Week 17
Applications and implications

This week's theme was "Applications and implications", here I made an analysis of my proposal for my final project, based on the questionnaire provided by Fab Academy.
What will it do?
My Final Project is about a robot vacuum cleaner, it will have the following features:
  • Operable from a mobile application or automatically,
  • Wheels for displacement that allow 360 ° rotation,
  • Rechargeable battery,
  • Sensors to avoid obstacles or falls,
  • Side brushes for sweeping dust,
  • Aspiration system,
  • Trash container with filter,
  • Design with smooth and rounded surfaces, and
  • Positional lights to avoid accidental tropping
Who's done what beforehand?
My project already exists, it is a robot vacuum cleaner, there are several factories.
But I will do everything from scratch, applying everything learned in the course.
What will you design?
Design: vacuum system, sweepers, trash bin, wifi or bluetooth, control app, main program, cover and base, wheels and tires, motor control (wheels, sweepers and suction)
What materials and components will be used?
I will use the following materials:
  • PLA and PVA filament of various colors for moving parts,
  • MDF plates for the chassis and some supports,
  • PCB with microprocessors, resistors, capacitors, resonators that will control certain functions.
  • Gear motors
  • Brushless motor
  • Brushless motor driver A4941
  • Block of blue wax
  • Rubber Silicone to mold the tires
Where will come from?
  • The 3D Printing Filament is also available at Fablab Esan.
  • MDF plates is avilable at our FabLab.
  • PCB with microprocessors, resistors, capacitors, resonators are avilable at our FabLab
  • Gear motors, are available at Fablab Esan
  • Brushless motor, it´s from old hard disk
  • Brushless motor driver A4941, There is not in Fablab Esan, nor in my city, I will import it from China on eBay
  • Block of blue wax, is avilable at our FabLab.
  • Rubber Silicone to mold the tires is available at Fablab Esan
How much will they cost?
  • The 3D Printing .................$ 20.00
  • MDF plates ..........................$ 6.00
  • PCB and electronic components....$ 15.00
  • Gear motors.........................$ 18.00
  • Brushless motor........(recycled)...$ 0.00
  • Brushless motor driver A4941.....$ 20.00
  • Block of blue wax................$ 20.00
  • Rubber Silicone..................$ 20.00
Approximate costs
What parts and systems will be made?
I will make the following:
  • The tires
  • The wheel hoops
  • The chassis of the vacuum cleaner
  • The suction propeller
  • The motion transmission gears of sweepers
  • Sweeping brooms
  • The supports of proximity sensors
  • the supports of the gear motors
  • The PCB that control the sensors
  • The PCB that controls the displacement motors
What processes will be used?
I used the following processes:
  • Molding and casting to make tires
  • 3d printing for wheel hoops
  • Laser cutting for the vacuum cleaner chassis
  • 3d printing for the suction propeller
  • 3d printing for sweepers movement transmission gears
  • 3d printing for sweeping brooms
  • Laser cutting for proximity sensor brackets
  • Laser cutting for the supports of the gear motors
  • Milling for the PCB that control the sensors
  • Milling for the PCB that controls the displacement motors
  • Welding of electronic components
What questions need to be answered?
  • Why did not the brushless controller A4941 work?
  • How to avoid breaking or lifting tracks when using the Roland router?
  • How much current will I need to control the motors?
How will it be evaluated?
The correct operation of the electronics and the structure is evaluated.
Your project should incorporate 2D and 3D design, additive and subtractive fabrication processes, electronics design and production, microcontroller interfacing and programming, system integration and packaging
Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project
Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable