Engineering Design - A general approach

Outline Form a group Proposal (Presentation and 1st Mandatory Meeting) Milestone A (Demo A and 2nd Mandatory Meeting) Milestone B (Demo B and 3rd Mandatory Meeting) Milestone C (Demo C and 4th Mandatory Meeting) Final check Poster day Final report Assessment Resources Suggested approach

Form a group Find partners (usually 4 in each group) as early as possible Better with a project idea already before looking for partners Better to find partners with complementary talents and/or skills Mutual respect

Form a group Send your team members’ information (full name, student ID, and e-mail address) to lixun@mcmaster.ca Deadline: Sept. 15 Not grouped students in C02 after the deadline will be randomly assigned to form new groups Everybody in C02 will be informed by his/her group assignment no later than Sept. 18

Proposal Raise and collect possible project ideas Think of the application, rather than the technology Think of what is needed, rather than what you are good at Every partner needs to make contribution to project ideas Search literature (publications and internet links) for inspirations

Proposal Identify the project to work with Comparison and analysis on: significance in application, impact to the general audience, technical soundness, feasibility Get the opinion from the instructor Get the unanimous support from every partner on the final selection

Proposal Prepare for the proposal presentation Motivation Background (similar works done by others) Feasibility (manpower with necessary knowledge and skills involved, time, and funds) Step-by-step technical approach Scheduling Risks and alternative plan

Proposal format Objectives: (Up to 10 lines) Resources: Clear and concise Resources: People - Names and effective time Facility/Equipment/Software/Funding Description: (4 pages maximum) Motivation Background (with references) Project details – Provide details of each milestone and expected time for its completion (usually set your target at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold level)

Proposal format Scheduling: Assumptions/Risks: Examples: Deliverables: Make use of Gantt Charts Assumptions/Risks: Examples: Delayed delivery of components Components too expensive Deliverables: Itemize each deliverable (at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold level) Summary: (Up to 10 lines) Focus on expected end results

Proposal Proposal due: Oct. 2 Presentation time: In the week of Oct. 2-6, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group Location: ABB-165 (Lecture room) and ABB-163 (tutorial room) 1st mandatory meeting: In the week of Oct. 2-6, after each group’s presentation, 15~20 minutes for each group Location: ITB-A313

A project example Input Interface Sensor Temperature Pressure Motion ECG signal …… Analog electric signal A/D Digital electric Processor Display D/A Driving circuit Control unit Output Interface

Milestone A About 1/3 of the work done: Demo A: Simulation (if possible) is successful Hardware components are ready Logic design for the processor is ready Circuit design for I/O interfaces is ready Demo A: Show the simulation result (if there is any) Show the logic and circuit designs Check the component list

Milestone A Milestone A progress report: Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure Problems encountered Prediction on progress

Milestone A Milestone A progress report due: Dec. 11 Demo A time: In the week of Dec. 11-15, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group Location: ABB-165 (Lecture room) and ABB-163 (tutorial room) 2nd mandatory meeting: In the week of Dec. 11-15, after each group’s demo A, 15~20 minutes for each group Location: ITB-A313

Milestone B About 2/3 of the work done: Demo B: Implementation of major part completed Demo B: Show a closed-loop working system Identify the major function

Milestone B Milestone B progress report: Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure Problems encountered Prediction on progress

Milestone B Milestone B progress report due: Jan. 15 Demo B time: In the week of Jan. 15-19, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group Location: ABB-165 (Lecture room) and ABB-163 (tutorial room) 3rd mandatory meeting: In the week of Jan. 15-19, after each group’s demo B, 15~20 minutes for each group Location: ITB-A313

Milestone C About 90% of the work done: Demo C: Implementation completed at least at the Bronze level Demo C: Identify added functions Consider how to show the full system in a most attractive way on the EXPO Day

Milestone C Milestone C progress report: Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure Problems encountered Prediction on progress

Milestone C Milestone C progress report due: Mar. 5 Demo C time: In the week of Mar. 5-9, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group Location: ABB-165 (Lecture room) and ABB-163 (tutorial room) 4th mandatory meeting: In the week of Mar. 5-9, after each group’s demo C, 15~20 minutes for each group Location: ITB-A313

Progress report format (for all demos) Project briefing (in a few lines) Technical approach List of tasks Current status Problems encountered Problems yet to be solved

Final check – on Apr. 2 Check the working status of the fully functional system Check miscellaneous issues for display: panel posters, power supplies, system settings, possible interferences (space, wireless, etc.)

EXPO day – on Apr. 5 A full day, every partner must show up Always leave at least one partner at your booth Every partner must be at your booth for the presentation to examiners, and for possible extra presentations to VIPs Clean up your booth upon completion, don’t drop any piece in your system

Final report – due on Apr. 13 Introduction (motivation and background) Project goals and planned approach Actual approach (design, modeling/simulation, implementation) Critical problems solved Conclusion (final result achieved) Future plan (any potential market value or specific usage?)

Assessment Proposal 15% Demo A 15% Demo B 15% Demo C 15% Final (including final demo/presentation/poster/report) 40% Weight factor 0.8~1.2 (depending on technical complexity)

Resources Manpower: 4 (on average) Time: ~6 months Lab space: ITB-156 (open full time) IEEE student chapter: PCB milling Instructor: ITB-A313, ext. 27698, lixun@mcmaster.ca TAs’ office hour: 1 TA available every afternoon in Lab (ITB-156) from Monday to Friday

Suggested approach Find an application: better to utilize an existing technology to solve a new problem, or enhance a popular technology, rather than to develop a new technology from scratch Set up step-by-step technical approach that will lead to the final accomplishment of the goal Complete a design for the whole system Find components: read data sheet beforehand, make careful comparisons on multiple choices, weigh among performance, cost, and lead time

Suggested approach 5. Run simulations or perform analyses to your design, with components specified by the data sheet 6. Order components or start over again from step 4 or even step 3, depending on the result of step 5 7. Build your system towards the Bronze level 8. Test your system 9. Add features to your system to reach the Silver, or Gold level

Suggested approach 10. A few hints in the execution process: Work on a parallel, rather than a serial fashion whenever possible (for saving time) Always have a plan B Think about if your system will be well presentable to the general audience on the poster day