Brandon Diaz

Hello Post

My skills in design and engineering include ambition and persistence, as even if my ideas seem farfetched or unachievable, it never hurts to have ideas that have the potential of sticking. As for the documentation of my learning and projects, I would like to commit to taking clearer and more well-planned pictures to upload, an appealing visual style that doesn't distract from the work I'm displaying, and creating concise captions for each documentation with an adequate amount of detail.

Circuit Board Concept Sketches

Margo and I eventually decided on my #2 drawing, the clouds surrounding the shining sun, primarily because we had both incorporated some form of sun/cloud imagery. Because of our similarities, we are also considering including a rainbow within our design.

Speaker Sketch Ideation

Grid 3-Speaker Ideation Feedback

Refined Sketch

Moo-ving Into Space

For the materials, I'm planning on using wood to form the box-like enclosure where all the technology will be held and the speaker's enclosure, acrylic for the spaceship beam, the cow, the pointy grass, and metal as the stand (behind the acrylic beam). The spaceship itself will be 3D printed.

I am a little worried, however, if my speaker will be able to stay in place since it will be upside-down.

Collaborative PCB

Margo and I both worked on a parallel circuit board, which took the shape of multiple clouds and a gleaming sun. The cartoonish faces were engravings, and the LEDs were set to color the sun with orange/red lighting. We both worked step-by-step on the schematic (shown above), however, Margo configured the layers in order to become cohesive with my imported Rhino design. From the process, I will remember that scaling the design should come before the schematic layer is placed on top, as once the design is imported, the schematic may be difficult to work with. The orientation of the schematic is also very important, as even though the schematic (in picture 1) is shown in a simple parallel circuit, it may appear out-of-place once imported into the printing/designing process.

Cardboard Prototype

Within my cardboard prototype, I was able to construct the grass, beam, and box layout with mostly hot glue. I used mostly the laser cutter tool to engrave the cow and cut out the necessary pieces I needed. One issue I came across was, without a doubt, the UFO. I think I might change the material to metal with multiple scores to which I could bend and manipulate to the shape I'm envisioning.

Completed Breadboard Circuit

In my amp breadboard circuit, I soldered at first and then connected alligator pins to attach functional audio. The suspended piece functions as the Bluetooth receiver, allowing connection to external devices.

Collaborative AMP PCB

Hillary and I worked on a circuit that allowed for all basic functions of the speakers. We took turns making connections in Eagle, and Hillary finalized the circuit by emailing the file. From this, I've learned how one incorrect connection could sour the entire process, so it's important to move efficiently, but also methodically. I also found working in pairs to prevent these types of mistakes.

Python 1

Python 2

Python Worksheets

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Links

One of my group's challenges with Marcus and my shadows, Maya and Elliott, was creating a digital scrolling message "Hello people" at a slightly slower speed. We were able to also complete the challenge including a different drawing; however, we were unable to get a picture of the finalized result.

Scrolling "Hello people" Gist

Picture and Text "Har Har Har" Gist

Another one of my group's challenges was uploading both an external image and text proceeding. After we uploaded our image, we also changed the position of the text through both x and y inputs, as well as changed their color to fit the design we were envisioning.

Full Video

PCB Circuit (unsoldered)

Digital Project

Juggling between LEDs or the Feather ESP32-S2, I would hope to code in a variation of different colored lights, or what is shown in the picture, a text that states "We Come in Peace." This would be a small part of my speaker design, as it would either sit in the box below or be embedded within the beam.

Collaborative Soldered PCB Circuit

Soldered PCB Circuit

While soldering this circuit, I feel that I got better at organization and cleanliness, as my solder wasn't all over the place, despite it not quite working at first.

Enclosure

As for my enclosure, I still need to attach magnets to the back panel in order to hold the pieces of wood together.

Final Amplifier

This semester, I created a cow abduction by a UFO. I used acrylic for the cow, beam, and grass, but I used metal for the UFO and wood for the enclosure. I'm most satisfied with the scene of the cow getting beamed up since it was close to how I envisioned it. In short, I enjoyed the motion in my design. If I were starting over, I would think more realistically. By this, I would make sure my UFO was practical and doable with the materials I was given. A lesson to take away would be to keep in mind practicality with ambition.

Digital Project

As for my project goals, I aimed to make a complementary digital component to my alien invasion design. This would include a screen with an alien peeking through. As for the text, it would state "Peace on Earth," mimicking the plan for an alien's invasion of Earth, without violence. One challenge I faced was positioning the text so that it fit symmetrically with the screen. I've learned to be more comfortable with Mu while coding.

"Peace on Earth"