For today’s lab session, we each gave a presentation in which we shared the current progress of our designs and some of the trials and tribulations we have encountered.
It is always reassuring to hear of the work of others and know that you’re not alone in your endeavors and that everyone struggles with something.
Jade’s presentation on her piano design was really insightful as to the playability and functionality of her device. Tolu’s project was very inspirational as he had taken the time to fully understand his code which is something I am personally struggling with. Emily’s project was interesting as she has taken her design from the previous year and decided to improve on her previous work with the power of self reflection which will surely render her work much better, due to the lessons learned from last year.
Questions and feedback are crucial when designing a project like this as things you might overlook can be pointed out to you by others, giving you the chance to reconcile before you have to submit them.
In the lecture today we discussed ways in which you can document the process if our projects so that we know the aspects of development that have occurred throughout our projects. We discussed there categories:
Visual (videos, pictures and diagrams)
Written (Blog posts, publications and lab notes)
Code repo (GitHub blog posts)
Quantitative and qualitative data (Excel spreadsheets)
Lab
Today we all completed a 10 minute presentation of how far we have come with our projects so far and explained any aspects that we still needed to complete. We all then graded each other on four different aspects of our presentations which included:
Clarity
Complexity
Aesthetics
functionality
Those of us that have managed to get sound to work with our projects have shown how they can be used. Below I have included the slides for my presentation so that you can see the progress that I have made with my Arduino project. In the presentation slides there is also a video of my project so far and the issues that I have been faced with.
Although I am having an issue with the fact that the code is struggling to work with my project, after meeting with my peers today I see where the issue is and how I can change my code so that it works successfully.
It is also interesting to see how far we have all come with our projects individually as we have all been given the same brief but chosen to approach it differently.
I thought that today’s lab was successful as we were able to show that we knew what we want to do for our projects and be able to explain them to others.
I think it was helpful to get any feedback/questions to think about, while we can still change our code/circuits and interfaces/case.
Now it’s just being able to build the final version of our projects.
During this mornings session, we watched and gave feedback on a great presentation by Dr. Rebecca Stewart, based around electronic music interfaces, primarily using unconventional materials like fabrics or textiles. It was very helpful to see and witness how one can experiment with somewhat traditionally sourced materials.
This is a screenshot of one of the projects featured within the presentation, by Afroditi Psarra
In the lab session, we revised last weeks topics and began working towards our final projects independently. I personally tried to resolve some software issues I am having with MAX/MSP but they are persisting which is causing me great frustration. I am at this stage considering switching to Pure-Data instead, before I am too far into this project and I cannot change program as I have committed too much time into one software.
In this morning’s session, Tolu gave a great presentation on some projects that inspire his project and gave a great insight into his thought process into how he decided his final project.
For the lab session, we began with a recap of last week which we then followed by an informative session around remote access of the DMU computers which in turn gives us access to software such as SolidWorks which is a material design/3d printing and construction software that will be crucial for us to
A Screenshot of a half sphere created within SolidWorks
The second phase of the lab was spent checking fitting within the enclosure and trying to work out creative ways in which I can get the most out of my circuit and make it a unique, interesting project.
Today one Tolu presented his presentation about the ideas that he had for his project and spoke about how far he’d come with his project already. We also watched a short video about someone who had produced a similar project to our own final pieces. It was interesting to see someone else’s take on the project that we are facing.
Lab
In the lab we looked at the progress that each of us had made in regards to our projects and gained any materials that we needed. We were introduced to the software called SOLIDWORKS that can be used in order to create 2D and 3D designs for your work. Below is an image of me experimenting with this software but as we have a limited time slot for the lesson I decided to use Word to create a simple design.
This is a picture of me working with SOLIDWORKS in the class.
I think that using this piece of software when creating 3D models to print would be very useful as you ca see your piece in multiple dimensions however I think that I would have to practice with this software many times to truly understand how I can create my vision.
As you can see below, I have decided to make my model template using Word as I will be producing the case for my final piece myself by using plastic and tools.
