Amelia Davies

Design/Engineering strength:

One strength is that I am very determined and I work super hard to complete every project methodically.

Area for growth:

One area for growth is that I am a perfectionist meaning I usually underestimate how long a project will take me and my designs are not always realistic for the time frame.

I commit to:

1) Consistently taking photos throughout the process

2) Writing descriptive entries with every post

3) Staying up to date and clearly labeling my posts

PCB Ideation

For our PCB design, Ces and I decided to do California. We both feel connected to California since we have grown up here, and we thought it would make and interesting design for a PCB. We were thinking of making the LEDs the biggest or most important places to us (cities and areas) in the state.

I worked with Ces to make a California PCB. We placed our lights so that they are in places/cities that are important to us. One thing I will remember from this project is how the order of the components in a circuit board does not matter.

Amplifier

The designs that I picked are the ones that are circled. The one on the top is left is a record player which I think is clever because it incorporates the speaker in a hidden way. The design on the bottom left is probably my favorite. It is a simple wood box with laser cut lines of mountains on the front. I think this matches my aesthetic pretty well. And the design on the bottom right is a set of separated speakers that are functional because they are book ends.

One major thing that was repeated throughout most of my feedback notes was that my bookends design was the favorite. If I were to find out how to make the cord connecting the two compartments hidd (perhaps under the books), I could also encorporate my mountain design into my amplifier.

I think this will help me with my growth goal because as I said, I am a perfectionist, and this will challenge that aspect of me. Even though it may look symmetrical from the outside, the internal parts of my amplifier will be imbalanced, meaning it will be a struggle to make them look and feel identical. I am challenging my current skill set by using the laser cutter to score and engrave my box. I am far more comfortable with cutting wood using a saw, so this will encourage me to go out of my comfort zone.

Rhino Model

My design is two book ends made out of wood. I still need to make the flat version of my design for laser cutting but I think that won't take too long. I am still deciding whether to do a design on a front to add more interest, but I really am excited about my current design.

Carboard Model

This is my design for my amplifier, however, there will be two of them. It is a simple press-fit box with 5.5-inch by 4-inch sides. It will be made entirely out of wood, and the front side will have a laser-cut design of mountains on it. My design is a set of book ends, so my two compartments will go on either side of a set of books. There will be one set of speakers in each compartment.

From this prototype, I learned that I need to work on my Rhino outside of class so that I can laser cut. It was incredibly difficult to make this by hand. I am also deciding whether or not to do the carvings on the front because it will be way more time-consuming to make that in Rhino. Other than that, I don't think that my design needs any modifications.

Breadboard of Amp Circuit

Something I understand better now is how important it is to have the right resistors and capacitors to make sure the right energy output is flowing and that the capacitor doesn't catch fire or start smoking, causing a short circuit (oops).

Though I understand that you want to have the "right" capacitor, I still don't quite understand what they do. After looking it up, I understand that it is a way to temporarily store energy using two plate-like surfaces that are insulated from eachother.

Amp PCB schematic

I worked with Kara to make this circular PCB shape. I learned how to add the ground plane to the PCB when it is already a Polygon, thanks Mr. Kleindolph!

Amp PCB Unsoldered Circuit Board

Soldered Amp Circuit

This is my soldered Amp circuit all completed! :)

Finished First PCB

I worked with Ces and our original idea was to make a PCB the shape of California. We succeeded and our lights are strategically placed in places that are meaningful to the two of us (like San Francisco, Yosemite, and Laguna Beach). I am very happy with the product because it works (all lights work), except I am annoyed because one of the LEDs is a different brightness/model meaning it is far dimmer than the others.

Enclosure Progress

I am on track to finish my enclosure, as I have already finished it. I finished it last class, so this class my main priority will be to finish the digital project, as I have not started that. But I am not too worried since I can do the digital project at home.

Final Project Completion

Reflection question answers:

I made a set of speakers with a cord between the two to function as book ends. I am by far most satisfied with the final product of my amplifier because I love how simplistic and clean it is. I also really liked my printed circuit board because I love the shape and the meaning behind it. If I were to start over, I would make a smaller circuit board because I struggled to fit my board into my enclosure. This semester I learned how to persist through things related to technology and try to figure it out independently. I am not a particularly techy person, so at times this is hard for me. I improved this significantly by the end of the semester. I did finish, but that is because I stayed in this classroom for three hours last week working on my enclosure so I could finish in time. Had I not done that, I would not have been able to finish.

Goals:

My goals of the amplifier was to make something chic, clean, and simplistic, while having a busy interior full of electronics. I am super happy with the way it turned out, and I think I really learned how to work on electronics. That was another goal of mine.

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