User:1sfoerster/enes100/fall2013/poLaserPrinter-501

Welcome to our laser printer project page. Here you can find information about our project, including pictures and video, and also see what the next steps are going forward.

Problem Statement (Finish description)
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math needs to be displayed. A laser printer can be taken apart, mounted on plywood and then mounted on a wall. The printer's parts could be functional, but exposed so everyone can see how it works. The printer's parts could turn on when someone walks by.

Conceive
Market/Customer Needs People walking past rooms CL-158, CL-159 and CL-160 need to know that they are walking by engineering rooms. They need to be engaged in displays that reflect engineering, brand HCC as an engineering school and are memorable enough to attract visitors.

Initial target goals Plywood mounted on wall vertically with guts of laser printer on display.

System performance metrics Building and grounds can maintain floors, walls and ceiling infrastructure. Fire and safety codes are not violated. Sharp protruding objects can not be accidentally run into. The laser may need to be replaced with a bright LED in order to not hurt people's eyes.

Project cost and schedule Cost of plywood, plexiglass and mounting hardware could exceed $100 per 2ft by 4 ft section.

Estimation and allocation of resources Resources can all come from engineering department, donated laser printers and existing disposable resources in the engineering room should cover most other needs.

Alternatives This conceive focuses on the "science on display" finished vision of this project. Other conceives could be written based upon:
 * Reuse of the motor/gear mechanisms for winding and unwinding ropes in various projects.
 * Toner excitation into a cloud might be able to be coupled with electromagnets and heating elements like a microwave to instantly create 3D structures.

Design

 * Reverse Engineering:
 * Training video and tutorials found
 * It was important for us to know how the laser in a laser printer worked, and this | video helped us understand the printing process.
 * [|Wikipedia] also helped us better understand the process of the laser.
 * The Design Process

 File:LaserPrinter.JPG|HP LaserJet 4200n Printer File:Laser Printer Top Open.JPG|Front of the printer with the control panel exposed File:Motherboard2.JPG|The motherboard File:HPLaserJetLaser.JPG|The fuse roller File:Fuseroller.JPG|The bottom of the fuse roller File:Paperfeed.JPG|This is where the paper entered the printer File:Cartridge.jpg|A side view of the printer cartridge after removing all side panels. A frequent problem we encountered was that the printer did not recognize the cartridge was intact, thus we could not print when this occurred. File:Frontofprinter.JPG|A front view of the printer. The protective panel covering the laser is removed. File:Ink Paper.JPG|During our test prints, sometimes the paper didn't make it through the fuse roller and thus the toner was still in powder form.


 * Prototypes tested
 * [| Printer diagnostic test 1]
 * [| Printer diagnostic test 2]
 * [| Printer diagnostic test 3]
 * Iteration
 * We often used iteration by removing parts and printing a test page. This ensured that the printer would still work after parts had been removed.
 * Final Design
 * Utilization of Knowledge in Design
 * [| Printer Start-up video]


 * Technical and scientific knowledge
 * [| Overview of the laser]
 * Creativity, problem solving and group decision-making
 * A lot of decision making was group based because we worked together on the project frequently. Problem solving was usually an individual effort, where we would all try our ideas, then collaborate after we had all attempted. Though most times our ideas did not work, they would create new ideas by sparking conversation, and this would lead to more solutions. The problem with the printer recognizing the cartridge is an example of when this worked.
 * Multi-Objective Design (DFX Design_for_X or Design For Excellence)
 * Maintainability, reliability, and safety
 * A laser printer prints images with a laser projection, and because we exposed the laser when taking apart the printer, it was crucial to consider laser safety. Our printer had a Class 3B laser, and so looking up the laser safety specific to our laser before fiddling with it was a necessary precaution.

 File:Laser Case.JPG|The laser was covered with this case with warnings about Laser Safety. File:Safety Label for laser.jpg|The Warning/Safety precaution sticker that was on metal cover keeping the laser hidden. File:Laser and Reflecting Mirrors.jpg|The uncovered birds eye view of the laser in the top left, and spinning reflecting wheel in lower right. File:Actual Laser.JPG|A close up of the actual laser shooting the invisible beam. 

Next Steps

 * Remove working parts and put on plywood
 * Display for students to moving parts

A way to push this project forward is by using the printer for the Access Project.