Week 17: Applications and Implications, Project Development
Planted May 11, 2026
Week 17: Applications and Implications
Table of contents
- Project document
- What will it do?
- Who has done what beforehand?
- What sources will you use?
- What will you design?
- What materials and components will be used?
- Where will the materials and components come from?
- Bill of Materials (BOM)
- How much will they cost?
- What parts and systems will be made?
- What processes will be used?
- What questions need to be answered?
- How will it be evaluated?
- Uploaded summary slide (placeholder)
- Uploaded video clip (placeholder)
- Checked they are linked in the final presentation schedule
May 11, 2026
Project document
This page is my Week 17 write-up for Fab Academy: applications and implications of what I am building, plus project development status for my final project Pockety (pocket e-ink productivity thing). I am trying to keep the same spirit as other Fab Academy documentation: honest about scope, where the money goes, and what still scares me before the final presentation.
What will it do?
The project Pockety (name might still change) is basically a small e-ink device I carry so I can check calendar, notes, timer, to-dos, that kind of stuff, without unlocking my phone and then accidentally spending twenty minutes on social media. That is the whole point: intentional use. If I get enough time near the end I also want it to lean toward a writer deck vibe—distraction-free reading and writing—not a second smartphone.
On the electronics side it is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W running MicroPython, a Waveshare 2.13 inch e-ink as the main face, a small SSD1306 OLED for status and menus, magnetic encoder + button for input, custom PCB, LiPo + TP4056 charging, and a 3D-printed shell I integrated in Week 15. For software I already have several “apps” on the same hardware (calendar, reader, flashcards, weather) and the Week 14 path where a browser canvas packs pixels and hits /draw on the device. Details and code live on the final project page so I do not repeat everything twice here.
Who has done what beforehand?
Writer deck style devices — Focus: distraction-free writing and reading. Description: there is a whole family of “single purpose” devices (and photos I put on my final project page under similar projects) that argue the same thing I am arguing: sometimes you want a calm screen and physical controls instead of a general computer.
Small consumer e-ink handhelds — Focus: pocketable e-paper. Description: commercial products in the reMarkable / Freewrite / small reader space prove people already buy “not a phone” slabs for text. I am not competing with factories; I am Fab-lab building my own stack so I actually understand the display, power, and firmware.
Fab Academy course stack — Focus: how I learned the skills. Description: output devices week, embedded weeks, electronics design and production, Week 14 for the interface assignment, and Week 15 for bolting it all into one object. Those weeks are the real “prior work” because they are what let me even attempt Pockety.
Together those threads matter because they show Pockety is not random—it sits between products people know and skills I already proved in documentation.
What sources will you use?
I keep going back to: my own final project page (BOM, timeline, programming section, system diagram), vendor PDFs for the e-ink panel and the Pico 2 W, MicroPython docs, Open-Meteo docs for the weather client, class notes from Week 14 for the HTTP canvas pipeline, and Week 15 photos when I forget the assembly order. For fabrication I use whatever Hisar IdeaLab publishes internally plus DigiKey/Mouser pages when I order passives.
What will you design?
I will design Pockety as a complete vertical slice:
Pocket enclosure — 3D-printed body, top, screen cap, encoder shaft, guides, magnet pockets and screw bosses with brass inserts, sized so the PCB and displays actually fit (I iterated from a chunky “box” toward a thinner “pocket” shape—see progress photos on the final project page).
External Casing — Enclosure from wood for casing for style points, protect the electronics.
Custom PCB — routes Pico 2 W to e-ink SPI, OLED I2C, encoder and button GPIO, and the LiPo / charger blocks, with the passives and sockets listed in my BOM.
Firmware + interface — MicroPython apps on the device plus the browser → /draw workflow from Week 14 so I can push bitmaps to the panel without carrying a whole laptop toolchain everywhere.
That bundle is what I mean by “design”: mechanical + electrical + software + the story I tell while demoing.
What materials and components will be used?
Device & compute
Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W — main MCU and Wi-Fi. Custom PCB — holds everything together; designed and fabricated for this enclosure.
