Kara Kennedy

An engineering strength I have is thinking outside the box and coming up with creative ideas. Something I'm trying to work on is having a better attention to detail and making sure each little thing looks how I want.

I want to commit to:

1) Detailed descriptions of each thing

2) Clear photos taken at a variety of angles

3) A visually pleasing page (nice graphic design)

PCB IDEATION

The final idea we're going with is an avocado shaped PCB. Last year, I made an avocado lamp for the d+t project so we though it would be fun to continue that theme. We'll have lights surrounding the pit and so far we plan to put the battery at the top.

PCB FINAL DESIGN REFLECTION

I worked on this project with Elissa and we made a PCB shaped like an avocado. We made it so that the LEDs create a ring around where the pit of the avocado would be. We ran into a lot of challenges so I think something I'll remember about creating PCBs is that it's really important to be patient and allow for inevitable mistakes. I also got better at creating schematics and I understand parallel circuits a lot more than I did previously!

Amplifier Ideas

The sketches that are in pen (top and bottom in second image, bottom in last image) are my favorites. I feel like the ones in the second one are very simple/clean which matches my aesthetic better and the cloud on the fourth image is also simple but nice to look at and I feel like it could be a fun challenge getting it to look floofy while also maintaining the shape and of course getting the speaker inside of it.

Ideation Feedback

I think one thing that I most want to remember are that I have to be really careful when I choose what material to use for the bridge between the two parts because it has to be stable but also look good. I also want to remember that most people liked the second design as well as the idea of having a see through part so I want to try to combine those two ideas.

(more) Detailed Drawing

I think this design meets my growth goals because it is a fairly simple design, it's a design where any small mistakes will stick out and be very noticeable so I have to really pay attention to making the details looks nice. I think it challenges my current skill set because I'll be attaching multiple materials and I'll be learning how to use the 3D printer. I also think that because it has so many small components that will need to get made and put together, it will challenge my time management skills (which I know I need to work on)

3D Digital Model (in Rhino)

This is the 3D model of my speaker that I made in Rhino. I still need to add the little details such as where the screws are going to go for the speaker but I think I got all of the big components that really need to be included in the model. I'm currently planning on making the middle part clear acrylic and the rounded containers will be wood/mdf. I also need to add the score marks to the rounded edges so that I can laser cut them.

My design is sort of an abstract shape but only the two rounded compartments are opaque. Something that I learned while making this prototype is that the center part of my design needs to be at less of an angle so that both of the compartments can be at the right angle (flat on the surface). This is something that I will work to modify either by changing that part of my cardboard model or by being more careful when cutting the final design

Breadboard of Amp Circuit

I didn't know what the potentiometer did before this but now I get that it basically controls the volume. Another thing I'm still confused about are the 4 inductors. According to Google, inductors hold energy using their magnetic fields as electric current runs through them.

Amp PCB Model/Design/Schematic

I worked with Amelia to design this and something that I learned was how to add the ground layer for a shape that's already a polygon (when there is no convert to polygon option)

Amp PCB Unsoldered Circuit Board

Shaped PCB (Completed!)

I worked with Elissa to design this PCB. Our idea was to make an avocado where the lights outlined the pit and I think we did that succesfully! I'm very happy that I got all the lights to turn on because I originally used the wrong resistors and had to completely restart so I'm proud of myself for getting it to work the second time around!

Amp PCB Final Soldered Circuit Board

Enclosure Progress

I think I'm on track to complete my project if everything works out. I have to make the design a little bit bigger and recut it out of walnut wood and also laser cut the acrylic part in the middle.

Amplifier Enclosure - FInal

I'm a little bit (very) disappointed because after SO MUCH time and work, it still doesn't function properly. My speaker works perfectly but the enclosure is slightly too small. To make it the correct size, I would have to re cut everything which I don't have the time or materials for.

The actual post:

My original goals were to

A) get the speaker PCB fully soldered and to

B) get the enclosure made properly in a way that I like

I completed the first one, not the second one :(

Reflection:

I made a fully functional speaker and all the individual components for a successful enclosure

With the work I made this semester, I'm really happy with my speaker. I honestly didn't think I'd be able get all of the electronics done correctly so when it played sound through a bluetooth connection to my computer, I was really proud of myself

If I could do this again, I would choose to make an enclosure with no curves, or to 3D print the curves instead of laser cutting because that took the most of my time (about 3 classes just spent on getting the wood to bend)

I think something I will still remember in 2 years is the effects of assuming I will be able to get something done later. I kept telling myself that I would be able to get more of the speaker done in the next class and then the end of the class would come and I still wouldn't have finished the enclosure.

I think time constraints were my biggest issue because I was rearely free to work outside of class which limited me and in class, the laser cutter wasn't always available. Additionally, there was a lot of guess and check work with my measurements, etc. but each time, it would take like 20 mins (usually trying to cut the MDF for the curves).

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