Emi Chan

A design/engineering strength that I think I have is being creative and coming up with a design that is both aesthetically pleasing while also functional. An area for growth would be time management, especially since the past two projects I've done in the shops pit have felt rushed towards the end, since I didn't leave myself enough time.

Some things I want to commit to in the documentation of my learning and projects would be keeping up with the documentation in general, and making sure to upload progress photos day of/somewhat relatively close to when I took the photos. Additionally, I want to commit to taking good photos for the viewer to see clearly and understand what I am showing. Finally, I want to be descriptive when captioning my photos.

9/3/25

We chose the flower (very left image) because we liked the way it looked and thought it was simple yet challenging enough. We thought the different LED colors would blend nicely with the different petals, and the overall structure of the flower would look nice and aesthetically pleasing.

9/8/25

Aiden and I created a flower design using six LEDs. Something I will remember about printed circuit board designs is that nothing can touch the battery (white circle in the middle of our design!), or else it won't function properly/work at all.

9/10/25

Design options.

My top 2 favorites are the pokemon ball because my sister really likes pokemon and she would love to have one in a speaker format. The other option I really like is the salt and pepper shaker because I think it could be really cute.

9/14/25

There were mixed opinions on what I should create, but I think I will do the pokemon ball but with a design so it's not fully copyrighted!

9/17/25

Why do you believe this is an excellent design to design and build?

I think it's an excellent design to design and build because it is both meaningful and challenging at the same time. There are a lot of different componenets to it, but I think if I see it through it will turn out really great!

How are you challenging your current skill set?

I am going to be using a variety of materials/machines, and will also be putting my rhino skills to the test.

9/29/25 Project Update- 3D model 80% done

At this point, I have pretty much the base for my design. All of the measurements are finalized and I am just finishing some final things before I am ready to start creating this irl.

10/12/25

My idea is to create a speaker for my sister, who is named Kiyo. She loves to listen to music, so I think this will be a great gift to give her, probably for Christmas. From this prototype I learned that I have to make sure my measurements are super accurate and that it takes a lot of time, even if it looks super simple. My design does not need modifications; it turned out pretty good and I think it'll work.

10/27/25

Finished Amp Circuit on Breadboard!

- Is there something about the circuit you understand now that you've spent time prototyping it?

I understand better how intricate and important it is that the breadboard is set up properly so that every piece works. Ultimately, which I know now is that if even one small mistake is present the entire breadboard won't function correctly.

- 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?

I learned that an isolated DC 12 to 5V converter steps down 12 volts of direct current to 5 volts while providing galvanic isolation, which means there is no direct electrical connection between the input and output circuits. (Google!)

11/5/25 Amp PCB design and schematic

I worked with Nolan and something I learned about the circuit during this process is that it is very detailed and if you even miss one connection it can throw off the entire design.

11/18/25

Unsoldered Circuit Board

12/2/25 First Shaped PBC Project

Our original idea was to create a flower. I worked with Aiden and I am happy with how it turned out because I think the placement of the LED lights worked nicely with the shape of the design.

12/9/25 Enclosure build process

I have printed about half of the things I need to 3D print. My amp main circuit is complete. I just have to finish printing and assembling my structure and then make my digital project.

Soldered amplifier circuit 12/13/25

12/15/25 Final amplifier documentation

The goal for my amplifier is to be a portable speaker for my sister. Everything is enclosed and there is a portal at the bottom of the 'Y' to take in and out the battery. It is also Bluetooth so she will be able to connect it to her device easily.

What did you make? - turn on for 5 sec

I made a speaker for my sister.

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

I really like how the 3D print turned out. I think the blue is really pretty and has a cool reflection affect.

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

I would make sure all my measurments work 100% before I start to print stuff out since I had a few close calls, but it did turn out great!

What did you learn this semester that will likely still be with you 2 years from now?

I think I will remember how to 3d print, given that it was actually way easier than I anticipated.

If you didn’t finish, what held you back?

I finished!

Page updated

Report abuse