Week 4- Journal

Ideation

Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What inspired you? (Please include images or links to sources of inspiration)

This week we began to tackle the electronics aspect of digital fabrication, The assignment of this week was about making an electrical device using cardboard and other materials from home. I chose the coin eater project, because I found it cool and funny

Tool Chain

Which software/machines/materials did you use in the assignment? Why?

The tools I used in this projects are:

1- Avometer Cardboard box

2- female - male jumper wires for inserting the bulb in the breadboard and for connecting the motor wires with the coins base

3- male - male jumper wires for inserting the other parts on the breadboard

4- switch button

5- 2 LED bulbs

6- 1 geared DC motor

7- 1 DC Jack for terminal block converter

8- jumper wires

9- small breadboard

10- glue

11- metal rod for connecting the two arms of the device with the motor

12- Aluminum foil for making the coin base

12- cardboard

13- Resistor

14- Crocodile wires

15- scissor

Software I used:

1- Tinkercad

Design/Preparation Process

Explain the design and/or preparation process of your assignment. How did you use the tool or software to design and/or prepare your assignment before fabrication/implementation?

Firstly, I designed and tested the electric circuit on tinkercad as follow:

the LED bulbs

I connected the 2 LED bulbs in series connection (so that the 2 bulbs turn on/off at the same time). As each bulb needs maximum of 2 Volts power supply and 20mA current intensity, and I'm using a 9V supply, I added a resistor series to them to protect them from extra current intensity, and by using Ohm's law, I calculated the minimum suitable value of the resistance, so I used a 330 Ohms resistor, which is the most suitable available resistor in my kit.

The DC motor

I wired the 2 bulbs with the motor in parallel connection, so that every component get the complete voltage power of the adapter. I chose the 9V adapter to be the power source, because I have tried both the 5V and 9V adapters and found that the 9V gives better rotation power to the motor.

As the DC motor work on voltage from 5 to 9 volts, I didn't need to connect it with a resistor

The on/off switch

the switch function is to control the power supply for the whole device, so I connected it in series with the whole parallel connection part between the bulbs and the motor.

calculation of resistor value

record_000002.avi

Development/Implementation Process

Explain the development/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?

I faced some problems in finding a proper way to connect the arm with metal rod connected to the motor so it can be attached enough to rotate, so I used sticky gluing material to make this attachment and it worked. I connected the side arms with the coins base using T joint technique.

Regrading the breadboard, I connected all the components with it using jumper and crocodile wires, then I placed it in the lower half of the box so it doesn't put extra weight on the upper part and make it hard to open to eat the coins

I made holes in the upper half of the device for placing the 2 bulbs, the switch button, and the DC Jack. Regarding the motor, I mounted it in the lower half where it could perform its function.

T joints of the coins base

breadboard placing inside the device

breadboard implementation

circuit.mp4

trying the circuit before mounting it inside the device

Community of Learning

Did you ask for feedback? What are the ideas that others have contributed or suggested? What was someone else’s idea that you built upon? How did you help your peers? How did your peers help you?

I didn’t attend the offline sessions this week so; I didn’t have access to ask for help because I had problems in the mechanical aspect of the arms that needs face to face help

Overcoming Challenges

When you got stuck, what/who did you turn to? At what point did you have to pause to research or learn more before moving on? What are some mistakes, pitfalls, or challenges that others can avoid if they were doing this assignment?

I got stuck -and still- in rotating the upper part of the box with the arms, I used different materials to attach them and tried to remove some weight from the upper part cardboard, but the motor doesn't seems to be able to rotate all of them. It moves fine with my hand but it doesn't do so when I run the motor.

So, the device work but the upper part doesn't opened D: but I still work on this problem to find a solution

WhatsApp Video 2021-08-16 at 15.21.40.mp4

WhatsApp Video 2021-08-16 at 15.22.27.mp4

Final Project

How can you use the skills and knowledge that you've acquired this week in your final project?

This week was a crucial week in making me imagine the DIY process, and how the way you connect different parts and the materials you use make a dramatic changes in the device performance, which will be of a big handy in implementing the final project

WOW!

What is the coolest thing that you've learned this week? What is something that you will never forget from this week?

I liked the H bridge circuit because I found it cool to direct your motor in different directions!

Weekly Digest [OPTIONAL]

Tell us about any other cool things that you've made this week: in the Hands-on activity, tutorial examples, exercises, or any other cool mini-project that you tried out aside from the assignment.

Title of Media

Assignment Design Files

File Name [FORMAT]

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