Break It Apart Challenge! - take 1

Break it apart!

For this project we did not have to create or produce anything, instead we got to break apart an object and analyze it, research it, sketch it, and ask questions about what we found. We had to do three different types of sketches and develop a flowchart that clearly demonstrated the process of how our object worked. The first sketch was just a conceptual one where we drew what we saw after breaking it apart and had some labels to go along with it. Then our second sketch was a measured one where we included precise and detailed measurements of our object. It had to be scaled correctly in our notebooks as well. And finally, our last sketch was an exploded view of our object where we drew the exact makeup of each part of it. It had to be detailed, labeled, and informative so that everyone could see what pieces make up the object and how it's built.

The object I chose was a small Roku TV remote. It was pretty easy to break apart, especially with the wide range of tools we were given, but I still had to do plenty of research to see how it actually worked. This was an individual project, so I had to do everything by myself and make sure I was staying on track the whole time we got to work on this assignment. The sketches took me awhile, but I was able to complete everything before the due date because we were given a few more days to finish. At the end of the project, we reflected on our work and process by writing and answering some questions. Soon we're going to begin part 2 of this project called reverse engineering!

Content:

• conceptual sketch- this sketch must have the elements and relationships involved in a problem and it has to show functional connections among the various parts. It is intended to help the engineer identify elements in a problem, see how groups of elements are connected together, and understand how those subsystems work together to create a working system.

• flow chart- like a conceptual sketch but in the form of a step by step diagram that shows the functions, steps, and movement of something.

• engineer drawing- a 3 dimensional object that is drawn on paper or a computer screen. The 5 common types of engineering drawings are isometric, axonometric, oblique, perspective, and orthographic.

• isometric drawing- a sketch where the 3 axes of the drawing form 120 degree angles with each other. Circles appear as ellipses in isometric drawings.

• perspective drawing- where objects appear the way the human eye would see them. Parallel lines converge to a single point at the horizon.

• orthographic drawing- where the object appears to be inside a "glass box" with each face projected onto a side of the box.

• CAD- a computer aided design software where sketches, drawings, and diagrams can be created on a computer.

• engineering design process- 1. define the problem, 2. generate aleternate concepts, 3. evaluate and select a concept, 4. detail the design, 5, design defense, 6. manufacture and testing, 7. revise and refine, 8. evaluation of performance, 9. preparing the final design report.

Reflection:

For this mini project, our main objective was to break apart an object and research/analyze all of the parts and makeup of it. We did this by sketching the whole thing, asking questions on parts of it we didn't quite understand or wanted to know more of, and by creating a flow chart of how our object worked. I learned a ton about circuits, buttons, and LEDs while researching how a TV remote works, so now I pretty much understand how a button on a remote can send an LED signal to the TV to tell it what command to complete. Throughout the 1 week we were given to work on this assignment, I excelled in a few categories, but can definitely improve my work in a few other categories.

My work ethic was very good during this week of breaking apart my object. I felt motivated, confident, and smart while completing all of the separate parts of the assignment. This might have been because it was the very first project we had to do for Senior Engineering, but either way my work ethic was top notch. For instance, every day during school I worked adamantly on my sketches and research, and then when I got home I worked even more on my sketches. Another category I did well in was collaboration. Even though it was an individual project I still communicated with a few other classmates on what I was missing or what I should add, etc. We worked well together and helped one another improve our sketches, research, and questions.

However, one area where I could have been a bit better was time management. At first we only got a few days to do the project, which was stressful because that was very little time to do everything required. But then our teacher moved the deadline back a few days, which helped a ton. I stopped working on my sketches at home because I figured I would have plenty of time in class to do them now, but that wasn't the case. Before I knew it, everything was due in two days so I had to quickly finish my sketches and questions. Although I completed everything on time, I wish I had managed my time better so that I didn't have to rush towards the end. Another area that could have gone better for me was my problem solving. I didn't have too many problems to solve, but when I had questions about my work or I messed up on something, I always asked my friends or the teacher what to do instead of critically thinking by myself and coming up with my own answer. Next project I will be better about these two things and work to improve them. Overall this was a very fun assignment!