Displays & input
Waveshare 2.13 inch e-ink — primary UI, slow refresh but readable in light. 0.96 inch SSD1306 OLED — quick status and small menus so I do not clutter the big screen. ALPS EC11 magnetic encoder — scroll and navigation. IC184 push button — confirm / actions.
Power
1S 3.7 V LiPo (~350 mAh) — what I used in integration week. TP4056-based charging module — charging and protection; I stacked it carefully with the PCB in the assembly log.
PCB population (same list as final project BOM / Week 15 integration)
LED 1206 (orange) ×2, C 1206 0.1 µF ×2, R 1206 100 Ω ×1, C 1206 10 µF ×1, pin header 2.54 mm (enough for 13 positions cut from strips), 5-position vertical SMD socket ×8, 4-position ×1, 3-position ×1, 2-position ×1.
Other materials (non-electronics)
Filament, magnets, M2 screws, brass inserts, wire, crimps, heat shrink, optional acrylic — I roll all of that into a single “other materials” bucket in the BOM table below ($20 total) instead of pricing every screw separately.
Where will the materials and components come from?
School FabLab (IdeaLab / Hisar) — 3D printers, laser cutter if I use acrylic, hand tools, mentors.
Samm — Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W (and sometimes other Pi-family parts when stock lines up).
Robotistan — OLED modules, TP4056 charging boards, LiPo cells, common jumper wire / stripboard / module stuff in Istanbul.
DigiKey — exact passives, encoder, tact switch, SMD sockets, pin headers when I want the right part number without guessing.
Custom PCB — made through the Fab Academy / lab flow; I am not putting a fab quote in this Week 17 BOM (see tables below).
Bill of materials (BOM)
Line items match the final project BOM and what I actually integrated in Week 15. Prices are shop-ballpark USD from Samm, Robotistan, and DigiKey style listings (tax / shipping not perfect). PCB fabrication is not priced here—only purchased electronic components plus a $20 bucket for other materials (filament, fasteners, wire, etc.) as you asked.
Device & compute
| Component | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W | 1 | 7.00 | 7.00 | Samm (Pi list price tier) |
Board interconnect (no fab price)
| Component | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom PCB (bare Pockety interconnect board) | 1 | — | — | Fab Academy / lab process (not costed in this table) |
Displays & input
| Component | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waveshare 2.13 inch e-ink module (250×122 SPI) | 1 | 20.00 | 20.00 | Robotistan / Waveshare channel |
| 0.96 inch OLED (SSD1306 I2C module) | 1 | 6.00 | 6.00 | Robotistan |
| ALPS EC11 magnetic encoder + cable | 1 | 14.00 | 14.00 | DigiKey |
| IC184 (or equivalent) tact button | 1 | 0.65 | 0.65 | DigiKey |
Subtotal displays & input: 40.65 USD
Power
| Component | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1S LiPo 3.7 V (~350 mAh) | 1 | 6.00 | 6.00 | Robotistan / local |
| TP4056 LiPo charging module (as used) | 1 | 1.50 | 1.50 | Robotistan |
Subtotal power: 7.50 USD
PCB population (from final project)
| Part | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED 1206 orange | 2 | 0.06 | 0.12 | DigiKey |
| C 1206 0.1 µF | 2 | 0.12 | 0.24 | DigiKey |
| R 1206 100 Ω | 1 | 0.05 | 0.05 | DigiKey |
| C 1206 10 µF | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 | DigiKey |
| Pin header 2.54 mm (strips, cut to 13 positions) | 1 lot | 1.50 | 1.50 | Robotistan / DigiKey |
| 5-position vertical SMD socket | 8 | 0.85 | 6.80 | DigiKey |
| 4-position vertical SMD socket | 1 | 0.85 | 0.85 | DigiKey |
| 3-position vertical SMD socket | 1 | 0.85 | 0.85 | DigiKey |
| 2-position vertical SMD socket | 1 | 0.85 | 0.85 | DigiKey |
Subtotal PCB population: 11.51 USD
Other materials
| Bucket | Qty | $/unit | Total (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filament, magnets, M2 screws, brass inserts, wire, crimps, heat shrink, optional acrylic / laser | 1 lot | 20.00 | 20.00 | Lab + hardware store (fixed $20 roll-up) |
Purchased electronics + other materials (PCB fab excluded):
7.00 + 40.65 + 7.50 + 11.51 + 20.00 ≈ 86.66 USD (I will swap cells for real receipts from Samm / Robotistan / DigiKey carts when I freeze the BOM.)
