Expectations vs Reality:

I had planned to have a more detailed design on the outside of the casing.  Due to the layering of the PLA, it was difficult to sketch out the flames that would be painted into the sides.  It also kept me from placing the Harley Davidson logo on the center of the case like I originally wanted to.  I had planned to attach the arduino board to the bottom case with screws, but the holes got wrapped during the printing process.  I had to improvise with setting pins into the case instead.

Public Reaction:

While setting the batteries into the sensor the morning of the EXPO, I accidentally broke some of the soldering in the wires which made the product unable to be shown off during the EXPO which was unfortunate.  Although the reception was not as positive as it could have been, I still got some positive comments from a few of the attendees.

What I learned:

When I decided what to create, I wanted to use methods I had not used before in order to expand my skill sets, rather than playing to my strengths.  I had not used the school’s 3D printers, outside of the Object30 which is done by the ITLL staff for you. I also had little experience with using Arduino.  While this project was a good learning experience, I underestimated the time necessary to complete the tasks for the project, so I learned the importance of the magic rule of 7 when planning a timeline.  I also learned to give myself extra time in case something goes wrong.  I ran into many difficulties working with the 3d printers.  Each half of the case took about 3 attempts until the prints can out right.  It usually was due to the printer nozzle clogging mid print or the worn out printer beds causing the print to warp enough to offset the print.  This project ended up being a good teacher in time management.

What’s next:

From here, I have to fix the soldering on the sensor to get it running properly again.  I want to either find or make a stencil of the Harley Davidson logo so I can paint it on in time for Father’s Day when I will give it to my dad.  I might try to design my own personal one with the knowledge from this experience.

If I did it again:

If I redid the case, I would make it more rectangular in shape.  My design has a lot of left over, unused space in the case since the square Arduino and circuit board were place in a circular container.  Also, the 3d printer seemed to have better success at printed more geometric shapes.  Since I had trouble with the logo, I might want to incorporate it into the design and have the printer print it for me.  It would make the job of painting it easier too.