This is my make-through for the week's assignment.
Grab a cup of coffee! Buckle up your seat belt! Enjoy the upcoming greatness!
You can expect to see some cool stuff for Qubic enclosure and a two way examples for UART and SPI communications.
All Week long
I created a smart personal lighting sign, quiet a long tagline hehehe.
Why is it personal?
As you can see the top part with "DO MORE." quote engraved is removable. You can simply replace it with another sign depending on your mood.
Why is it smart lighting?
Within this masterpiece there is a high tech functioning components that make this sign lights up with multiple colors, different modes and brightness levels. You can control all of this just by your smart phone.
P.S: I can confidently say I am in a better level of CAD as of thinking, technical and using tools. Thanks to you folks.
Step1: Consider that this one is a prototype to learn and adjust for the final enclosure. Also consider the available materials in hand for now, like laser cutting, 6mm & 3mm wood and acrylic.
Step2: There are 6 layers in this enclosure.
1) 3mm acrylic sign.
2) 9mm wood sign holder. (Glued 6mm + 3mm)
3) 12mm wood works as led strap holder. (Glued 6mm + 6mm)
4) 15mm hollow wood works as electronics enclosure. (Glued 2x6mm + 3mm)
5) 3mm wood works as corner legs.
6) layer of leather covering each corner leg so that it doesn't scratch any surface.
Step3: Thinking of fabricating. I know we only have 6mm, 3mm in wood and acrylic. So I thought of combining the above layers by using glue and then make a great finish (or at least thought of a great finish hehehe, you will see why later!).
Qubic
Planning CAD
Step1: Going down to the lab, talking with Amany who is really helpful just like the last time. I explained the design to her and asked some questions about engraving and the kurf for the acrylic sign as it should be easy it put it in and pull it out.
Step2: Started working with laser cutter machine and the acrylic sign. I tested a small square with a letter engraved in to make sure the speed and power are working fine. I cut my sign and can't complain about it at all.
Step3: I measured the acrylic sign thickness which came out as 2.9mm then I adjust the sign holder hole and took the kurf into account.
Step4: I adjusted my design accordingly and changed the sign holder hole to 2.8mm (thanks to user parameters, so I don't have to find my sketch and edit within) adding a 0.2mm kurf that will make the sign fit perfectly.
Step5: Started working with 3mm wood and tested the sign holder hole 2.8mm with a small rectangle to see if it fits with the sign, and it fits perfectly.
Step6: I went on and cut my design.
Editing parameters & acrylic engraving
Step1: Working with the 6mm wood was a bit challenging. I didn't test the speed and power, so it didn't cut my design.
Step2: Also I had a 3mm engraving part that it didn't make it.
Engraving 6mm wood
Problem: Didn't cut the design.
Potential solution: Test the speed and power for the machine before starting.
Step1: I asked Omar for the right parameters and went cutting and engraving again.
Step2: This caused more burning marks on the wood. I had to deal later with this later while finishing.
Step3: So far all the parts are ready, all I need to start doing is combining the right parts to create the layers I mentioned earlier.
All parts are ready
Step1: Now I will start to glue pieces together so I get the layers I explained above.
Step2: Every row in the picture will be assembled.
Step3: It was really fun creating this paying attention to the process and making sure the parts are aligned.
Step4: There was no wood clippers in the lab so Amany gave me paper clippers and they did the job of holding the pieces together.
Step5: I gave it a wood oil finish after I done with sanding to give it a little yellowish appearance.
Assembly process
Step1: 2hrs was the time I spent trying to solder the wires in the led strap. It's really hard to solder these stuff it's very small, too much handling I have to do.
Step2: Ibrahim Rafaat tried to help and solder by himself but still, he got two wires to solder together.
Step3: Also under these black tapes the wires are soldered.
Soldering, soldering, soldering, ...
Problem: Wires kept popping from its place
Potential solution: I would say I need more training on the soldering, but the optimum solution is getting more convenient way to connect wires. We already have more important things to take care of.
Step1: Luckily, Ahmed Ibrahim came and found me binding my back trying to get somewhere with this process. He helped me by explaining more on the soldering process like I need to hold the iron for 2s on the pad, add some tin then add the wire, using soldering cream, ...
Step2: I kept trying and he tried himself and after we finished while getting the led strap into the enclosure a wire got out.
Step3: I pulled it up and soldered it and while getting in it back another one popped out ( I left there) and will work with red and green colors only.
Step4: Also he took some cool photos for me with his cinematic camera (hope I get these one day).
Testing controlling the led with Arduino
It looks or should I say SHE looks very cool, smart, personalized.
Ready to go
My mood to go through another week of AMD
Down here will go the electronics
Step1: I used ATmega328 board as Master and Arduino as Slave. I will use the push button on the master to change the color for Qubic which is wired to the Arduino.
Step2: Using UART communication to achieve the target. The RX & TX pins on the master are connected to the TX & RX pins on the slave and the two GND connected together as well.
Step3: I used the Software Serial library to create the RX & TX pins for the ATmega328 board.
Step4: I used USBasp to program the ATmega328 board.
Step5: When I push the button on the master it sends a character "a" to the slave.
Step6: The slave is checking for any serial received data and if it finds any it saves it.
Step7: When connected to power, Qubic will lights up with white then turn to red then purplish. When I push the push button on the master it will turn the light to greenish. When I don't push the button the color stays purplish.
Circuit
Step1: I used ATmega328 board as Master and Arduino as Slave. I will use the push button on the master to change the color for Qubic which is wired to the Arduino. Also will use Arduino to switch the LED on ATmega328 ON/OFF. So ATmega328 will send to Arduino and receive from the Arduino to control the LED.
Step2: Using SPI communication to achieve the target. The (MOSI, MISO, SCK, SS) pins on the master are connected to the (MOSI, MISO, SCK, SS) pins on the slave, the two GND connected together and every board has it's own 5v input as well.
Step3: I used SPI.h library to use the SPI communication functions, for both the master and the slave.
Step4: When I push the button on the master it will transfers character "a" to the slave, the later one will switch Qubic's color to greenish and will reply back with character "x" to the master. When the master gets the reply from the slave it will turn off the led.
Step5: When I don't push the button on the master it will transfers character "b" to the slave, the later one will switch Qubic's color to purplish and will reply back with character "y" to the master. When the master gets the reply from the slave it will turn on the led.
Step3: I used USBasp to program the ATmega328 board.
Step4: When connected to power, Qubic will lights up with red then turn to purplish and the LED at the ATmega328 will light up. When I push the push button on the master it will turn the light on Qubic to greenish and will switch the LED OFF . When you don't push the button the color stays purplish and the LED stays ON.
Circuit
What I learned this week is...
More practice in CAD
More practice in fabrication
Learnt communications protocols and the differences. Which protocol fits in which circuit.