Nevaeh Mellon’s Work Log

Nevaeh Mellon’s Work Log

  • Post author:
  • Post last modified:March 30, 2025
  • Reading time:32 mins read
  • Post category:Work Logs

Sky Shepard Tech (B.A.D) – Fall 2024

Reflection on Week of 9/15/2024

Over the past week, I went back through the code prior to it being reworked and began researching methodologies in which to test the audio range of a Sky Shepherd Tech/B.A.D unit in both a wooded and field-like environment. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to find pertinent papers and thus will continue reseach- focusing on finding papers or scientific articles to back methodologies. We also are planning on doing in field testing this week. This was consequently delayed due to a lack of research.

To-Do List for the Week of 9/22/2024

  • Familiarize myself with the PCB Mill
    • Read documentation from last semesters members
    • Brain storm ideas of possible solutions to the goals presented for the semester
    • Research PCB mills that are currently being produced. Find any key differences/similarities between an off the shelf PCB mill and ours.
    • Take measurements of PCB Mill as it exists (may draw out some sketches)
    • Try and establish a line of communication with the other OSHE member assigned to PCB Mill
  • Research more for audio range testing. General ideas for testing follows but want to find academic sources to show testing is effective
    • May use a visual graph of the sound waves to test how far away one has to walk from an operating B.A.D unit until the control sound wave (the sound wave of environment without active unit) is reached. Taking a video of this process (of the sound wave) may be useful in determining where exactly soundwave hit its desired shape.
    • A qualitative approach to testing would be to have a few people (members of B.A.D and perhaps volunteers) to walk away from the noise source- the running Sky Shepherd Tech Unit- until the noise is no longer audible. This distance would then be numerically recorded to establish range.
    • Choose between tests or do both. Use of both a wooded environment and a open, flat (field- like) environment is key as ranges will differ due to surrounding objects.

Concerns for the Week of 9/22/2024

  • Concerned there will not be enough viable time during the week to do in field testing of B.A.D unit as career fair and coming exams are busying schedules.
  • I have never worked on a PCB mill or used a PCB mill.

Resources Found for B.A.D Testing

  • Spatial resolution limits for the localization of noise sources using direct sound mapping by Fernandez Comesaña, Holland, and Fernandez-Grande
  • Comparison of 2D and 3D scanning solutions for sound visualization by Fanyu, Fernandez Comesaña, Steltenpool, and Upegui Florez
  • https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/audio-analysis/ gives libraries and software that may be useful (ex. Audacity)

Reflection on Week of 9/22/2024

The main goal of the past week was to finish researching testing methods for analysing the range of the audio output from a Sky Shepard Tech unit. Testing was completed to develop a better understanding of the audible range for a single unit in a wide open space similar to where a unit would be implemented in field (largely glass front bulding near a nature trail and waterfront). Research and measurments for the PCB Mill project was started as well.

To-Do List for the Week of 9/29/2024

  • Finish preparing for CDR on Thursday (10/03/2024)
    • Work on slideshow presentation for 15 min. time slot
    • At weekly group meeting, divvy out topics/ figure out who will present what information and how
  • Start creating instructions for how to use a unit
    • Determine what media form would be the most effective or if several forms is best
      • EX) A video to show where buttons are paired with a step-by-step instructions in lid
    • Create a written set of needed instructions for user reference
      • Determine if this should include extensive information such as how to upload more audio profiles and/or other more backend operations
    • Put instructions into determined media form
      • Make sure that the instructions are visually pleasing and easy to follow
      • Highlight key things in instructions and perhaps make a seperate more in detail reference sheet
    • If deemed necessary, test the quality of the instructions by having a volunteer use them to start unit
  • Continue research for PCB Mill
    • Maybe talk to Professor Middlebrook about any key issues experienced in PCB Milling
  • Determine the thickness of substrate that will be used in the PCB Mill
    • Increased substrate thickness creates issues with drilling at times
  • Get in contact with other OSHE member on PCB Mill
    • See what their ideas are looking like

Concerns for Week of 9/29/2024

  • Extremely busy week on my end as I have several exams

States of Sky Shepard Tech Unit

  • Off
    • Clock still running and maintaining correct time when turned on
  • Standby
    • All aspects of previous states apply to standby state
    • On; Power to components including display screen
    • No audios being played
    • Number pad is usable; time can be altered, selection of audio file is possible, etc.
  • Running
    • Number pad is usable
    • On; power to components
    • Clock is running and maintains correct time if turned off
    • Sound is actively being output from speakers or is waiting to be triggered

