Hillary Phang

Hello Post

A design/engineering strength is that I am not afraid to try new ideas and try things from a different approach.
An area of growth would be coding and my understanding of circuit boards.
Three things that I want to commit to in my documentation:
- - Make thorough descriptions that are clear and accurate
  - Take lots of photos to show the different steps in a process
  - Stay organized and make sure my page is easy to follow

PCB Design Ideas

Natalie and I each came up with 5 different ideas but ended up going with a camera design. We chose it because we thought it would be a simple shape whose final product would still look cool. We are planning on putting the battery on the back and having the LEDs where the lens of the camera is.

PCB Schematic & Board

Natalie and I continued making our camera design. We used a parallel circuit to make sure that the LEDs would be bright. Our battery is on the back of our board and the switch, LEDs, and resistor are on the front of the board. I will remember to be patient and focus on one thing at a time, especially prioritizing making a series schematic.

Speaker Design Ideation Sketches

The idea I'm most likely to move forward with is the mini-fridge. I need to see in person how big our materials are to see what size is possible. I want to incorporate acrylic and have the speakers on the back.

Feedback Grid

Detailed Design Drawing

I decided to go with the record player for my final design. I still need to figure out exact dimensions and materials.

Speaker in Rhino

I am thinking of using walnut for the base speaker box and ivory & pink/red acrylic for the rest of my speaker. I am wondering if I can add a hinge to one of the sides of the box to access my speaker parts.

Cardboard Prototype

This is a cardboard prototype of my speaker. I laser-cut the pieces to make sure that they were precisely produced. I realized that I may have to make my speaker dimensions smaller so that it can cut properly in the laser-cutter.

Amp Circuit

This is an image of us building a circuit to make our speakers work and play through Bluetooth. We are first building it on a breadboard before we transfer it to an amp PCB. We built the circuit using wires, capacitors, resistors, etc. I learned to be patient and to see mistakes as progress. I also learned that misplacing one wire can wholly influence whether the circuit will work or not.

Python Practice

Ruby and I worked together on these two worksheets to practice coding with Python for our microcontrollers:

Worksheet #1

Worksheet #2

Collaborative AMP PCB

The purpose of the amp PCB is to have a board that will connect all parts of our speakers together to make it function properly. I worked with Brandon. We split up the work by taking turns making schematic connections. We would switch off once the other person finished making connections to one of the main sections of the schematic. Once we made them, we double-checked each other's work. I then routed the PCB. I now have a better understanding of how schematics work and learned how to read schematics.

OLED Screen Microcontroller Testing Challenge

The challenge that Katie and I tried solving was trying to upload and display a monochrome image. Our solution was to use the code that incorporated the emoji. I then downloaded an image and renamed it the name that the emoji file had. Because we ran out of time we weren't able to resize the image which is why one part of it is so blown up. Here is the link to gist.

TFT LCD Microcontroller Challenge

The challenge Katie and I tried to figure out was how to upload and display our own image (correctly this time!). Because we weren't able to do it successfully originally, we were determined to get it right this time. Our issue was that our image was way bigger than what could fit on the microcontroller, so we had to resize the image properly. Here is the link to gist.

Digital Project Ideation

For my digital project, I plan on using the Feather M4 Express to tell the time and temperature. If I can, I will also try to add a background to it. I will use Mu for the coding. The microcontroller will be a part of my speaker.

Unsoldered Circuit Board

This is how the circuit board Brandon and I made turned out! Once all the wires, capacitors, resistors, etc. are soldered, I will be able to play music out of our speakers.

Completed PCB Board

Natalie and I designed a board that lights up when you flip the switch. We soldered the LEDs, resistors, battery, and a switch to make it function.

Soldered Amp Circuit

Something I got better at was soldering more efficiently while being patient and careful. I also learned that certain wires cannot touch or else it will short circuit.

Enclosure Build Process

To finish this, I need to cut out the last 4 parts of wood to finish the box. I also need to glue it together and add a hinge to one side.

Digital Project

Here is the link to the code for my digital project. With this project, I wanted the screen to show the day and time on top of a background. A challenge I faced was trying to get it to show the time, but Mr. Kleindolph and I eventually found an error in the code that we fixed. I learned to be patient and to break the code down into little pieces when trying to understand it.

Final Amplifier

This is how my record player turned out! I am most satisfied with how the side details came out because I spent a lot of time supergluing each individual piece. If I were to start over I would manage my time better and try to figure out what I wanted to do earlier in the year. A lesson I will take with me is to go with the flow because things don't always go the way you expect them to. I also know how to use the laser cutter and soldering tools well!

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