Final Project Journal

Purpose of the Project

The purpose of my project is to create an interactive system that enhances children’s behavior by encouraging them to perform good deeds. This project promotes positive reinforcement and teaches patience, responsibility and the value of good actions in a fun, engaging and tangible way.

Problem It Solves

In today’s world, many children are exposed to passive entertainment, such as video games and social media, which can sometimes lead to a lack of engagement in real-world activities or meaningful behaviors.

My project addresses this by providing an interactive tool that:
✅ Motivates children to take positive actions
✅ Rewards their efforts in a visual & interactive way
✅ Teaches patience through a gradual, step-by-step progression

It also introduces the growth metaphor—where a seed is planted, nurtured, and eventually blooms into a flower—helping children understand that growth and rewards take time, effort, and consistency, just like in real life.

Why Do I Care About This?

I care deeply about the impact of values-based learning in a child’s development. As someone passionate about both education and ethical growth, I believe that instilling good habits early in life shapes children into responsible, ethical adults.

Through this project, I can encourage children to connect their actions with real, visible outcomes, creating a sense of accomplishment and self-discipline. This aligns with my core values of empowering children through education, fostering positive behavior, and making learning enjoyable.

Inspiration

Growth in Nature & Personal Development
I was inspired by the idea of growth, both in nature and personal development. Just as a seed transforms into a flower with care and time, good habits and ethical behavior blossom when nurtured consistently.

Effort-Based Rewards
Unlike traditional learning approaches that focus only on the end result, my project rewards children for each step of their progress, making the journey of learning and growing more meaningful and engaging.

How It Works

The project operates through an interactive system where:
A child inserts a wooden coin, and each entry activates a new growth stage of the plant:

• Seed 🌱 → Roots 🌿 → Stem 🌾 → Leaves 🍃 → Flower 🌻
  🔹 With each stage, the system:
  ✅ Lights up the corresponding plant part
  ✅ Plays a tune via a buzzer
  ✅ Displays a motivational message on an LCD screen
  After reaching the final flower stage, the child can press a reset button to start over, reinforcing the cycle of effort and reward.

For my project, I used Fusion 360 to design all components, ensuring precise dimensions and proper alignment. The process began with a quick sketch to estimate the required dimensions before moving on to detailed modeling.

Software & Tools Used:

• Fusion 360 – For 3D modeling and CAD design.

• Adobe Illustrator – To create and edit text engravings.

• Online PNG to SVG Converter – To convert images for engraving.

• GrabCAD – To import 3D models of electronic components.

Materials Considered:

• Acrylic sheets – For the front panel and decorative elements.

• PlyWood – For structural components.

• Electronic Components – Including NeoPixels LEDS & NeoPixel Stick an LCD, push buttons, an Arduino Uno, Breadboard .

These are the components included in the design on Fusion.

Design Breakdown

1. Front Panel (300x300 mm)

• Created a slot for the LCD by referring to its datasheet for accurate dimensions.

• Designed a coin entry slot (50x5 mm) for inserting coins.

• Included a drawer slot (80x30 mm) to collect the coins.

• Added two tabs (30x3 mm) on each side for secure assembly.

• Incorporated an engraving of a flower's growth stages by:

  • Generating the image using ChatGPT.

  • Converting it from PNG to SVG.

  • Inserting it into Fusion 360 and applying an extrusion cut.

• Engraved an inspiring hadith:
  "إذا قامت الساعة وفي يد أحدكم فسيلة فليغرسها"
  ("If the Day of Judgment comes and you have a seedling in your hand, plant it—even if you are dying.")

  • Designed the text in Illustrator, saved it as an SVG, and inserted it into Fusion 360 for engraving.

2. Back Panel (300x300 mm)

• Mirrored the dimensions and tabs from the front panel but kept it plain (no cutouts).

3. Partition Panel (300x150 mm, 30 mm from the front panel)

• Designed to hold NeoPixel LEDs and a NeoPixel stick.

• Imported the NeoPixel model from GrabCAD.

• Used projection tools to align LED slots and then applied an extrude cut for precise placement.

• The NeoPixels will illuminate the engraved flower once an acrylic piece is placed inside.

4. Side Panel 1 (300x150 mm)

• Added slots for:

  • Tabs (to fit into adjacent panels).

  • Push button for user interaction.

  • Arduino adapter slot and a cable slot for connectivity.

5. Side Panel 2 (300x150 mm)

• Similar to Side Panel 1, but without slots.

6. Top Panel

• Created using projections of the tab slots for accurate alignment.

7. Base Panel

• Included projections for tab slots.

• Added extrude cuts for the Arduino Uno screw slots to ensure secure mounting.

