Final Project

[Place holder for Final Project Slide and Video]

Week 01

For this first week I sketched out what I envisioned for my final project. At this point, given that it is still in the early stages of Fab Academy, the idea is purely aesthetic. I have not figured out things such as the dimensions, mechanisms and the electronic components required. I have some idea how this project could be accomplished but I will need to learn some (missing) core skills to make this project a reality.

Week 02

This week I modelled my battering ram alarm clock in both 3Ds Max and Fusion 360. By attempting to rig the ramming mechanism in 3Ds Max, I have a good idea of how the ramming mechanism should work mechanically.

Week 03

This week's topic was computer controlled cutting and for the individual assignment, I made a pressfit construction kit. Looking back at my own Final Project idea, I wondered if the body of the battering ram alarm clock could be made of something other than wood. Hence, I attempted to use my pressfit construction kit to build a battering ram and here is the result.

The possibility of creating a body out of transparent acrylic is certainly an interesting aesthetic choice. Right now, I doubt I will go in that direction and will still stick with a wooden body. However, I think some of the laser cutting techniques I learnt today can still be applied for things such as casings for electronic components.

I realized that while I continue to explore the form of the project, I cannot neglect thinking about the internal components. As such, I purchased a wooden clock that has a similar effect to what I would like to achieve to study.

I also searched for similar projects to look at. Here is a project from Instructables for a wooden clock which was useful in helping me to understand how to create a clock that is similar to the one I bought. I probably need to think more about some aspects of the clock such as:

- What are the parts, materials and components needed?

- How should it be constructed?

- Should it have buttons? What do those buttons control? What are the functions?

- What will spiral development look like for this project?

All these to come in the weeks ahead!

Week 04

This week’s topic is about embedded programming, and it introduced me to the different types of microcontrollers I could use. Right now, I think I would like to use the RP2040 as the microcontroller for my project, with the ESP32 in consideration if connectivity is required. I also started thinking about spiral development for this project in terms of the functions and what I want to accomplish for this project.

	LEVEL 1 Passable	LEVEL 2 Average	LEVEL 3 Very Good	LEVEL 4 Excellent
Description	Passable. Fulfills all the assessment requirements (just barely).	Decent. Not sloppy but not “wow” either.	Looks good. Some “wow”. It isn’t perfect but only minor issues remain.	Ideal and aspirational state. This is the best I can do with current skills and knowledge. Something that I would be proud to make and keep for a long time.
Form/Body	Just a shell/structure to hold everything together.	Simple structure but with some minor design touches.	Purposefully designed body with an intuitive user interface that considers: • Maintenance (e.g. Battery change) • Reconfiguration	Purposefully designed body with an intuitive user interface that considers: • Maintenance (e.g. Battery change) • Reconfiguration • Carrying the object around to be deployed differently
Aesthetics	Just basic forms “raw” look	Simple but well finished	Exhibitable showpiece quality	Looks like something you can buy commercially
Interface	• Minimal - push buttons to set the time/alarm.	• Push buttons to set the time/ alarm. • Ram test button	• Push buttons to set the time/ alarm. • Ram test button • Alarm test button • Removable top for ease of maintenance • Modular top so that the clock can be viewed from other angles	• Push buttons to set the time/ alarm. • Ram test button • Alarm test button • Removable top for ease of maintenance • Modular top so that the clock can be viewed from other angles • Remote or app control (e.g. Doorbell function)
Power source	Plug in (USB)	Plug in (USB) + Battery	Plug in (USB) + Battery	Plug in (USB) + Battery Additional power source for rem
Clock	Simply tells the time	Tells Date and Time	Tells Date and Time + 1 other useful reading (e.g. Light level, temperature, battery level)	Tells Date and Time + Full suite of useful readings (e.g. Light level, temperature, battery level) Sync to internet clock
Alarm	Basic: 1. Something to set alarm 2. Something to alert users (e.g. sound speakers) 3. Something to turn off alarm	Basic features only	Basic features + customizable sound/music for alarm	Basic features + customizable sound/music for alarm + radio
Moving Ram	Simple striking mechanism. Just a rod.	Simple striking mechanism. Just a rod.	Variable speed control for ram (manual control)	Variable speed control for ram (manual control) + Sync ramming motion with audio
Connectivity to other devices	None	None	None	App or remote for additional function

