Electronics Design

Goals

Group assignment:

• use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation of a microcontroller circuit board

Individual Assignment

• use an EDA tool to design and check a development board that uses parts from the inventory to interact and communicate with an embedded microcontroller
• extra credit: try another design workflow
• extra credit: simulate your design
• extra credit: design a case around your design

Group Assignment

Project Background

As part of this week's electronics design assignment, our group used lab equipment to observe and analyze the behavior of a Seeed XIAO ESP32 development board. This task helped us understand power, signal, PWM, and UART communication in real conditions, preparing us for our own board design.

Equipment Used

• Digital Multimeter – to measure voltage and logic levels
• Oscilloscope – to visualize PWM and switching signals
• USB-to-Serial Module – for serial communication monitoring
• Serial Terminal Software (e.g., CoolTerm, Arduino Monitor)
• Basic components (push buttons, resistors, LEDs)

Testing Procedures and Results

1️⃣ Power & Logic Level Test (Multimeter)

We verified the 3.3V output from the VCC pin. When a button connected to a GPIO pin was pressed, the voltage dropped from 3.3V to 0V, confirming proper logic level behavior.

2️⃣ PWM Signal Observation (Oscilloscope)

We configured a GPIO pin to output a PWM signal at 1kHz with 50% duty cycle. The waveform was clearly visible and consistent with expectations. Changing the duty cycle to 75% and 25% showed accurate signal adjustment.

3️⃣ Serial Communication Check

We connected the board to a USB-to-Serial module and opened a terminal at 115200 baud. The ESP32 successfully printed debug messages and data outputs, confirming reliable UART communication.

4️⃣ Interrupt Handling Test (Optional)

A GPIO pin was configured with interrupt-on-change. When pressed, the button triggered an ISR (interrupt service routine), which printed to the serial monitor, confirming edge detection and response.

Conclusion

This group task allowed us to gain hands-on experience using common lab equipment to validate the behavior of a microcontroller. It strengthened our understanding of voltage levels, signal integrity, waveform interpretation, and debugging workflows. These skills are essential as we move into custom board development and real-world implementation.

Individual Assignment

Plan

For the individual assignment, I plan to make some stickers and snowflake pieces.

I created a design in Adobe Illustrator by combining a goat, the sun, and a snake.

I used the vinyl cutter to cut and produce the final piece.

Three_Sheep_Sticker.ai

For the second part, I drew a hexagon with a side length of 30mm in CAD. Our laser cutter has a kerf of 0.4mm, and the thickness of the wooden board is 3mm, so I set the width of the connecting slots to 2.6mm.

After drawing one slot, I arrayed it onto each side of the hexagon.

I used the trim command to remove the excess lines. After completing the design, I exported the file in DXF format and opened it in LaserSoft.

In LaserSoft, I duplicated the file to cut 16 pieces at once.

Cutting

After cutting, I removed the pieces and checked the fit of the slots to ensure they connected snugly.

Snowflake_Puzzle_Pieces.dxf

Reflection:

In this project, I not only improved my technical skills but also gained valuable hands-on experience through the process of design and production.

First, using Adobe Illustrator for the design helped me become more familiar with graphic drawing and pattern combination techniques. By merging the goat, sun, and snake elements, I learned how to combine different elements creatively to create unique and expressive designs.

During the cutting process, operating the laser cutter gave me a deeper understanding of how to factor in kerf and material thickness, allowing me to adjust the slot width and design dimensions appropriately. This process helped me pay more attention to detail and precision, especially when drawing the slot array in CAD, as it made me realize the relationship between design and actual manufacturing.

The most rewarding part was when, after cutting, I found that the slots fit together perfectly and the pieces could be assembled without glue. This made me realize the importance of considering friction and structural fit during the design process, which not only improves efficiency but also ensures the final product's quality and functionality.

Overall, this project allowed me to become more familiar with the complete process from design to production and improved my hands-on and problem-solving skills. In future projects, I will continue to optimize the design and production process to achieve greater precision and efficiency.