Week 05 - 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)

On these hot days, we all need an extra breath or an immediate source of fresh air. From there came the idea of a portable desk fan. Fortunately, this idea would let me to use the DC motor that I will use in the final project.

Tool Chain

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

1- I searched on google.

2- simulated using Tinker CAD.

3- Used the electric components from the electronics kit.

4- modelled the model using cardboard and mounted the components into it.

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?

After searching for inspiration, I started to model the circuit using tinker CAD.

1- I searched for the dc motor, LED, power supply, regulator to 5V, current resistor, push button and a breadboard.

2- I chose the 9V power supply as it is suitable for the DC motor.

3- I started simulating the circuit on tinker CAD firstly without a breadboard. Then with a breadboard.

4- I made sure that the circuit was in parallel not in series.

TinkerCAD Link

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?

After finishing the tinker CAD simulation, I went directly to the real implementation.

1- I used the small breadboard and attached to it the led light with the voltage regulator and current resistor, and on the other side I plugged in the power source, and then the DC motor to be in parallel connection. then I connected the on/off switch.

The led lights require 2V power source but the motor needs high current and correspondly higher voltage for efficient usage. But we have no adaptor with 5V. Therefore, The led light needs a 5V power source accompanied by resistor to reduce the current and the motor needs a 9V power source to work efficiently with the required high current.
Therefore, I used the 9V adaptor to feed the motor and used the regulator to minimize the 9V into 5V to power the led without burning it.
I chose to wire the led and the motor in series in order to feed each component the required current to work efficiently. As the series connection divides the current into the components while the parallel connection gives each component its required current.
while connecting the switch on series to control the two components with each others.

Electric Components Video Link

Then, I started the card boarding

1- I began with the cylinder

2- then the fan blades

3- Then I started adjusting the component's places.

4- I fixed the components.

5- then started to test the device until it worked.

Full-Device Video

Overcoming Challenges

What kinds of challenges or problems did you face while doing the assignment, tutorials, or exercises? How did you solve them? Did you ask for help from an instructor or peer? Please provide a link to the tutorial or article that you used to solve your problem (if any)

The assignment challenges:

1- The switch in TinkerCAD and the real circuit was challenging either. Firstly the led and the motor were working for seconds then stops and repeated that process. I followed the wiring and found that the switch connected with the power supply and the led which made the led connected to 9V and 5V at the same time. until finally, I did the wiring correctly by connecting the switch directly to the positive of the power supply and then connecting with the circuit as the positive anode.

2- the heat of the voltage regulator, I didn't know that it become that hot until it burned my finger :D. Then I asked on the slack channel and became pretty sure that it become very hot that could melt the wires !!! :D.

Final Project

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

Title of Media

WOW!

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