17. Applications and Implications¶
Individual Assignment¶
Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered.
Your project should incorporate:
2D and 3D design Additive and subtractive fabrication processes Electronics design and production Embedded microcontroller interfacing and programming System integration and packaging. Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project. Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable.
See Final Project Requirements for a complete list of requirements you must fulfil.
The answers to the questions below will allow you to create your BOM (Bill Of Materials).
Questions to be Answered¶
- What wil it do?
- Who has done what beforehand?
- What will you design?
- What materials and components will be used?
- Where will they come from?
- How much will they cost?
- What parts and systems will be made?
- What processes will be used?
- What questions need to be answered?
- How will it be evaluated?
What will it do?¶
My final project will be a lazy susan display case that can be controlled by a potentiometer. Currently, I am deciding between two versions of the lazy susan: the first idea is to make the potentiometer determine the speed that it can turn at, and the second idea is to have the lazy susan actually follow the rotations of the potentiometer directly.
Update: I have decided to continue my project with the first idea: making the potentiometer control the speed that the turntable spins at.
Who has done what beforehand?¶
I haven’t found anyone else who has made a lazy susan controlled by a potentiometer, but I have found other projects which have different functionalities but use similar components. For example, I am planning to use a DRV8825 or an A4988 stepper motor driver on a nema 17 motor, and many people have done this in the past. However, the difference when it comes to my project is that I will have to integrate the motor/potentiometer with the turntable as well.
One example of a similar project I found: Quentin Bolsee
What will you design?¶
- Wooden turntable and wooden base (CNC)
- PCB board for electronics (potentiometer, motor, maybe display screen/neopixels for decoration?)
- 3D printed cases for potentiometer, PCB board, and other electronics
- 3D printed parts to attach the motor to the turntable (and a 3D printed base to keep the motor still)
- Code for the potentiometer + motor driver
What materials and components will be used?¶
I will use a few different materials for my project. First, the turntable will be CNCed with wood (likely 1/2 inch). Then, I will 3D print (using PLA) a few attachment pieces for my project as well as the case for the electronics. Next, I will mill a PCB board for an A4988 motor driver and connect it to a nema 17 stepper motor for my project. I will also control the speed that it turns at by using a potentiometer. Finally, I plan to buy a metal ball bearing ring off of Amazon for about $5.99. This part will be screwed onto the turntable and will make it turn more smoothly.
Where will they come from?¶
- Wood for CNC turntable: Also from the lab
- Generic materials to attach stuff (screws, etc.): Uhhhh try to guess (from the lab)
- Electronics (nema 17 stepper motor, potentiometer, possibly neopixel strips, etc.): ok so… the lab has a lot of stuff
- Stepper motor driver (DRV8825 or A4988): Bought online likely from Digikey (not from the lab!!! I think at least…) Update: I got A4988s from the lab.
- Custom PCB board: Made in the lab (ok so most of the stuff is from the lab)
- 3D printed electronics case: Printed using Prusa or Bambu printers (we have a Bambu printer in the lab)
- Metal ball bearing ring: Bought off Amazon (this will help the turntable turn more smoothly)
How much will they cost?¶
Most components will be from the lab, so they will not cost anything for me. However, I do plan on buying one thing, and that is the metal ball bearing ring. It will cost about $6 from what I have seen. My complete BOM (at the moment) is shown below.
What processes will be used?¶
- Wood for turntable: Designed in Fusion, CNC with Vectric Aspire
- Case for electronics: Designed using CAD in Fusion, 3D printed with a Prusa or Bambu 3D printer
- Electronics: Create PCB board in Kicad and mill/solder using milling machine in the lab with Bantam
- Programming in Arduino IDE will be used to code the speed of the motor to correspond with the analog reading of a potentiometer
What questions need to be answered?¶
- How will I attach the motor to the turntable? Is ther ea better way than screwing into onto an attachment piece for the motor?
- How will I make the stepper motor read inputs from a potentiometer?
- What stepper motor driver will be best for my project (A4988 potentially)?
- How will I successfully do system integration? Update: the case I will design for my electronics will make wiring much easier and fulfills the requirements for system integration.
How will it be evaluauted?¶
The project will be evaluated based on the turntable’s ability to spin with an object on top of it as a result of user input.