Transcript Niall McAuley A513 - StMalachysTechnology

GCSE Design & Technology
Unit A513
Making Quality Products
Niall McAuley
Candidate 7079
Centre 71149
Niall McAuley A513
1
Background Investigation
Problem Identification
The Xbox 360 is one of the most popular games consoles on
the planet. It is produced by Microsoft and as of March 2011
there have been over 53.6 million units sold worldwide.
It was released in 2005 and immediately sold out everywhere
except Japan.
Some major features of the Xbox 360 are its integrated Xbox
Live service that allows players to compete online, download
arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and
movies and its Windows Media Centre multimedia
capabilities. The Xbox 360 also offers region specific access
to third-party media streaming services such as Netflix and
ESPN in the US or Sky Player in the UK.
The original line-up above, and below
the latest Xbox 360 S
Source:Wikipedia
Facts on the Xbox 360
Xbox LIVE members have spent more than 2.9 billion hours playing games on Xbox LIVE
with their friends around the world. That is equal to 121 million days or more than 332,000
years of gaming. That is a lot of time spent sitting in front of a television screen. Experts
are worried that this is now affecting children's health, as they are not exercising enough.
Studies carried out in America and the UK have confirmed that areas where games
consoles have sold well have the highest obesity rates amongst children.
Trust for America's Health 2007 Annual Report September
Over 45% of Americas 12 - 17 year olds spent more than two hours per day glued to a
screen, more than 1 in 7 children are overweight.
A survey conducted by the firm concluded that gamers over the age of 2 in the United
States spent over 13 hours playing video games each week, up from 12.3 hours per
week in 2009. The survey was in January 2010 on a online survey that garnered
18,872 responses.
Niall McAuley A513
I have an example of a tenuous
problem at home. I keep getting told off
because I’m spending too much time on
my Xbox 360. I always say to my dad
I’m only going on to have a game quick
FIFA but once I play one game I play
another instantly without realising
because its fun. Recently I got my Xbox
taken off me. However, my dad has
agreed to give me back my Xbox if I can
figure out a way of limiting the amount
of time I spend on it.
Design Brief
I am going to design and manufacture a
games timer for the Xbox 360. It must
warn the user when the agreed time has
elapsed. It should be a safe product,
and the design should be a sustainable
one.
Target User Group
I will try to target people who play the
Xbox 360. I realise that is quite a
specific group, but there are still over 50
million users worldwide and 3.9 million in
the UK, so it is a pretty big market. The
main target is parents of gamers who
want to be able to monitor and restrict
it’s usage.
2
Function:
Aesthetics:
Materials and finishes:
• Must be capable of acting as a timer
• The product must have an
appearance that is in keeping with
the Xbox 360 and it’s accessories
• Materials and finishes must not be
toxic or harmful to the environment
or the user
• Must have a suitable output at the end
of the timing period.
•Glossy
• Must be easy to set up.
•White or Black
•Must be easy to disable and reset.
•Xbox logo
Costs:
•The product should cost no more that
£5 to manufacture
•Should be marketed at under £10.
•Green
•The finish must be of a high
standard as it will be placed along
side expensive electrical equipment.
• The material used to make the
timer must fit in with the materials
used on Xbox products
•The material must be strong, an
insulator and easily cleaned.
Quality and standards:
• Timer must meet British standards.
Size and Weight:
Ergonomics:
• Timer must be of good quality.
• The timer must be as light as
possible to make it portable.
• All buttons must be within easy reach
to enhance the user experience.
User:
•It must have a heavy base to keep
it stable.
Sustainability:
• All buttons and LEDs should be large
enough to ensure that people with
disabilities and poor eyesight can still
use it.
• The materials used in the timer must
be able to be recycled.
• No strain should be applied to the
user.
• The number of parts and different
materials should be kept to a
minimum.
• Where possible, materials should be
sourced locally.
•It must be easy to dispose of when it
reaches the end of it’s useful life.
Safety:
• Must have no sharp edges.
• Must not be a hazard or harmful to
others.
• Finishes must be safe and non toxic.
•All wiring and circuitry must be
concealed.
Niall McAuley A513
•The timer must be suitable for use by
people of all ages (3yrs + for safety
reasons)
•It must involve very little input on the
users behalf.
Product service and maintenance:
• The timer must not require regular
maintenance. It must serve its intended
purpose for as long as possible.
• The timer must be able to withstand
every day bumps and scratches.
•The battery must be replaceable and
accessible
3
Below are three simple timing circuits that could be used to create my Xbox timer. I have explained how each works.