ARMcade – Spring 2025

Week of 1/19-1/25 To-Do List

  • Finish/get almost done with 3D print file for housing
  • If file is done, print it out
  • If printed, map out places for components
  • Research more on our chosen buzzer
  • Do some more research into outputting audio with the microcontroller (which pin is preferred to output)
  • Wire speaker in breadboard to test w NUCLEO if components come in by end of week
  • Start B.O.M

Concerns for Week of 1/19-1/25

  • Never used OnShape before so thats a bit of a learning curve
  • Wall thickness may not be big enough to contain a push down push release button
  • I have very minimal audio output experience other than minimal lab work

Reflection of 1/19-1/25

  • Determined method of audio output with team
  • Finished most of purchasing
  • Roughly written up draft on iPad of B.O.M with prices (links are already recorded on a shopping list)
  • Worked further on the OnShape print- was unable to finish due to lack of time

Week of 1/26-2/2 To-Do List

  • Start official B.O.M so it can just be updated periodically over semester
    • Share it in the drive
  • Finish the On Shape print file
  • Print casing
    • Test casing for durability if time allows
  • Start laying out where the placement for each piece will go on case (where to cut out housing)
  • Check if housing allows for a push button (for closing and opening housing) to be installed within wall or if an alternative is needed
  • If nucleo is in, figure out wiring of buzzer for audio (make sure im not stealing a pin someone else needs for other aspect)
  • Figure out how/if we are doing a full board construction

Concerns For Week of 1/26-2/2

  • Still having trouble with controlling OnShape and getting a good-looking model that’s something close to symmetrical
  • Not sure if we will have time/knowledge to make a printed solid shield like Shane would prefer
  • Not sure if board will be in

States of ARMcade

  • “Waiting”:
    • When the device has power, but no sd card
    • Screensaver is displayed
    • Controller input doesn’t work (?)
    • Upon initially being turned on, device will make a buzz noise (?)
  • OFF:
    • Device is not connected to power
    • No output to screen
    • Nothing should be powered up or working
    • Pretty much just a wire filled box at this point
  • ON:
    • Controller input affects game/display
    • Game from sd card is output onto a screen via VGA
    • Sd card will be read from and written to properly

Reflection of 1/26-2/2

This week, I was able to start/update the B.O.M for ARMcade. Unfortunately, I have been not great at uploading things to the drive. This needs to be done. Uploading things to the drive will be moved to this next weeks to do list. We were able to figure out the importance of “doing a full board construction”. The first thing we need to do is to get it working and from there (if there’s time) make it pretty. Issues persisted with using OnShape so I pivoted to looking at free-to-use models on Thingiverse. One file was selected and scaled appropriately, however, the file was not usable due to an extreme print time (over a day). I am currently searching for a new file and will hopefully have that selected, scaled, and printed before Sunday.

Week of 2/3-2/10 To-Do List

  • Research power supply options
  • Print file over the break
  • Make sure the print is stable and able to open in the desired manner
  • Check with group about what were doing for audio
  • Need to figure out whats triggering buzzer
  • What pin do I get for the buzzer?
  • Continue updating B.O.M
  • Upload all the relevant research material i saw to the drive
  • Upload B.O.M to the drive
  • Check project spec and see if we need to meet with Shane to discuss aspects

Concerns for Week of 2/3-2/10

  • We may need some wiggle room with our coding deadline in the project spec

Reflection on 2/3-2/16

This past week marked CDR. I was able to continue to update the B.O.M and the assembly instructions as well as create and work on the CDR presentation. I was able to upload all of the relevent information I found to the ARMcade google drive. We determined that the buzzer/audio output would be triggered by the device powering up. The 3D printinng of the casing would not work. There were about 5 attempts made to print using 3 different models from multiple sources (OnShape, TinkerCad, Thingiverse, etc.) and each attempt resulted into a mess of plastic. I opted to use a box and just work from there.

To-Do List for 2/17-2/24

  • Continue to update B.O.M
  • Start to test the buzzer using the recommended test circuit
  • Figure out what pin I can use for the buzzer
  • Continue to try and print out a 3D casing
  • Research more/talk more about power supply

Concerns for 2/17-2/24

  • Lots of exams and projects due this week right before break

Reflection on 2/17-2/24

The past 2 week I was able to write up some basic code for the buzzer. I have yet to push the code to the arduino due to forgetting the cord upstate during break. More research was done looking into if there is benefits to using an internal power source or a wall outlet. The decision among the team on Wednesday seemed to lean towards simply plugging the device into a monitor/computer. Looked into viability of any other on hand containers that could be used other than the plastic case on hand (sturdy card box, small ammunition box with a hole in it and slightly broken hinge, attempted to use 3D printer at home).

