Frank Ouyang
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Introduction
I have been doing art (drawing and painting) for over a decade, so the skills that I've garnered will definitely help me in creating and drawing up designs.
I took an HTML/CSS/JS course during this past summer (2025), so I have a slightly greater understanding of code and engineering than I did previously. However, theres still so much more to learn about the wider range of fields that engineering encompasses, and I'm really excited to do just that!
Here are 3 things I want to commit to in project documentation:
Clear, nicely lit images
Detailed but concise descriptions of what I did, so I can always refer back
Clean flow between objects on this page for easy information retrieval
PCB Designs
Saxophone Cactus Ice cream Peacock House Shrimp
We picked this one!
The left is a picture of our designs. Ryth and I landed on the shrimp because it is unique but also simple enough to design! The right is a picture of where we'll add the lights.
FINAL: Ryth and I made a PCB in the shape of a shrimp. The first LED is the eye of the shrimp. The silkscreen lines along the shrimp divide the shrimp into sections. The rest of the LEDs fill up those sections.
Something that I will remember in PCB design is to make sure that the battery is connected correctly to the + and - of other elements on the board.
COMPLETED Shaped PCB:
Original Idea: mantis shrimp
Worked with: Ryth
Happy with the product? Yes!
Speaker Designs
My 2 favorite designs are (sketch 1) the stove and (sketch 5) the cuckoo clock.
STICKY NOTE FEEDBACK: I have decided to do the cuckoo clock idea. Summary of responses:
Keep the dangling things by allowing the clock to hang or be stood on stilts
Make the dangling things whimsical shapes
Final Speaker Design (Cuckoo Clock)
I believe this is an excellent design to model and build because it doesn't involve any organic shapes (which are hard for me to design), but is also unique enough, with flourishes, a clock, 2 ducks, and dangly things. As of current, it seems both fun to create and to look at. And last but not least, I need a clock in my room :)
This is going to be a challenging project because I will need to design around objects that have fixed dimensions. Also, this project will involve 3D modeling (which is relatively new for me) and learning how to connect the speakers to the power and volume and bluetooth.
98% finished model of...
5 walnut wood panels to laser-cut & press-fit
2 pieces of sheet metal to laser-cut & fold
2 pieces of maroon acrylic to laser-cut & glue onto metal (for this, make scratches in the metal so the glue can have something to hold on to)
Next steps: finish cardboard prototype, check if electronics (clock, speaker, battery, wires, light) can fit inside
Cardboard Prototype
What is your idea?
Cuckoo Clock w/ speakers on the sides and a bird in the nesting area with a sensitive ring-light above
What did you learn from your prototype?
Everything works! (press-fit shapes fit correctly, sizing is all correct)
Does your design need modifications?
Nope!
Breadboarded Amp Circuit
Is there something about the circuit you understand now that you've spent time prototyping it?
The sound energy comes from the audio jack. The electricity from the audio jack passes through some resistors into the microcontroller, which connects it to the volume knob (potentiometer) and the speaker.
I also now understand the importance of using the right resistor strength to make sure the electricity is flowing through the circuit at the right capacity. My prototype only worked when I used 20k resistors instead of 1k :)
Name one part that is a complete mystery to you. Look it up on Google or Generative AI. What does it say the function of that part is?
Ferrite beads act like a resistor. They suppress high-frequency noise, filtering it out, and release the energy as heat.
Amplifier PCB + Schematic
Designed with Gwen
Something you learned about the circuit during this process.
The original breadboarding I did made more sense after I arranged the schematic, because I got to see how the energy flows from one point to another.
Unsoldered PCB
Enclosure Build Process
I have finished most steps in my build process:
Wood
Metal
Acrylic
Electronics
The only things that I have left to do are find a way to join the back wall to the rest of the enclosure, and make (3D print or make with clay) a little bird to put in the spot above the clock.
Soldered Amplifier Circuit
(I wasn't able to get a picture of the soldered amplifier circuit before I assembled the electronics inside the box. Taking it out again would risk damaging the enclosure.)
Final Amplifier
Description of the goals for your amplifier
Working clock, working speakers, working lights, and duck
What did you make?
A cuckoo clock (but the bird doesn't cuckoo every hour) — The box was made of MDF wood, the clock was purchased on Amazon, the detachable roof was made of metal and acrylic, and the duck was 3D-printed and hand-painted. The speakers are on the 2 sides of the amplifier.
Thinking about the work you created, what are you most satisfied with this semester?
I am most satisfied with the soldering and assembling of the amplifier circuit. It took me a long time, and I had some struggle with improving the sound quality. But at the end, it all came together, and it works perfectly!
I'm also happy that I remember a lot of the skills I learned from D&T last year, like cold-fabrication of metal, polishing metal, soldering, and laser-cutting.
If you were to start over, knowing what you know, what would you do differently?
I would have increased the length of my enclosure by 1-1.5cm just to make it easier for me to insert all the electronics. I had a really hard time, and had to resort to disassembling the battery and cramming everything inside. I would have also spent more time figuring out how to hold the wooden panels together, and especially how to make the back detachable.
What did you learn this semester that will likely still be with you 2 years from now?
I will remember the basics of a circuit. Before, I had no clue about what went on in a circuit, but now, I feel like I have a stronger understanding.
If you didn’t finish, what held you back?
Finished!
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