Week 5- Journal

Wires everywhere !

This week is the most impressive week for me because I was waiting those moments to design circuits and use electric components as a hands on activity.

The assignment:

This week we should design an electric circuit with 2 different actions on the breadboard and then to mount the whole circuits inside an enclosure (cardboard) or any other materials to achieve a low fidelity prototype.

Inspiration: 

I searched on Youtube and  found different forms and shapes however, I was fascinated with the action and flying over all so I decided to design a Helicopter with cardboard and then I mounted the small breadboard with all other jumpers and crocodiles inside its cabinet. 

Software tool:

tinker cad online tool is pretty useful for designing the circuits where I can test the results easily, to avoid any mistakes before the actual test on the breadboard.

Hardware tools are 2 types

a-Cardboard fabriaction tool:

1. Scissors for cutting and making curvatures on the surface of the cardboard.

2. Cutter has the same function of the scissors but with more accuracy and more sharper blade to follow the lines or sketches that are drawn on the cardboard. 

3. Glue gun has been used to fix the edges and sides of cardboard together.

4. Sticky tab to secure some (male-female) jumpers to avoid unscrewing the jumpers after finishing the model.

5. Wooden sticks used as a blade for the helicopter fan.

b- Electronic tools

1. Mini bread board to fix all electric components on it.

2. Jumpers (male-male).

3. Crocodile wires.

4. one greed LED and one red LED.

5. Two resistors each one with 220 Ohm.

6. Wall adaptor with 5 volts.

7. Socket power where the adaptor is connected.

8. On/Off switch

Electronic components and their powering source

I used 5 volt wall adaptor to be suited for the components as the following 

•  DC motor needs 5 V

• LED needs less than 5 volt so I used resistor 220 Ohm

Software design:

• • login to tinker cad software.

  • Insert a bred board, power supply with 5 v, 2 LEDs one green and the other is red and 2 resistors each one with 220 Ohm as I could adjust the value of resistors  by clicking on it, selecting the Ohm as 220.

  • selecting the wires as the +ve one is REd and the -ve one is BLACK

  •  According to the circuit connections we have 2 types series and parallel connections.

  • The best way to connect components is parallel one because each component receives its own current (Ampers) and its own voltages while in the series connection the voltages and current distributed on the different components that causes that each component receives less than the required current and voltages.

  • Each LED needs less than 5 volts which is provided by the power supply so I reduced this volt by using resistors (220).

  • steps on tinker cad

1. the +ve wire is extended from the power supply to the +ve line on the bred board and -ve wire to the -ve of the board.

2. DC motor is connected to the board -ve to -ve and +ve to +ve.

3. The +ve wire from the Power supply is connected to the +ve of the RED LED and the ground of the LED is connected to 220 resistor.

4. The other side of the resistor is connected to the ground of the power supply.

5. The same sequence is done for the Green LED.

6. press on start stimulation to check the wires and the proper connections.

Hardware design

Procedures of 1st step

1. I started to simulate the tinker Cad steps on the actual components by inserting the socket of power (rosette) on the mini bred board on for +ve and the other for the ground (-ve).

2. Testing the motor by connecting it on the board.

3. Testing the LED by connecting +ve terminal of the LED to the +ve line came from the Power and the -ve one is connected to 220 resistor.

4. (Male-Male) jumper is connected from the +ve terminal of the RED LED to the pin came from the source of power.

5. Repeating the previous step on the Green LEd.

6.  I fixed wooden stick on the motor shaft to act as helicopter's fan.

7. The On/Off switch is connected on series by using the crocodile wires where is the +ve terminal pin came from the power is connected to the Switch and the ground one is replaced to the +ve one.

8. The main idea of on/off switch connection is input +ve ---> switch--->loads --->-ve.

Hardware design

Procedures of 2nd step3

1.  I prepared the card board by sketching the outlines of the helicopter then I traced these outlines by the cutter.

2. I started with the 2 identical sides of the helicopter.

3. By using the glue gun I fixed the 2 posterior fin tail.

4. Sketching the base where the board and other components should be connected.

5. cutting the proper places for 2 LEDs and one On/Off switch.

6. Designing the upper part of the helicopter where the fan is fixed.

software challenge

•  I confused during connecting the LEDs on the bred board as I connected them without 220 resistor.

Hardware challenge

• During mounting LEDs process the jumpers are disconnected because of the hardness of the card board so, I have to use the sticky tap to secure them in the helicopter's sides.

• I needed to use an external card board to act as helicopter fan but I was not good enough. I decided to replace it with small sticky wood.

• I made a small whole in the sticky wood then I covered the motor's axis with small piece of tap to increase friction between the wooden stick and the axis during the rotation mode.