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Designing and Making a Prototype

Designing and Making a Prototype: A Guide to How to Manage Making Projects

  1. Preliminary concept drawing sketch(es)
  2. Faculty Only: A thorough literature review of the journal literature, patent literature, and company websites 
  3. Crude model: Cardboard, styrofoam, clay, wood, etc.
  4. Refined concept drawing(s) for product/process design
  5. Preliminary parts list (most critical parts, suppliers, and costs)
  6. Decision matrix to choose between concept drawing options
  7. Design Meeting 1:  Get approval for all items concepts; order critical parts
  8. CAD drawings of most critical parts & rough draft of assembly diagram
  9. Faculty Only: Wiring diagram drawing (not necessarily yet in KiCAD)
  10. Faculty Only: Process flowsheet 
  11. Faculty Only: Piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID)
  12. 1st Bill of Materials with vendors and prices
  13. Design Meeting 2: Get approval for all items up to now; order all remaining parts
  14. Iterate on all prior items
  15. CAD drawings of all parts
  16. 3D print, laser cut, machine parts - v. 1
  17. Breadboard level testing of wiring diagram
  18. KiCAD level wiring diagram
  19. Write block diagram "pseudocode" for each subprocess and a system-level diagram to call each subprocess
  20. Design Meeting 3:  Get feedback on all items up to now; status update and hopefully  delivery of all ordered items
  21. Write the computer code corresponding to 19) or subcontract that out
  22. If time available after 17) working:  Order bare printed circuit boards (PCBs) from AllPCB.com (turnaround time from China is about 10 days)
  23. Fill in final report appendixes of all prior work in form of PowerPoint slides with goal to fill in as many blanks as quickly as possible and identify what hasn't been done
  24. Record Slide Show function in PowerPoint (PPT) one slide at a time
  25. Transcribe recorded narration into figure captions for report and then paste link the PPT figures into the Word report using either Transcribe or Otter (Otter's Pro version for faculty).
  26. Revise all diagrams to adjust for fit and finish
  27. 3D print, laser cut, machine parts - v. 2
  28. Solder parts as necessary, if reasonable to do so
  29. Video/photograph all assembly processes (hyperlink these into report appendixes)
  30. If time available:  Use GoDaddy.com to convert text-based bare bones web site into something presentable to outside world
  31. If time available:  Have US PCB manufacturer (Jaycon Systems? If so, ask for Anthony Li at anthonyli@jayconsystems.com.) install parts onto "bare" PCB from AllPCB.com 
  32. If time available:  Have US PCB manufacturer consult on converting existing work to be better ready for manufacturing
  33. Design Meeting 4: Review of all prior work; assess what needs to be done prior to showcase
  34. Test computer code at subsystem level
  35. Iterate on all prior items
  36. Prepare a cost analysis as a function of the number of items manufactured as laid out in the Bill of Materials, economicsbycategory, and mastereconomicsanalysis spreadsheets of the CFSeconomics2.xlsx attachment that Dr. Brenner prepared for his small business, Chem-Free Solutions, that evolved out of his teaching The Basics of Making course
  37. Test computer code and product at full system level
  38. Convert recorded PPT narration into text for report draft
  39. Fill PPT slides into standard poster template
  40. Prepare 5 minute video of entire project for "e-poster" to play in background at poster presentation and for web site
  41. Final poster/product display for showcase
  42. Incorporate feedback from showcase into final version of report
  43. Convert the recorded PPT slides into .mp4 format
  44. Ask the professor to transcribe the .mp4 into the rough draft of a final report using Otter.ai Pro

 

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