555 (On for a Period)
Timer (Op-amp)
The 555 timer is an idea that I might use as my final timer
circuit. It is used for many timing applications whereby a led
or buzzer (whichever you prefer) is turned on for a period of
time. The period of time is set using a variable resistor. You
can alter resistor and capacitor values initially to change the
maximum timing period.
Again this circuit could be used as my final timer circuit. Its
voltage is set using R1 and R3 (potential divider). The
capacitor is discharged using the PTM switch and then
begins to charge. The speed at which this happens will
depend on VR1. When the voltage across the capacitor
reaches the reference voltage the output from the op amp
switches on the LED.
555(Off for a Period)
This is very simple circuit which makes use of 2 resistors
and capacitor forming a potential divider. When the
switch is pressed the capacitor discharges and then
begins to charge, once the switch is released. How
quickly the capacitor charges depends on the variable
resistor and the size of the capacitor however these must
be chosen within limits. On reaching 6V at pin 2 of the
555 chip pin 3 is turned on bringing on the LED.
Niall McAuley A513
4
Niall McAuley A513
5
Niall McAuley A513
6
Niall McAuley A513
7
Chosen Design
555(Off for a Period)
Size and Weight:
Sustainability:
• The timer must be as light as
possible to make it portable.
• The materials used in the timer must be
able to be recycled.
•It must have a heavy base to keep it
stable.
• The number of parts and different
materials should be kept to a minimum.
Aesthetics:
Ergonomics:
• The product must have an
appearance that is in keeping with
the Xbox 360 and it’s accessories
• All buttons must be within easy reach to
enhance the user experience
•Glossy
•Xbox logo
•Green
I felt there was very little
difference between any of
the circuits, as they all met
the function criteria set out
in my specification. I chose
the 555 off for a period
circuit firstly because the
component costs are less
than the Op-Amp circuit
and secondly because I
think a user is more likely
to notice the LED go on at
the end of the timing period
rather than off. I used
Crocodile Clips to simulate
the circuit and test it out
before making the PCB.
I have evaluated all my ideas against my specification and have
chosen the design below as I feel it is strongest in the areas
above. It is a nice simple, user friendly design that will look good.
Once the circuit was imported
into PCB wizard, I added a large
copper area to the board. This
means the board doesn’t have
to be etched for as long and
prevents the tracks from
breaking down
Niall McAuley A513
8
• Description of tasks:
1. Print artwork for PCB to Laser printer and
use to create PCB –Exposed in UV box,
etched, developed, cleaned.
Task\Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1
2. Drill out holes for components using 1.2mm
drill fitted in pillar drill. Mount all components
2
3. Solder components using soldering iron,
heat sink and stand with magnifying glass
3
4. Test circuit and fix
5. Glue up layers of 18mm MDF
4
6. Mark out and create hemisphere using
band-facer, jig and sandpaper. Attach 9mm
MDF base using double sided tape.
5
7. Create triangles from play-dough and fix to
mould
8. Vacuum form mould in vacuum former using
2mm white rigid polystyrene
6
7
9. Cut out mould on mould cutter
8
10.Separate base from mould and drill thumb
hole using forstner bit and pillar drill.
9
11.Mask off, prime and spray X using green
acrylic spray.
12.Mark out and drill holes for LED and
switches with 3mm drill and ream to correct
size
13.Fit surface mounted components using LED
holder and nuts supplied
14.Fit PCB, base, clean surface with polish
and test.
10
11
12
13
14
Niall McAuley A513
9
Niall McAuley A513
Component
Number
required
Value
Toggle switch SPST
1
PTM switch
1
Resistor R1
1
470 ohm
Resistor R2
1
33k ohm
Resistor R3
1
1K ohm
Variable resistor VR1
1
100k ohm
Electrolytic Capacitor C1
1
2200F
555 Timer IC1
1
Standard LED Red
1
5mm
LED holder
1
5mm
Red & Black multicore wire
3
100mm
Battery snap
1
9V
10
Drilling a hole for the switch with 3mm
on pillar drill. I had to remove the guard
but wore goggles.
Me band facing the mould. I had to
keep it moving to avoid flat spots.
The vacuum formed mould. I allowed it to
cool before removing it.
Drilling a hole for my base using a
forstner bit.
I used play dough to create the raised
sections of the design. I rolled it out and
cut out 4 triangles.
Cutting out the vacuum formed mould using
the mould cutter. It is important to keep
hands and clothing away.
Vacuum forming. It took about 2 mins for
the rigid polystyrene to soften. It is
important to keep off the hot surfaces.
Niall McAuley A513
Soldering my circuit. Soldering irons are
very hot, caution needed
11
This is a photograph of my completed Xbox timer. As you
can see it is vacuum formed in 2mm rigid polystyrene with a
9mm MDF base. The inputs are the toggle switch and the
PTM switch. The 555 timer with the resistors and capacitor
control what happens when the PTM is pressed. When the
time period has ended the LED will come on until the circuit
is reset or switched off. I am happy with the final outcome, I
think it looks like a quality product and is instantly
recognisable as an Xbox accessory. I used a green acrylic
spray to create the X by masking it off, priming it and giving
it two coats. I think the effect is very good. I believe it
meets most of my targets.
As you can see my project looks like
the Xbox logo and was vacuum
formed in rigid polystyrene to keep it
light. It has an MDF base which
keeps it weighted on a desk, table or
TV unit.
This is my circuit in my Xbox project you can see it fits in the project.. Also
all the components are soldered
carefully and the circuit is complete
and functioning.
My Xbox timer has two switches – the push-to-make
(PTM) to reset the timer, and the SPST toggle as a
mains switch to turn the timer on and off. This will help
preserve the battery life and the lifespan of the product,
making it more sustainable. I used a red LED because
of the famous red rings of death!
Niall McAuley A513
12
Function:
Aesthetics:
Materials and finishes:
• Must be capable of acting as a timer YES
• The product must have an
appearance that is in keeping with
the Xbox 360 and it’s accessories
• Materials and finishes must not be toxic or
harmful to the environment or the user
SAFE FOR SCHOOL USE, SO YES
• Must have a suitable output at the end
of the timing period. YES, LED
• Must be easy to set up. YES
•Glossy YES
•Must be easy to disable and reset. YES
•White or Black YES
•Xbox logo YES
Costs:
•Green YES
•The product should cost no more that £5
to manufacture YES, <£2.50
•The finish must be of a high
standard as it will be placed
along side expensive electrical
equipment. YES
•Should be marketed at under £10. YES
Size and Weight:
• The timer must be as light as
possible to make it portable. YES
•It must have a heavy base to keep
it stable. YES
Sustainability:
• The materials used in the timer must
be able to be recycled. YES
Ergonomics:
• All buttons must be within easy reach to
enhance the user experience. YES
• All buttons and LEDs should be large enough
to ensure that people with disabilities and poor
eyesight can still use it. LED COULD BE
BIGGER
• No strain should be applied to the user. YES
• The material used to make the timer must
fit in with the materials used on Xbox
products YES, PLASTIC HOUSING
•The material must be strong, an insulator
and easily cleaned. YES, ALL 3.
Quality and standards:
• Timer must meet British standards.
WOULD HAVE TO BE TESTED
• Timer must be of good quality. YES
User:
•The timer must be suitable for use by
people of all ages (3yrs + for safety
reasons) YES
•It must involve very little input on the
users behalf. YES
Product service and maintenance:
• The number of parts and different
materials should be kept to a
minimum. YES
Safety:
• Where possible, materials should be
sourced locally. NOT KNOWN
• Must not be a hazard or harmful to others. YES • The timer must be able to withstand
every day bumps and scratches. YES
• Finishes must be safe and non toxic. YES
•It must be easy to dispose of when it
reaches the end of it’s useful life. YES
•All wiring and circuitry must be concealed. YES
• Must have no sharp edges. YES
Niall McAuley A513
• The timer must not require regular
maintenance. It must serve its intended
purpose for as long as possible. YES
•The battery must be replaceable and
accessible. YES
13
Evaluation
Future Modifications
Given the time that I had and the
materials and equipment that was
available to me I am happy with the
outcome. I think it fulfils the need
identified earlier and would be a
useful tool for gamers and parents
of gamers to regulate the amount of
time spent on the Xbox.
There are some things that could be
improved upon.
Rather than use an LED I would have
liked to have formed the X separately in a
translucent green polystyrene that could
be backlit with LEDS or bulbs to make it
glow as in the Xbox logo.
I realise that I have limited my
market to Xbox users, but there are
a lot of them. There is not reason
why a similar product could not be
created for the Sony Playstation 3
or the Nintendo Wii.
I could maybe then use two of the
triangular panels as the switches instead
of mounting them on the panels. The
panel could be pressed in to activate the
circuit. This would increase the button
area making it more user friendly.
Use an opaque/translucent
plastic which is backlit to
make the X glow
Create pressure pads
instead of surface
mounted switches
Niall McAuley A513
I would also replace the variable with a
potentiometer so that a dial could be fitted
to one triangle to adjust the timing period
without opening the case.
14