The next 10 weeks of instruction will cover several areas that are not specific to any particular micro controller platform.  These will be critical skills to master in order to be successful in deploying equipment for long term use.  The instruction will also cover integration with existing hardware, which is a value added skill set.  More importantly, the impact on design from budget constraints will be put in practice.  Lastly, the quarter will not focus on the traditional mid term and term papers of previous quarters.  Instead, the subject matter will be collected and placed daily on the blog.  The blog will allow the material to take on a life of its own as insights and discoveries are made.

The quarter will follow this topic theme for the material.  The topics are: Costs, Cases, Connections, Compartments, and Captures.  Here is a brief of each topic.

Costs – This is the budgeting behind the design, build, and deployment.  Procurement of parts, components, supplies, and tools add up quick.  The time and shipping costs have to be balanced against the luxury of local availability.  There is also the issue of buying blind, which can break a project at the start.

Cases – The equipment has to be put in some kind of enclosure.  This can be anything from a plastic bag wrapped in electric tape to a custom 3D printed case.  Several options are available to the designer and the list of materials to choose from are vast.  Most of the focus will be on fabricating plastic enclosures for specific applications.  Tap Plastics will be the primary source for this quarter.

Connections – Interconnecting controllers, sensors, power, and peripherals will be covered.  Wire to wire, wire to board, slip connect, snap connect, and wireless options will be explored.  Cable management and connector identification methods will also covered.  The back bone of any electronics system is the connection bus.  This is why having a solid connector methodology is key to the success of any project.

Compartments – This area is more an art than a science.  Integrating new electronics inside objects that typically do not, will be the focus of this topic.  The topic will cover objects that range from hand held to structures and vehicles.  Most of the effort will be making the components conform to the object, so as to not change the objects form.

Captures – Existing hardware is a valuable resource in large part due to its potential.  Most electronics systems use standard connection protocols that can be tapped into.  This can enable a project greater features without the efforts of sub system design.

 

Dates to remember for the Winter 2014 Quarter

1/6/2014	Monday	Winter 2014 classes begin.
1/20/2014	Monday	Academic Holiday – Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday observed. Campus closed.
2/17/2014	Monday	Academic Holiday – George Washington’s birthday observed. Campus closed.
3/14/2014	Friday	Last day of instruction