User:Merielle213/ENES-100:/Project 3: Bicycle Turn Signal

Week 1 Narrative
During the past work week I transitioned onto a new project - the Bicycle[|Bicycle Turn Signal]. My group was given an update and overview by the previous team working on the project. Mike was to work on the programming, Rick was to assemble the physical components (Some of which we are waiting on, including the part that I will be printing), and I was to complete the design and printing of the turn signal housing.

Carlos Fernandez had begun a Sketchup design of the turn signal housing. It was a rectangular design with holes for LED to fit into, but when I began to work with it I discovered that it was not to scale and it was easier for me to start from scratch than use the existing Sketchup Design. We also received the LED's that had been ordered and discovered that they were smaller than we expected. So, I began sketching the design and will next create a Sketchup design with my specifications as detailed in the photo below:

Week 2 Narrative
This week I worked on creating a sketchup model of the turn signal housing. I was able to create the front compartment which is visible once assembled and holds the visible part of the LED's, complete with a groove to slide in a piece of 2L soda bottle as a clear protective cover once printed. I also completed the exterior of compartment 2, which houses all the wiring for the LED's. I left a groove to slide in a divider between compartments 2 and 3 later, but I am concerned that running wires through the divider's holes may be difficult if it slides in. A hinged door that could swing closed over the wires would probably be preferable. compartment 3 encounters the issue of weatherproofing. Ir needs a door/closure design that is secure, allows access, and is relatively weatherproof. It also needs a method of attaching to the bicycle. I will continue working on this. See images below:

Week 3 Narrative
This week I struggled with printing the turn signal. When I attempted to print it at the end of last week, it rendered in the Makerware software with a diagonal "lid" covering the LED holes. After hours of reworking the lines in the design the item, rendered correctly, but when printed it had "weak" layers where the PLA was not dense enough. As a result, the box broke into three pieces. The LED mounting area was intact so I was able to remove the supports and get it ready for inserting the LED's. I discarded the LED "cover" piece that was supposed to hold the clear shield weather protector as it printed very poorly. I then sanded the remaining 2 pieces so that they fit together smoothly in preparation for gluing them, back together and lacquering the entire box.