Week 05

Since this week’s topic was 3D printing, I looked into some interesting mechanisms that I can study using 3D printing as a prototype testing tool. I found this mechanism called a Scotch yoke mechanism that looks like a promising possibility for what I need to drive the ramming action. I found this 3D print from Thingiverse by WayTooManyHobbies, and printed it out to study its action.

Promising! While I am only turning it with my hand now, using a motor to drive this action will undoubtedly make the action smoother. Also, this mechanism is quite compact, and I can keep it all in the lower half of the battering ram clock (including the motor). This will help me to implement the removable/modular top design that I had in mind.

Week 06

I won the presentation lottery last week, where Professor Neil saw my Final Project idea and suggested that I look at solenoids to perform the ramming action on my alarm clock. Thus, this week I did. I found a YouTube by Science Buddies on solenoids which basically provided me with the blueprint of what I need to get my own solenoid ram going.

I also started a Pinterest board to collect all my ideas about what I would like to have in the design of my battering ram alarm clock. You can view my board HERE.

I also came to the realization that while all these references are nice, I really need to start trying to do things physically in real-world scale in order to deliver a good project. Hence, I decided to 3D print the model that I created in Week 02 so that I have a prototype to work with and develop ideas on.

I 3D printed it! =)

Week 07

Since this week’s topic was on CNC machining, I did a short exploration on how CNC can be used for my Final Project. I have always wanted to make this project out of wood, so I revisited a project for a wooden dog lamp that I had made last year to get reacquainted with the woodworking techniques that I learnt to make this dog lamp. Compared to this week’s build of a large material shelf, I will probably not need such a huge CNC machine for my Final Project.

Week 08

No updates this week.

Week 09

Week 09 is the halfway point of Fab Academy, and it is also where I was introduced to input device. This got me thinking about two things:

1. I should probably start getting some parts of my final project sorted out.

2. I should probably start buying components that I need for my final project

I think the components that I need have a lot to do with the functions required. By drawing where I wanted some of the components and buttons to be on my 3D printed model, it helps me visualize what sort of things I wanted on my final project, where and how the buttons were placed, and overall, how the final project felt as a product.

Week 10

Everything is converging. Not so much in a plan coming together way more like a massive traffic jam forming. The Fab Academy assignments need to be done, the machine building week will start soon, and the Final Project is less than 60 days until the deadline. With all of these things going on, I started my excel tracker to make sure my final project was progressing. This helped me to figure out how much ground I needed to cover. It is currently at 12% done with a lot of this week spent on selecting and buying the components required for the Final Project.

Week 11

This week I made an ESP 32 board and also started looking at some examples of electronics projects as project references (e.g. ESP 32 alarm clocks, solenoid tutorials). You can find my playlist here.

Admittedly, I have not absorbed all of this knowledge, but I think this will be useful when my components arrive, and I begin testing them.

I also started a project tracking document to help me keep track of my project progress. I have created a link to the excel sheet at the start of the Final Project page.

Week 12

This week is machine building week and while I had to work on my machine project, I managed to find a little bit of time for my Final Project, I updated Fusion 360 CAD of the bottom car and 3D printed it as a test for my final build which will be done in solid pine wood. It will also help me to finalize my concept, which is something that needs to be completed quite urgently.

I also bought the wrong solenoid, a 9A, 12V, 50N massive monster that would probably put a dent on your wall. I had to buy another one, this time I had more experienced eyes help me look at it before I bought it.