Please note that some information may be redundant, but it is important that you read it all in case you are missing anything important, and trust me, there is a lot of important information in this post!
IMPORTANT LINKS:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_B3R9eVzE1km9kz_KHSfAgofVQb3fqT3 - PDF version of a Solidworks Template so you can see what to use when developing detailed CAD drawings that are outsourced to manufacturing services such as the SJSU's Central Shops, or other local vendors.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Fl0KVxmXiRn2yGc3gslWxniHm35m3Zgr - SLDDRT Solidworks Detail CAD Drawing Template. EVERY TEAM needs to use to create a professional, uniform layout.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ljoejjs0_lj-owqGeu33beg6aXe-7s6_gJG8ct4EIWY - Bill of Materials (BOM) Google Sheets Template. Please use this with your team to organize what your team needs when building your rapid prototypes and scaled prototypes.
NOTE 1: ****************** Before you have ANY manufacturing services completed for your project, please have Dr. Furman confirm your detailed drawings....In the past, student teams have sent their detailed CAD drawings to manufacturing services to only realize that there was a small error which resulted in hundreds of wasted dollars on a part they could not use...DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU*****************
NOTE 2: If you are at a point in your design where you need to start ordering parts, please confirm with Dr. Furman and/or Ron before you make any purchases.
Here is a general layout of the Fall 2018 semester schedule.
As you can see below, you only have 9 weeks left until the end of the semester, and 3 of those weeks are dedicated to presentations and Thanksgiving. PLEASE use the below schedule as a guide for your team's Gantt Charts so you and your team can keep up with this semester's deadlines.
Remember that this semester consist of designing, ordering rapid prototyping material, rapid prototyping, testing your rapid prototype, making design changes if needed, outreach to professional manufacturing services / begin prototyping your team's scaled project (if applicable), along with presentations and a final report!
Please note that you may also begin directly working on your project that may have components already developed for your team (if applicable), so if you begin to make changes, please begin to document those changes (see Important NOTE 3 below).
Important NOTE 3: Please check your Canvas files to find your Final Report Guidelines and Presentation #2 and #3.
The most important thing you and your team need to do is to READ the final report guidelines to know exactly what you need to document. During the Fall 2018 semester, you will be completing a lot sections in your final report, so it is important to read your final report guidelines so what you write is as accurate as possible. Please take pictures of your rapid prototypes, design work (screen shots), manufacturing processes, CAD drawing files, wiring schematics, Arduino coding (please use meaningful comments within Arduino's IDE so future students can know what you were doing), other coding (Python, Java), wiring schematics, etc!
NOTE 4: The below schedule is a general outline of where all sub-teams should be in their work. This is a tentative schedule, yet should be followed as good as possible to be successful for the Fall 2018 semester.
NOTE 5: If your team is ahead of schedule, please begin the process it takes to begin fabricating your team's scaled prototype. You will realize that Spring 2019 semester is not enough time to order parts, wait for lead times on parts or manufacturing services, realize that your parts are the wrong size or manufactured incorrectly, wait for new parts to be made or shipped, fabricate your prototype, realize you have issues with your prototype, complete design revisions, create / order new parts, re-fabricate your prototype, realize finals and final reports are due soon, run out of time which ensures you do not finish your prototype, get an incomplete on your grade, stay for summer to finalize your projects, rinse and repeat......
YOU do not know how many times we have been through this process before in the past. Please do not let this happen to you! A good way to escape this cycle is by getting ahead of the game.
This is your SENIOR PROJECT that requires a lot of hours of work. Please meet with your teams more than once a week to get work done, otherwise you will fall into this cycle.
In addition, REACH OUT FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT.
Week of:
KEEP UP WITH YOUR WEEKLY TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL BLOGS!!!! I am now commenting on all of the team blogs with advice on how to make them better and what to document. These are graded.
August - September - 10/06/2018 - Presentation 1 completed. Orientation / research of past work completed, project specifications (proposals) completed. Each team should have a great understanding of what their project goals are, and a timeline of completion (Gantt Chart), and seminars #1 & #2.
10/07/2018 - 10/13/2018 - Continue design work for your sub-team, run FEA simulations or similar calculations to ensure your designs will be successful. Please consider 'weak points' on your design (e.g., will a drive shaft be too small in diameter to handle the amount of load required to move the bogie? Will your chassis fail due to the lack of gussets? Is your code working properly? See next paragraph for more examples).
*******Ordering / Purchasing parts for rapid prototyping should begin happen here! Rapid Prototyping is absolutely important as it allows your team to dynamically see if a particular component(s) will behave in a manner that you originally thought, or as shown in Solidworks. For instance, if you are using a 4 bar linkage in a part of your design, it would be a great idea to get some popsicle sticks and test it before expensively fabricating your linkage using steel and a water jet. Another example of rapid prototyping is by using the 3D printers in the Spartan Superway Design Center on a component or set of components to ensure they will integrate together successfully. Another example of rapid prototyping is developing your Arduino Code (or other code) on a breadboard prototype using smaller actuators, sensors, and LEDs as indicators that your code has successfully ran an intended loop. These are just a few examples of rapid prototyping, but there are many more out there that will help you inexpensively test key components of your project before you move on to your team's scaled prototype.*********
NOTE: Please use in-shop materials before considering purchasing parts for other companies). If your team needs electrical components, please ask Dr. Furman about going to HSC Electronics Supply in Santa Clara before you purchase them online or locally elsewhere.
NOTE: If your team is ahead of schedule, please consider beginning your actual scaled prototype.
10/14/2018 - 10/20/2018 - Continue design work for your sub-team, run FEA simulations or similar calculations to ensure your designs will be successful. Work on developing your rapid prototype / testing rapid prototype if you are at this point in your work. Work on your scaled prototypes if you are at this point.
10/21/2018 - 10/27/2018 - Presentation #2. Continue design work for your sub-team. Rapid prototypes should be done by now, test rapid prototype. Take detailed notes of successes / failures of rapid prototype and make design changes if needed and rerun FEA simulations or similar calculations. Sub-teams should begin building a Bill of Materials (see IMPORTANT LINKS above) for their actual prototype. Please note: some shipments may take longer than expected when ordering parts for your actual prototype, so plan ahead for this issue! If manufacturing work needs to be completed, reach out to companies in advance as lead times can be long!!! Order parts for actual prototype if ready!! FYI: It is also a possibility to reach out to local companies and ask for sponsorship, it has happened in the past years.
***Please read NOTE 1 above for KEY ADVICE on how to be successful in regards to sending proper detailed CAD drawings to local manufacturing services or SJSU's Central Shops.****
10/28/2018 - 11/03/2018 - Continue design work for your sub-team. Begin ordering parts for actual prototype if you are ready (have Dr. Furman APPROVE your BOM list before you order anything!)
11/04/2018 - 11/10/2018 - All sub-teams should have ordered all parts for prototypes (if applicable). Continue making design changes if needed, otherwise begin building prototypes. Never a bad time to begin developing your Final Report.
11/11/2018 - 11/17/2018 - Continue building prototypes. Make a week-by-week Gantt Chart for Spring 2019. Please include all key deadlines in your Gantt Charts.
11/18/2018 - /11/24/2018 - No Classes (Thanksgiving). If you have time this week, work on your final report and other project related tasks.
11/25/2018 - 12/1/2018 - Presentations #3. Continue building prototypes. Finalize design changes.
12/2/2018 - 12/08/2018 - Continue building prototypes. Finalize design changes.
12/18/2018 - Final Project Report and Individual Performance Evaluation Forms Due @ 12:15 PM
