Princess Gallo

Hello Post

A design/engineering strength is my ability to brainstorm and generate many ideas. In group settings, I'm good at bringing everyone's ideas together into one strong product.

A design/engineering area for growth is my ability to read and write code. It's something I'm excited to expand my knowledge in!

I want to commit to...

Writing concise, descriptive descriptions that are easy to follow.
Taking clear, detailed photos to easily track the process from ideation to the final product.
Being open about when I struggled and how I overcame challenges in my write-ups.

PCB Project

PCB Ideation Drawings 1/28

Prin's Designs

Ilana's Designs

Ilana and I wanted our PCB to have two parts (ex., whale + water coming out of the blowhole). We were also interested in creating something natural or inspired by natural phenomena. I was inspired by animals, so all my designs are of different species of animals, and Ilana was inspired by a variety of things, from chemistry to technology. In the end, we both fell in love with at least one of our ideas: my whale and her cloud + lightning bolt. It was tough to decide, so we flipped a coin, and the cloud + lightning bolt design won!

Final Schematic and Circuit Board 2/4

Illana and I's final design was a cloud with a lightning bolt PCB. We chose a yellow circuit board, which worked well for the lightning bolt, but for the cloud, we decided to add a white silkscreen to give it more contrast. We incorporated 12 LEDs in total, splitting them between the two parts: 6 LEDs for the cloud and 6 for the lightning bolt.

We also added small details like a switch to activate the white LEDs, and when the switch is on, you can press a button to make the yellow LEDs flash like lightning.

One of the moments I’ll remember most from working with Illana was when we spent almost an entire class trying to convert and import a BMP file into Fusion. Additionally, placing all the LEDs and resistors on the board was challenging, especially with all the paths, as we had to make sure they didn’t intersect since overlapping paths could cause short circuits.

10-Speaker Design Ideation 2/6

Post-It Feedback 2/10

Folks really seemed to like the rock design and how natural it was but seemed concerned on how I would get all the materials inside + how I would make them look like "actual rocks." For my retro design people really seemed to like the clock inside and it seemes like the most resonable one to make. Although people pointed out the shape was "easier" to make they would want me to focus on the details to make it not look simple and to challenge myself. I'm really going for the second design just because of time but I also know I can push myself with small details!

Phase 2 Design Drawing 2/12

I believe this design is perfect to meet my goals because I will get familiar with tools I've never used before like the 3D printer. I am doing stacked rocks but this is a variation from my first draft. This design is sharp. I sometimes have the bad habit of taking the easy way out but I do not want to do this and I am pushing myself to really pay attention to detail and become comfortable with challenging myself. The lines in the rocks are like cracks in rocks I want to make my product look as realistic as possible which will be hard but I can do it!

Rhino Model 80% 3/3

I completed my rhino design and am ready to move on to my 3D model. I am planning on 3D printing the shape and for the front and back I will laser cut wood!

To-Do: I need to add additional cutouts in the back for volume nobs!

Stacked Rocks Speaker Cardboard Prototype 3/7

My idea for my speaker design involves stacked rocks. This is a variation of my first draft because I realized I wanted something sharper rather than round. While creating my prototype, I learned how important it is to pay attention to detail. There are a lot of sharp turns, and the entire length has varying measurements. I also learned to have more patience when assembling my prototype and the importance of asking for help if you're unsure how to complete a task. My design still needs some modifications. I need to increase the space between the back and front to ensure that all the parts inside the speaker fit properly.

Breadboard Amp Circuit 3/17

One important lesson I learned and understand better by assembling all the parts and observing others troubleshoot was correctly connecting wires and other items to ensure a clean sound. Especially when working with polarized components, it’s important to make sure their placement is correct. If not, parts of the board could burn out faster or may not work at all.
The thing I found confusing was the bias capacitor in the circuit. I didn't know why it was necessary. After researching I found that they "help stabilize the operating point (or "bias") of the amplifier's active components, ensuring proper signal amplification and reducing distortion." This basically ensures that the amplifier maintains quality sound. It also helps filter out any variations in the signal that might affect the performance of the amplifier.

Amp PCB Design + Schematic 4/7

For the amp PCB portion of our speaker project, I worked with Nikaash and George. Through this process, I learned that the layout of the PCB significantly impacts the amplifier's performance, as Mr. Kleindolph emphasized throughout.

Amplifier (Unsoldered) Circuit Board 4/24

First Shaped PCB (soldered/completed) 5/6

For my first shaped PCB, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Illana. We drafted six ideas (three each) and decided to create a lightning bolt. The way it works is that the clouds (white LEDs) light up when a switch is flipped, and the lightning bolt lights (yellow LEDs) up when a button is pressed. Trust me, it looks amazing in real time! I'm really happy with the idea, and the design process was smooth because I had a supportive teammate.

Amp Circuit (soldered/completed) 5/15

Enclosure build process 5/19

I'd say I'm about one-third done with my build. I'm not feeling too confident about it right now.
I've 3D printed my enclosure and finished the amplifier circuit. All that's left is to laser cut the remaining parts, make sure everything fits (and reprint the base if needed), and spray paint.

Final Amplifier Documentation 6/2

Goals for my amplifier: The goal for my amplifier was to create a functional and visually interesting speaker that reflected the idea of stacked rocks. I wanted it to not only work well but also have a unique design.

Reflection: This semester I made something based on "stacked rocks" or a version of that theme. I'm most satisfied with just finishing the project. At the beginning, it felt pretty daunting; there's so much to do and so much you don’t know, like if you’ll fail the first time. But through all that work, what I created made me feel accomplished, and I’m glad I got to build my speaker. However, if I could start over, I would rearrange the order in which I built my speaker. For example, I wish I had started by building the enclosure so I could reprint it if needed. Additionally, I’d keep the same design but build it differently. Maybe so the rocks could move or face different directions like layers, with more distinction between the rocks. Besides all of that, one thing I learned that will stick with me is that it’s always okay to ask for help. It made things easier than staying stuck, and I learned a lot that way. That’s not to say being stuck is bad, it can actually be valuable. But there’s a difference between learning through the struggle and having the courage to admit you don’t know something. The small things I didn’t finish was engraving some rock marks into the wood, and putting off/on button on the outside.

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