the cases into the wood. Previously, I had not had much experience using a drill, so I was worried about ruining my wood; however, with the help of Alana Duffy and Mr. Budzichowski, who were super supportive, I gradually got more comfortable with using it.
Here is the final system integration:
Finally, I secured the screen through the top layer of the wood using 12mm M3 screws and bolts on the back side:
Reflection¶
Although my system integration process was quite simple, I found that it 1) took a lot longer to implement than I expected, and 2) helped significantly in keeping the project organized, re-usable, and easy to disasemble. I liked the addition of this week, as it taught me more about the value of organization within a project. I’m looking forward to assembling my entire project!!