Fab Academy
Learning about Embedded Networking and Communications
To do:
Group assignment: I worked with my colleague Jhasmin Ayala
1. Send a message between two projects
2. Document your work on the group work page and reflect on your individual page what you learned about characteristics of your printer(s)
Individual assignment:
1. Design, build and connect wired or wireless node(s) with network or bus addresses and a local input and/or output devices
WHAT I ALREADY KNOW BEFOREHAND?
I knew that communication requires all parties to speak the same "language" (protocol), similar to the role of SWIFT in international banking transactions. Connecting two devices creates a minimal but functional network.
Group assignment:
Check this link
Individual assignment:
1. Designing and 3D Printing a Hinge
• Concept: Designing a hinge that cannot be made subtractively is a great choice because hinges often require interconnected parts that are challenging to create through traditional machining methods.
• Tools: I experimented with Fusion 360 and Blender, ultimately choosing Blender, although I had to design using approximations. Blender is excellent for organic and complex shapes, while Fusion 360 is better for parametric and mechanical designs. For a hinge, Fusion 360 might have been more straightforward due to its precision tools.
• Challenges:
o Ensuring the hinge parts fit together properly.
o Designing for 3D printing constraints (e.g., overhangs, tolerances).
Reference video: this link
REFLECTIONS
Communication enables specialization: one board can be dedicated to sensors, another to actuators, and another to processing, all working together more efficiently.