20. Project development¶
This week I answered various questions regarding the development of my final project, ultimately creating a comprehensive plan to finish it.
What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?¶
So far, I’ve designed an interactive user-interface on my TFT LCD, which encompasses a weather station, a timer, and a clock all in one. Additionally, I’ve gotten my time of flight to work in conjunction with my neopixels, allowing the lights to turn on when an individual is within a 400 mm range. On the physical side of the project, I’ve partially assembled my desk (3 layers installed as of now), poured my resin, installed hinges, and 3D-printed some components for system integration.
I still need to sand down and add a surface finish to the top layer of my desk and assemble the remainder of my project. Depending on the time available, I may design a few more elements to customize my project. Additionally, I need to begin calibrating the desk and test the TFT LCD and neopixels simultaneously.
What’s working? What’s not?¶
The majority of the electronics are working as intended, and there is enough power from the seeed itself to supply to the ESP2 board and the ~100 neopixels inside the desk. Furthermore, the desk itself can support weight and fold in without issue.
I did find an problem, however, with the time-of-flight when it was placed inside the case; when put on the desk, it unintentionally picks up a nearby object and subsequently turns on the lights, even when nobody is near. To fix this, I plan on adding a 1/4” elevation to the time of flight sensor to minimize the amount of distractions in its field of view. Additionally, Garrett suggested putting the sensor on the outside of the case, so I will experiment with that as well.
What questions need to be resolved?¶
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Does the timer fully work as intended? Does it stop after 25 minutes of running, and is the tracker accurate?
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Should the neopixels turn off sequentially when nobody is near, or should they turn off all at once?
What will happen when?¶
Completed Tasks:
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6/6: I milled/soldered the ESP32 board and finished programming my TFT LCD with OpenWeatherMap API. I also installed the neopixels.
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6/7: I finished my resin pour and did the primary sanding on the drum sander. I also installed the hinges on the bottom of my desk and tested the strength.
Incomplete Tasks:
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6/9: I will apply a latex primer to add a white finishing on the top layer of my desk and sand it down; also, I will likely reprint the the ESP32 case, since it’s currently a bit loose.
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6/10: I will install electronics into the desk, assemble the desk, and ensure all of the electronics can work together.
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6/11: I will film my video and design my presentation slide.
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6/12: It’s go-time!!
What have you learned?¶
I have learned a lot about time-management, Murphy’s Law, and the 80/20 rule. I learned that it’s crucial to plan a set of tasks each day (i.e. using a gantt chart) and to be reasonable in the time you allocate towards it - do not underestimate the time it takes to do a specific task. I’ve also gotten a lot better at troubleshooting electronics on my own and being patient when things don’t work immediately. This has been a tough journey, but one that’s been extremely worth it!