The 3D Plotter from EduTech

1
The 3D Plotter from EduTech

• Leah Finkel CEO
• Julio Perez CFO
• Anna Seung CTO
• Iman Shahsavani VPO
• April 9, 2008

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Outline

• Introductions
• Motivation
• Existing solutions
• High-level system design
• Logic/hardware
• Software
• Structural
• User interface
• Finances
• Timeline
• Lessons learned
• Future work
• QA

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Introductions

Name Title Major contributions
Leah Finkel CEO Structural design, hardware debugging, editing documentation
Julio Perez CFO Overall system design, animation, software debugging
Anna Seung CTO Hardware assembly, crystal structure/equation models
Iman Shahsavani VPO Software development, user interface
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Motivation why the 3D Plotter?

• Huge range of applications for 3D imaging
  systems
• Entertainment
• Educational
• Modelling for parts fabrication
• Medical imaging
• Shortcomings of existing systems
• Too expensive
• Only large-scale
• Not true 3D

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Existing 3D imaging solutions
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System overview
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Major features

• True 3D can be viewed from any angle
• 4 modes of operation
• DRAW (create your own 3D images)
• MATH (display equations in up to 3 variables)
• MODEL (display crystal lattice structures)
• ANIMATION (play 3D animated sequences)
• Low cost 512 multicolour LEDs individually
  controlled with one PIC

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Logic design
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Software design

• C compiler
• Refresh rate
• User interface and matrix controlled from same
  processor

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Software (contd)

• State machine matrix represented by 8x8 char
  array, each char 8 bits wide, which gives 8x8x8
  memory locations.

8 bits
8 bits
0,0

0,7



7,0

7,7
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User interface

• Pushbutton set with LCD for visual feedback
• Simple, intuitive, low-cost
• DRAW mode navigational input inspired by
  Etch-a-Sketch toy (x and y knobs)

Draw in x Draw in y
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Structural design

• Challenge to design LED matrix such that
• Structure does not obscure view of deep LEDs
• Structure does not fall apart
• R, G, B and ground leads do not touch
• Each LED and each colour can be controlled
  independently

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Structural design (contd)
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Finances
Item Estimated Cost Actual Cost Revenues
600 R-G-B LEDs 200 365.55 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
PCB manufacturing 150 -- 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
PIC Programmer 50 106.40 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
User interface 10 24.00 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
Housing 20 -- 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
Miscellaneous 20 115.70 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
Contingency 50 50.00 350.00 (ESSEF) 310.65 (EduTech)
Total 500 661.65 661.65
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Timeline projected vs. actual
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Lessons learned

• What helped us
• Scaled-down model for overall design/software
  testing
• Research on similar projects
• Healthy group dynamics
• What we wish wed done
• Test every component prior to assembly (ie.
  bipolar LEDs)
• custom PCB for easier access to hardware for
  debugging, better connections
• Time management!

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Future work

• Increase resolution and size
• Interface with 3D modelling software
• Develop libraries of hard-coded images for MATH,
  MODEL, ANIMATION modes

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Sources of Information

• http//hypnocube.com/
• http//www.htsoft.com/
• http//www.microchip.com/
• http//www.lomont.org/

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Patrick Leung
• Mr. Steve Whitmore
• Brad Oldham and Jason Lee, TAs
• Fred Heep, Lab Technician
• Microchip (free PICs)
• Chris Lomont and Gene Foulk, makers of Hypnocube

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• Questions?

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Demo

• Step 1 MATH mode
• Z XY

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Demo

• Step 2 MODEL mode

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Demo

• Step 3 ANIMATION mode

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Demo

• Step 4 DRAW mode