After finalizing the design in Fusion 360, I proceeded with the fabrication process using a Malky laser cutting machine connected through LaserCAD.

Software & Tools Used:

• Fusion 360 – To design and export panels in DXF format.

• LaserCAD – To set cutting and engraving parameters and control the laser cutter.

• Malky Laser Cutting Machine – To fabricate the project.

Materials Used:

• 3mm Plywood Sheets (×3) – For the main structure.

• 3mm Acrylic Sheet – For the engraved flower design.

Steps in the Fabrication Process

1. Exporting Design Files

• Used DXF extension in Fusion 360 to export each panel separately.

2. Importing into LaserCAD

• Imported the DXF files into LaserCAD for processing.

• Applied different cutting, scanning, and engraving settings using color-coded lines:

  • Black (Cutting):

    • Speed: 13 mm/s

    • Max Power: 65%

  • Blue (Cut/Scan for details):

    • Speed: 200 mm/s

    • Max Power: 20%

  • Red (Engraving for the hadith and flower design):

    • Speed: 200 mm/s

    • Max Power: 35%

3. Preparing Special Engravings

• The flower engraving was originally a PNG image, so I converted it to DXF before importing it into LaserCAD.

• The hadith text was already in DXF format, making it easy to import and engrave.

4. Cutting & Engraving with the Malky Laser Cutter

• Connected the Malky laser cutter to LaserCAD and adjusted the focus.

• Laser-cut all plywood and acrylic panels according to the predefined settings.

• Ensured precision in engraving the hadith and flower design.

Initially, I powered my project using the Arduino USB cable connected to my laptop. This allowed me to test the circuit and ensure all components were functioning correctly during development. However, since the project is designed to operate independently, I needed a more practical and stable power source.

To achieve this, I switched to a 5V adapter, which provides a consistent power supply to the Arduino Uno and all connected components. This adapter was chosen based on the voltage and current requirements of the system, ensuring it could reliably power the IR sensor, LCD screen, Neopixel LEDs, buzzer, and push button without voltage drops or instability.

By using an adapter, the project becomes portable and doesn’t rely on a laptop for power, making it more practical for real-world use. The selection was made by considering the power needs of each component and ensuring the adapter provided sufficient output without overloading the circuit.

The project is programmed using Arduino IDE, and the code controls various components, including the IR sensor, buzzer, LCD screen, Neopixel LEDs, and a push button. The system is designed to detect inserted coins, provide feedback through sound and visual displays, and reset when needed.

1. Initialization (setup())

• The IR sensor is set as an input to detect coins.

• The buzzer is configured as an output to produce sound.

• The push button is set as an input with an internal pull-up resistor.

• The Neopixel LEDs and stick LEDs are initialized for lighting effects.

• The LCD display is initialized and starts with the message "Insert Coin!".

2. Coin Detection and Response (loop())

• The IR sensor continuously checks for an inserted coin.

• When a coin is detected:

  • A short buzzer sound is played.

  • The LCD screen updates with the corresponding "Good Deed X" message.

  • The Neopixel LEDs progressively light up different parts of the acrylic flower (seed, roots, stem, leaves, flower).

• A delay is included to prevent multiple detections from a single coin.

3. Buzzer Sound (playBuzzer())

• The buzzer produces a short tone when a coin is detected.

• The tone stops after 200 milliseconds to avoid continuous noise.

4. LCD Display Updates (updateDisplay())

• The LCD screen updates based on the number of inserted coins:

  • 1st coin: "Good Deed 1"

  • 2nd coin: "Good Deed 2"

  • 3rd coin: "Good Deed 3"

  • 4th coin: "Good Deed 4"

  • 5th coin: "Bravooo!"

5. Neopixel LED Lighting (updateNeoPixels())

• The Neopixel LEDs light up different parts of the acrylic flower as coins are inserted:

  • 1st coin: Lights up the seed (brown).

  • 2nd coin: Lights up the roots (white).

  • 3rd coin: Lights up the stem (light green, using the Neopixel stick).

  • 4th coin: Lights up the leaves (dark green).

  • 5th coin: Lights up the flower (yellow).

6. Reset Function (resetSystem())

• The push button is used to reset the system.

• When pressed, all lights turn off, and the LCD screen returns to "Insert Coin!".

Tools and Components Used

• Software: Arduino IDE

• Hardware:

  • Arduino Uno

  • Breadboard

  • IR sensor (to detect coins)

  • Buzzer (for sound feedback)

  • LCD screen (to display messages)

  • Neopixel LEDs & Neopixel Stick (for lighting effects)

  • Push button (for reset function)

  • Jumper wires (male-male, male-female, female-female)