How much will they cost?
Same math as the BOM: mid‑80s USD for modules + shop parts + the $20 non‑electronics bucket, with no PCB fab line. If a part was already in my parts drawer from earlier Fab weeks, I still count it here at replacement cost so the Week 17 document stays honest.
What parts and systems will be made?
Custom PCB system — I design, fabricate, populate, and debug the board before I trust it inside the pocket.
3D-printed mechanical system — printed housing, encoder shaft, guides, magnet geometry; tuned in CAD so the real PCB fits (Week 15 story).
Laser-cut acrylic (optional) — subtractive “style layer” with text or icons on top of the print, not the main structure.
Firmware system — EPD-style driver path, OLED menus, Wi-Fi apps, HTTP canvas server, plus the separate apps I listed on the final project page.
Integration — the boring but real system: cable lengths, crimping, screw order, “does it still boot after I closed the lid.”
Those systems together are what I call Pockety in hardware, not just a slide deck.
What processes will be used?
Design processes
2D / 3D CAD — enclosure and laser outlines; I started from early CAD in Week 2 and iterated toward the thinner pocket layout shown in my final project progress photos. Prototyping — print, test fit, swear slightly, change wall thickness, repeat.
Fabrication processes
3D printing (additive) — body, top, cap, shaft, guides; tuned for tolerances around the encoder and screen.
Laser cutting (subtractive) — cover of the additional keyboard module
CNC Milling (subtractive) - The casing for the digital productivity device out of wood.
Electronics fabrication — schematic + layout for my PCB; soldering SMD and through-hole; bench checks before assembly.
Assembly
Mechanical — inserts, magnets, plexi/acrylic stack if I use it, final screws (Week 15 sequence).
Electronics — soldered harnesses, TP4056 placement, strain relief so flex cables do not die immediately.
Programming and integration
MicroPython on the Pico, SPI / I2C / GPIO bring-up, HTTP endpoints for the Week 14 canvas, Wi-Fi clients for weather, lots of print() debugging.
Project management
Fab timeline table on my final project plus the boring truth: a huge fraction of the project is fixing mistakes, not only “greenfield inventing.” That is still a process.
What questions need to be answered?
Technical feasibility — Is partial refresh acceptable across all apps or do some UIs need different full-refresh cadence? How stable is Wi-Fi + HTTPS on event networks? How long does the battery last if Wi-Fi stays up?
Design and usability — Is encoder + button language consistent between calendar, reader, flashcards, and weather? Does the OLED actually reduce confusion or add it?
Integration and assembly — After real carrying, do magnets + cap still align? Did I finally stop fighting cable length (Week 15 crimp marathon) or will flex fatigue bite me?
Power management — Is 350 mAh enough for a useful demo window? Is the charger module behavior documented clearly for anyone else touching the device?
Educational / personal value — Does this device actually change my behavior versus phone habits, even a little? What would I tell another student who wants the same goal with less time?
Scalability — Not “mass production,” but: can I reuse the PCB + software template for a second hardware revision without rewriting everything?
Testing — What is my minimal demo script so I do not panic on evaluation day?
How will it be evaluated?
Functionality — E-ink UI works, input works, at least one of networked app or canvas /draw path works, matches what I wrote on the final project page.
Design and usability — Pocket shape is intentional; controls are learnable; documentation shows why e-ink.
Integration — Week 15-level assembly quality: power safe, nothing sharp, cables not self-destructing.
Documentation — BOM + diagrams + linked code + honest failures (crimps count as content).
Applications and implications — I can explain who this is for, LiPo responsibility, repair, and why Fab-lab fabrication matters compared to buying a reader off the shelf.
Personal bar — Did I finish something I am willing to show without apologizing every sentence? That is the emotional evaluation, even if it is not on the official rubric.