17. Applications and Implications
1. Plan a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered, answering:
What will it do?
Nudge is a computer input device that for 3d modeling. It takes the 6 degrees of freedom you have in your modeling software and gives each one its own intuitive input.
Separating the different inputs allows for more precise control while modeling, allowing you that last nudge to make the perfect model.
Who’s done what beforehand?
The main inspiration for the project was the 3D connection space mouse. Although this was partly in the negative I find there product very difficult to use.
Aside from this there have been various open projects to emulate the 3D mouse, see my Final Project Page
What sources will you use?
My sources of inspiration came from many places:
The fancy keyboards on Reddit
Teenage engineering and Braun industrial design
Vintage music equipment like Moog that would mix in natural materials like wood
What will you design?
I will design the housing for the device, and the milled circuit board that connects the electronic components.
I will also design the software that will translate user input into outputs on the screen.
What materials and components will be used?
- Housing is made of Jesmonite
- Top lid is made of Oak
- Bottom plate is made of cork
-
Knobs and sliders are 3d printed plastic
-
MCU is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W
- Board is milled FR1
- Encoders are made by Same Sky
- Slide pots are made by Bourns Inc
Where will they come from?
- Jesmonite came from GRS in Cork
- Oak came from Strahanon Timber in Dublin
- 3D printer material from Form Futura in the Netherlands
- MCU, encoders and slide pots are from Digikey
How much will they cost?
| Qty | Part | Des | Cost | Total | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W Board | Microcontroler that has both Analog and digital inputs and also has wireless capability, later spirals of the design include more inputs and wireless capability hence this being the choice | €8.27 | €8.27 | Link |
| 3 | RIC11-31S15D7-GSMT | SMD rotart encoder | €2.52 | €7.56 | Link |
| 3 | SLIDE POT 10KOHM 0.125W TOP 20MM | Slid POt | €1.37 | €4.11 | Link |
| 1 | Board of FR1 | Base substrate for making the board | €2.90 | €2.90 | Link |
| 1 | OLED | The UI on the device | €3.08 | €3.08 | Link |
| 1 | Oak Board | Offcut from wood shop | €0.00 | Offcut from wood shop | |
| 1 | Jesmonite | Material for base | €20.00 | €20.00 | Link |
| 1 | PLA | Knobs and oled Shroud | €20.00 | €20.00 | Link |
| €65.92 |
What parts and systems will be made?
There are two core systems:
-
The input device itself
-
The desktop application that translates the inputs into movement on the screen
What processes will be used?
- 3D printing
- Moulding and casting
- CNC machining
- PCB milling
- Python / Micropython Programing
What questions need to be answered?
- Can the input device work smoothly in combanation with the keyboard and mouse.
How will it be evaluated?
If Nudge can manipulate the viewport of a 3D program like Blender than it as been successful
Your project should incorporate:
My hope is that the project will be great experiance for the user.
It should work when they plug it in.
It should look nice on there desk.
It should feel solid in there hands.
After this all is a bonus.
What will happen when?
| Date | Task A | Task B |
|---|---|---|
| 31/05/25 | Finish up weekly’s | Resin print mould part A |
| 01/06/25 | Finish up weekly’s | Resin print mould part B |
| 02/06/25 | Finish up weekly’s | Family Stuff |
| 03/06/25 | Pour Mould A Rubber | Pour Mould B Rubber (24h cure) |
| 04/06/25 | Final Deadline for weekly’s | <— |
| 05/06/25 | Pour Jesmonite | Refine Programing for Pots |
| 06/06/25 | CNC top plate | Refine Programing for OLED |
| 07/06/25 | Assembly | <— |
| 08/06/25 | Edit video | Polish |
| 09/06/25 | Edit video | Polish |
| 10/06/25 | Polish | Video |
| 11/06/25 | Review and update as per global eval | |
| … | As above | |
| 24/06/25 | All done | |
| 25/06/25 | Freedom!!! |
2D Design:
I used Inkscape to develop the logo and the branding for the project.
3D Design:
All the 3D cad was done in Fusion 360 and the animations and video editing was done in Blender.
Additive fabrication processes:
FDM 3D printing was the useful process as the project developed as I could quickly prototype different parts of the design.
Moulding and casting have also played a key role.
Subtractive fabrication processes
Lasercutting and CNC routing were the main subtractive processes used in the project.
Electronics design and production
Fusion 360 Electronic design and MODs were used to produce all my boards over the course of FabAcademy.
Embedded microcontroller design, interfacing, and programming,
My project was developed in both Micro Python and Circuit python, but the final iteration used Circuit Python.
Text editing was done in Zed and Thonny.
ChatGPT was used throughout to help with coding questions. (Full chat logs are can be found in my final project files)
System integration and packaging
As my project is no very complex I feel its important to have a reasonable degree of finishing in the final prototype.
This is not only the materials used in the product but also designing branding and a carrying case.
What have you learned? (as final reflection)
I feel this whole diploma has made me a more fully rounded designer. I have always aimed to be a generalist with designing and making but electronics and programming have always been a hole in my skills.
What I didn’t necessarily expect is how this Fab academy would give my an outlet to practice aspects of my design that I already feel comfortable doing.
Week 7 was a really great experience as I have never had the chance to do a chair from scratch and as a furniture designer it felt like a big milestone.