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6. 3D Modeling and Printing

Objectives of the Week

  1. Identify the advantages and limitations of 3D printing
  2. Apply design methods and production processes to show your understanding of 3D printing.
  3. Demonstrate how scanning technology can be used to digitize object(s)

Schedule

Wednesday, Feb 25 - Global Class - 3D scanning and printing

Thursday, Feb 26: - Electronic Design

Friday, Feb 27: - Electronic Design

Assignments

Group assignment:

  • Use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation of a microcontroller circuit board (as a minimum, you should demonstrate the use of a logic analyzer)

  • Document your work on the group work page and reflect what you learned on your individual page

Individual assignment:

  • Use an EDA tool to design a development board that uses parts from the inventory to interact and communicate with an embedded microcontroller

Class Notes

Thursday - Basics of Electronics

  • Circuits

Switch Circuit

  • Continuity Mode
  • Used to test the connection across components or a circuit

Continuity Mode

  • Measuring Voltage

  • Turn the multimeter dial to V with the straight line (DC voltage)

  • Measured Values

  • AD: 4.96 V
  • AB (across resistor): 2.28 V

  • BD (across LED): 2.64 V

  • Include circuit photo here

  • Measuring Tools

  • Multimeters

    • Measures values instantaneously
    • Example shown above
    • Cannot measure signals that change very quickly (ex: PWM)

  • Oscilloscope

    • Records signal behavior over time
    • Can change:
    • Vertical axis → voltage scale
    • Horizontal axis → time scale
    • Allows you to observe electrical potential differences over time
    • Useful for observing signal bounce during startup
    • Set a trigger so recording begins when the signal starts
    • Often recorded at very small time frames (milliseconds)

Communication Lines

  • SCL

  • Clock signal

  • SDA

  • Data signal

Friday - Designing a Board

  • Elements to Include
  • MCU (Microcontroller Unit)
  • Power supply
  • Programming interface
  • I/O (inputs / outputs)

  • Extras

    • Expose extra pins so additional components can be added later

  • Board Design ../../images/week6/board_design1.jpg Board Design 1 ../../images/week6/board_design2.jpg Board Design 2

  • Ensure that pins match between the schematic and the board diagram

Adding a Capacitor

  • A capacitor is needed to prevent the chip from resetting due to power instability
  • Helps stabilize voltage when the chip changes operating states

../../images/week6/board_design3.jpg

Board Design with Capacitor

Button Circuit

  • A pull-up or pull-down resistor is required
  • This ensures current flows regardless of whether the button is pressed
  • Allows the microcontroller to detect when the button is pressed while keeping the circuit stable
  • Pull-Up Resistor ../../images/week6/board_design_pullup.jpg

Pull-Up Example

  • Pull-Down Resistor

../../images/week6/board_design_pulldown.jpg

Pull-Down Example

Final Board

../../images/week6/board_design_final.jpg

Final Board Design

PCB Design Workflow

  • Switch to PCB Editor (upper right corner)
  • Update schematic → PCB editor