This is the very simple model that I made during the lesson to visualize what I am trying to create for my final piece.
I found today useful as I gained knowledge of another piece of software that I can use for any designing that I wanted to do for my project. It was also interesting to use VM Horizon as this allows you to access the university computers from home which I hadn’t used before.
Today’s Lab was split out over the following tasks:
Guided Tour of The Mechanical Workshop
Project Development
Guided Tour of the Mechanical Workshop
What is the mechanical Workshop?
The Mechanical Workshop is a workshop where we can build/create the physical components of our projects.
Who are the contact persons?
When can you go?
Monday and Friday are the best day. But Any Day within university open times.
Where is it located?
Towards the back of the Queens Building. If you were to come in via the back entrance of Queens and continue past the stairs and lift through that door. This will lead to a corridor where you go strait ahead into the main part of the Queens Building. The mechanical workshop is down the right side corridor.
Why you should go?
It is helpful for those who need tools to build their projects.
Also if you would want to cutout materials
How are you planning to use the mechanical workshop?
Today we presented our presentations about Arduino projects that have helped give us ideas towards our own. This was a timed presentation that was 15 – 20 minutes and everyone in the class gave feedback on how the presentation was completed as well as the criteria that they had completed their project up to. It was interesting to gain feedback from those in the class as we completed these presentations on our own and needed ways in which we could improve them. It was also captivating to see how other people had done their presentations and the ideas that they had for their own projects as we all have very different ideas about the projects that we wish to complete.
This is one of the instruments that I looked at during my presentation and it is the instrument that has had the most influence on my final piece in total.
We took a tour of the mechanical workshop to see what machines they had available and the kinds of projects that they were producing. It was interesting to see a completely different department compared to the one that we are usually situated.
The mechanical workshop is a room that has multiple different pieces of equipment inside it that can be used to make various different projects that include making physical things.
2. Who are the contact persons?
3. When can you go?
The timetable is on the back of the door of the workshop room.
4. Where is it located?
In Queens at the back of the building near the very end.
5. Why you should go?
You should go to develop any project that you have decided to create to add originality and a creative fare to it.
6. How are you planning to use the mechanical workshop concerning your project?
I may decided to use the mechanical workshop in my project as I’d like to create a mini piano that look realistic. This would mean that I could laser cut pieces of the piano such as the keys. However, I don’t know have access to one of these machines so visiting the mechanical workshop would be necessary.
Conclusion
In conclusion it was interesting to see the various pieces of equipment that they had available to use as I wasn’t aware that the department existed. They had various models of planes and cars which was interesting to see as there are many different options that you can make. It has allowed to to see that I can create a much more interesting instrument that I first thought and I think that it will look more professional in total.
In today’s session, we had a guided tour around the engineering facilities on the ground floor of the Queen’s building. I found this greatly helpful as I am in need of tools and potential parts that I cannot facilitate on my own, such as 3D printers, CNC machines, etc..
In my own project, I have ordered an enclosure I intend to use for building my project however, if I had known I could custom make an enclosure then I would have. Since I already have bought my premade enclosure, I can use the facilities to machine the holes in the enclosure whilst making a half sphere shape that will increase the playability of my device. Rather than the box sitting on a flat plane and needing to be picked up, Raising it up on a free moving sphere that can support the project to stay flat yet allows to easy adjust the orientation, increasing the functionality of my project as an interface to create sounds.
Here is something that has been printed by someone else that is similar to what I would like to make, except only 1/2 of the sphere would be necessary.
We started today’s session with a really good informational presentation by Harris, a fellow Student. He guided us through all of his documentation and his final project which he produced last year for a similar module. It was very insightful to hear of the struggles he faced and how he managed to navigate them.
We then started drafting timelines for the entire project. This really helped to visualize where we are at with the current project and will prove useful with time management in the coming weeks.
As you can see the timeline is quite cluttered as there are lots of tasks to undertake. This is something that I will continually update as time goes on and jobs pop up.
