Week 15: System Integration
This week, I mainly worked on my final project PCB and on designing the enclosure of my backpack.
Final Project PCB
This is the complete schematic design!
I referred to Mr. Théo Gautier’s Fab Academy site (thank you! 😄) and got the idea of designing a separate board for the motors. This made the routing process much easier and faster (It honestly would've taken me hours otherwise 🫠), and it was more practical for handling the different motor trace requirements.
To do that, I added two 6 pinheaders and connected one with the motor pins and the other with the XIAO ESP32 C3 pins. The two connectors will then be connected using jumper wires. In my PCB editor, I then separated the components. Note: I also added a GND pour and more details can be found on my Final Project Page.
Here is the final look of the two boards! 😄
I milled out both the two boards. 😄
I then soldered the available lab components onto both the logic board and the motor controller board.
Exterior Design
I made the first draft of my backpack's frame in Fusion 360
My initial plan was to use the CNC Machine for the outer box but now that I think about it, I feel like it will be a little too heavy so now, I plan to make use of the lasercutter for the entire base.
I also designed these PVC pipe holder that will be attached onto the frame. Sadly, I wasn't able to 3D print them becasue none of the 3D printers in our lab were functioning. 😕
As for the motor mounts, I'm thinking of an L-shaped structure. But since I don't have the motors right now, I'm not really sure of the exact dimensions. 🧐
This week, I came to the profound realization that if I ever want to graduate from Fabacademy, I'm going to have to start locking in. 🤗