CircuitBentBaby - Milestones: 4

4.1 Optimization:

For the final version of the prototype, we rebuilt the circuit on a wire wrapping board, allowing for cleaner and more stable circuitry. Five potentiometers were also added to the circuit. Three of these potentiometers allow the red, green, and blue components of the VGA output signal to be toggled on and off. The other two potentiometers feed into the Pico's ADC; one potentiometer allows for switching between different display, while the other allows for certain aspects of each demo to be controlled. The final board, minus the two ADC potentiometers, is shown below. On the software side, programs with more advanced features such as animation and potentiometer controls were written, several of which were eventually combined into one program with several displays that can be toggled between. A plastic case was also 3D printed to contain the hardware.

4.2 Delivery:

A demonstration of our final product can be seen in the Demo section.

4.3 Management:

As a team, we were able successfully manage our time and develop a presentable minimum viable product for the Innovation Expo. While we did not start work on building a prototype until Design VIII, work was consistently done on the project during most of the provided class time. All team members made noticeable contributions to the design process, whether they were working directly on the hardware/software, working on deliverables, or doing research and finding solutions to issues encountered along the way. While the project did occasionally run into some major hurdles with getting the design to work, such getting our first successful video output and trying to understand the code, the group was able to overcome them through hard work and perseverance. The decision to switch from an FPGA board to a microcontroller before work began also helped our project immensely, as development with the FPGA would have much more difficult and time-consuming.