To-Do List for 3/3-3/9

  • Continue to update B.O.M
  • Test the buzzer using an arduino I have
  • Figure out what pin I can use for the buzzer
  • Continue to try and print out a 3D casing
  • Research more/talk more about power supply

Concerns for 3/3-3/9

  • Lots of exams and HW due early this week
  • Still issues with 3D printing (home 3D printer broken in garage tragically)

Reflection on 3/3-3/9

This past week mainly focused on getting the audio to work using an Elegoo Uno R3 (an Arduino Uno ‘knockoff’) to produce the digital signal that starts the buzzer upon turning on ARMcade. The volume of the buzzer was controlled through the changing of the resistors used in the circuit. The sound of the buzzer was shown to third party individuals to determine what sounded the more appealing or least assualting to the ears.

To-Do List for 3/10-3/16

  • Continue to update B.O.M
  • Figure out what pin I can use for the buzzer
  • Continue to try and print out a 3D casing
  • Figure out if Steven’s tasks need to be reassigned
  • See what other tasks need to be done
  • Attach buzzer to microcontroller

Concerns for 3/10-3/16

Exams and a few programs due early this week

  • One less team member at the most critical point of the semester

Reflection on 3/10-3/16

This week was a transition week. We lost a team member and are now down to a 4 person team of originally 6. Mostlt, this week was categorized as figuring out how to redistribute the tasks of the member who had to leave ARMcade. VGA was talked about at length and recognized as the biggest issue. This is everyones biggest priority now as Dr. Shane has approved us to use a VGA shield.My designated time for OSHE was spent surfing the internet trying to find a VGA shield that had the desired characteristics and was available. A huge issue I found and kept encountering was the lack of stock for these shields. Casing was determined to be satisfactory for the time being as focus really needs to be given to VGA.

Some Shields Researched:

All of these shields were determined to not be optimal due to availability, cost, pin consumption, on shield memory, frequency, and other factors.

  • NovaVGA

  • Gameduino

  • Arduino VGA Video + PS2 Keyboard Shield

  • MOD-VGA (Open Source Hardware Board)

  • Pmod VGA (410-345) Module

To-Do List for 3/17-3/23

  • Continue to update B.O.M
  • Figure out what pin I can use for the buzzer
  • VGA Shield
    • Find one
    • Order it
    • Get it in time
    • Figure out how to use it
    • Find compatible libraries
    • Implement VGA shield
  • Attach buzzer to microcontroller

Concerns for 3/16-3/23

  • One less team member at the most critical point of the semester
  • Exam and presentation mid week (may not be able to go to a meeting due to this)
  • Every VGA shield that fits what we need is not available or wont be until semester end
  • Pin consumption on NUCLEO

Reflection on 3/17-3/23

Did a bunch of research on VGAs prior to meeting Wednesday. Group transitioned to a screen based output at the advice of Dr. Shane. Thus the research was kinda useless; we still have a member working on VGA as a back up. I was asked to just keep working on a few different versions of housing so we have multiple to choose from. Redownloaded 3D modeling software (computer had to be factory reset last weekend). Was told I can just choose any pin on NUCLEO for start up noise. Started the presentation for meeting. Sent in photos for social media (late). Got online dimensions for the ports needed; was unable to go into campus this weekend to measure components with calipers.

To-Do List for 3/24-3/30

  • Continue to update B.O.M
  • Put buzzer into system; send code to Nick
  • Measure components and everything for ARMcade with calipers
  • Bore holes in all of the housing for said components to be accessible
  • Have multiple housings ready
  • Help anybody who needs help

Concerns for 3/24-3/30

  • Having issues with the new display screen
  • Not enough time

Reflection on 3/24-3/30

Over the last week the final touches were put into making sure the buzzer was functioning on the desired microcontroller. A decent amount of prep this week went towards the presentation given during the weekly meeting. Measurements were taken in mm with calipers, retaken in inches. Casing ports were attempted to be cut out with several cutting tools, and drills. Eventually, the ports were able to be made using a heated tool to melt the plastic. Power port was confirmed to be positioned and sized correctly for cord. NES controller port needs to be enlarged due to melting and compounding of material on inside. Filed down ports to fix them up. Still need to enlarge the NES port more.

Imagined Final Project

To Do List 3/31-4/6

  • Finish melting NES port
  • Glue/adhere down circuit
  • Check off
  • Work on B.O.M and Assembly Guide

Concerns for Week Of 3/31-4/6

  • Multiple projects
  • Was stuck in Alpena due to ice storm with no electricity and couldnt work on anything
  • Check off at beginning of week