Katie Flemming

Hello Post

A design/engineering strength: I am flexible and adaptable. If a design doesn't work as I planned it, I don't give up: I brainstorm and think hard and come up with a new way to approach the problem and save my idea.
An area of growth: Often my designs in the shops are meant to mimic other real-world objects (example: my D&T lamp was a mushroom). While I love this type of design and product, I want to step out of my comfort zone and create something unique, well-formulated, and visually appealing without just making a lamp version of a cute, already-existing item.
Three things that I want to commit to in my documentation:
- - Being diligent about taking as many photos as possible so that I can memorialize every step of my process
  - Taking initiative to update my site frequently so that I don't fall behind and end up with a ton to fill out on the last day
  - Maintaining a uniform theme throughout and making sure my page itself is well-designed

PBC design

Initial sketches - Katie (me)

Initial sketches - Avery (my partner)

My partner and I drew up 8 initial designs- ultimately, we decided to create a turtle circuit board! We both had happened to sketch a turtle during ideation, and we thought the design was super cute, so we went with it!

Collaborative PCB

PCB Schematic

PCB Layout

Who Made These:

This schematic and this layout were designed and created by my partner, Avery, and I!

What We Made:

We created a circuit board that looks like an adorable land turtle even when flat! When each of its elements are added, though, the turtle comes to life- its shell lights up, giving it some real personality! The circuit featured on this board contains several systems of LEDs and resistors operating in parallel- this allows each LED to shine at its full capacity. The turtle's lights can also be turned on and off with a swtich.

Things I will Remember about PCB Design:

Less is more. We initally wanted to arrange the resistors to incorporate into the shell pattern, but the board looked crowed and clunky- we found it was best to line them up for an even, elegant finish!
It's a great collaborative process! Avery and I both had different strengths and were very helpful in reminding each other of missed steps and details. This process seemed daunting, but was quite enjoyable when done with a partner!

Collaborative PCB - Soldered + Finished

Regular Turtle

Hydrated Turtle

Mountain Turtle

Flying Turtle

Amplifier Ideations

Amplifier Ideation Feedback

Final Amplifier Design Drawing

This is the final design of my speaker! I have chosen the moon phases idea thanks to the feeback and support from my classmates. Note: very furthest right side edge is a bit cut off because the paper could not fit the whole drawing at the scale I began with.

Final Amplifier Rhino Design

Amplifier - Cardboard Prototype

Perspective

Front-Top

Top-Back

Note: I would like to add a hole on the top for an indicator LED and a manual volume knob, and potentially a hole in the back for a wire to plug into the wall or charge the battery. I am also figuring out a solution to keeping one end of the speaker able to open in case something goes wrong inside.

Side

Note: this prototype revealed an error in the Rhino model where the sides did not match up. I have fixed it on Rhino!

Amplifier Breadboard

Working Amp Breadboard

This is the breadboard for my amplifier circuit! Laying each part and wire out allowed me to understand the connections and flow of the circuit before soldering. I did my best to follow the schematic before simply modeling it off of the pictures, and I learned the importance of precision and double-checking my work in order to make everything function properly. I am still working on the bluetooth connection within this circuit.

Python Exercise Worksheets

These exercises taught us basic python programming vocabulary, prominently featuring instructions about how to make strings, if/then statements, and loop commands, as well as other techniques.

Worksheet 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ap_BnQbjuv4Pvm9NtpUq5SZnp9k4s0hg3hbEMLGfdS4/edit

Worksheet 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SoBJu4xJ4MvZ4TR2zm2klB6cuN7Ca25GpvOoj9zQTSM/edit?usp=sharing

Amp PCB and Schematic

Amp PCB Schematic

Amp PCB Board Design

I worked with my partner, Kyra, to complete this portion of the project. We helped each other and divided the work equally by alternating which of us would fill out a specific section of the schematic based on the template photos and instructions. At first, we alternated who would do small things like basic lines and connections, but we eventually divided it into slightly larger sections to smooth out the timing and collaboration. Because this is my second PCB design, I was definitely more comfortable with the Eagle software, and I learned about the importance of changing the grid lines to support the most precise connections.

Microcontroller Challenge #1: OLED Screen Testing

Hillary and I attempted to upload and display a monochrome image to our OLED microcontroller screen. Our solution to the challenge was to use the code that displayed the emoji. We then downloaded an image and renamed it the name that the emoji file had, a strategic move that allowed us to use the same exact code with a different image. 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 and you can't really tell what it is. Here is the link to gist.

Microcontroller Challenge #2: Image Display on Feather ESP32-S2

There were some complications with this so we didn't get to finish any of the harder challenges, but we were able to display our unique text and image on the little microcontroller screen! This is an actor named Drew Starkey -- his face got a bit stretched because of the image parameters but I think that makes this even better! I thought we were clever in our approach with this because we had some trouble with the file name and getting it to match up with the code. Finally, we decided to take away the original bmp image from the provided code and rename this one to match so that we could ensure everything already synced up. It worked and we were happy (and giggly) with the result! Here is the link to the gist.

Digital Project Plan

I plan to use the realtime clock feature of the Feather ESP32-S2 to sync up some LEDs on my speaker to the phases of the moon. I'd like the light above the moon phase on the speaker to turn on when it corresponds to the moon phase outside. I will integrate this into my speaker.

Circuit Board: Before!

This is my amplifier circuit board BEFORE being soldered with its machinery!

Circuit Board: After!

This is the front and back of my circuit board AFTER soldering!

12/12/2023 Enclosure Progress

I'm a little behind and haven't been able to cut yet... but I have the wood all ready to go and the file uploaded to the Electronics shop computer, so I will print as soon as possible! Assembly shouldn't be too difficult as the design is pretty simple.

Finished Amplifier!

What did you make?

I made a wooden amplifier adorned with the phases of the moon! The speakers themselves represent the full and new moon phases to complete the sequence. The box is assembled with finger joints and there is a simple analog circuit of 5 LEDS to light up the speaker when it is on.

Thinking about the work you created, what are you most satisfied with this semester?

I am most sastisfied with the completion of my circuit board! This is the step that required the most learning and improvement for me, and I think I accomplished it quite well. I loved soldering the board and putting it all together, and I learned enough about schematics to do most of the troubleshooting for myself, which felt extremely satisfying.

If you were to start over, knowing what you know, what would I do differently?

If I was to start over now, I would budget my time more efficiently so I could complete every part of the project (including the Digital part of Analog & Digital!) by the end of the semester. I had a few classes where I think I soldered too slowly and could have gotten more done if I worked faster. I think I did a good job of making my design doable enough so that I could complete by the deadline, but I was still working down to the wire and couldn't do the digital project.

What is a lesson from this class that you will take with you and use in future projects?

Maybe this doesn't apply so much to future projects but it DOES apply to future classes -- I will take with me the lesson that if I am given the chance to meet new people and make friends, I should take it! Our class had very few people in it who I knew well. By mixing up where I sat and talking to everyone, I made like 10 new friends who I keep up with outside of class! I really enjoyed getting to know them while we worked on our projects, and that's ultimately what the spirit of the shops is about to me -- learning and growing and developing new skills together.

Thank you for an absolutely FANTASTIC semester Mr. Kleindolph!!! Have a stupendous break!!!

Page updated

Report abuse