Design: Design projects


At some point in your course you may be required to carry out a
design project. When this happens you might be given the topic for your project or you might be allowed to make your own choice. In either case it's important to be clear about the design problem and to agree the design brief before starting work. For this exercise to be useful, you will also need to define the client for whom you are working (this is normally the person or organisation that has commissioned your work). It's also important to note that the client may not actually be the end-user or ultimate beneficiary of the engineered product that you design.

Here are some typical design problems:

Design Problem 1

Many cycling enthusiasts like to take touring holidays that involve several overnight camping at stops along a route. Unfortunately, most cycles do not have sufficient capacity to carry all of the equipment required for comfortable camping.

Design brief
Develop a design solution for a small camping trailer that can be attached to a cycle and which can carry a typical set of camping equipment for two persons (including tent, sleeping bag, camping stove, cooking pots, utensils and spare clothes).
 

Design Problem 2

Faults with cars and motorcycles are often due to defective electrical contacts and connectors. Unfortunately, such faults can’t usually be traced by simple visual inspection.

Design brief
Develop a design solution for a simple electrical tester that can be used for electrical fault tracing by ordinary motorists as well as car/motorcycle enthusiasts
 

Design Problem 3

When on a fishing trip, many anglers need to leave a rod and line attended for a period of time. Unfortunately, it is often the case that a bite occurs when the rod is left unattended and then the fish gets away!

Design brief
Develop a design solution for a device that can be used to alert an angler to the presence of a fish bite when a rod and line is left unattended.
 

 

Design project checklist

This checklist will help you to check that you have carried out all aspects of the unit assessment:

The design brief

Have you stated who the client is?

Yes/No

Have you given a full description and explanation of what the client needs?

 

Have you identified and explained the key features of the product?

 

The design specification

Have you identified a full set of design criteria for the product?

 

Have you developed a detailed design specification for the product?

 

Have you given details of the production constraints (e.g. must be suitable for volume production)?

 

Design ideas and candidate solutions

Have you generated (and provided full details of) a full range of alternative ideas?

 

Have you shown how you arrived at the final set of candidate solutions and why you selected them?

 

The design solution

Have you shown how you tested your final design solution against the full set of design criteria?

 

Have you given details of how you were able to justify your final design solution?

 

Communicating your design solution

Have you provided drawings of your final design solution using a range of the most appropriate and effective techniques?

 

Have you explained why you selected and used these drawing techniques?

 

Have you included a comprehensive set of drawings that fully comply with sector standards and conventions?

 

Have you provided a comprehensive list of component parts and have you referred to these in your drawings (with explanations where appropriate)?

 

Design evaluation

Have you shown how your final design solution meets the original design brief and design specification?

 

Have you given full details of tests and measurements that you made on the final design soultion?

 

Have you given details of modifications that can be made in order to improve the product? 

 

Have you included a full set of documentation, drawings and graphical illustrations in your design folder?

 

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  Copyright © 2002 Mike Tooley - All rights reserved.  

 

Microprocessor CPU Semiconductor Read-only Memory (ROM) Semiconductor Random Access Memory (RAM) Quartz crystal (to set clock frequency) Input/output (I/O) interface devices Serial I/O port Power supply components Serial interface The system clock provides an accurate time reference for all data transfers within the system The CPU executes the control program and carries out logic and arithmetic operations The ROM stores the control program and any permanent data that is required The RAM stores transient data and variables used during program execution The I/O device provide a means of interfacing the system to the outside world Parallel I/O is used to transfer parallel data (usually in bytes, i.e. 8 bits at a time) into and out of the system The serial port is used to transfer a stream of data into and out of the system one bit at a time The CPU places addresses on the address bus whenever it needs to read from or write to a memory or I/O location Data is transferred into the CPU via the data bus when the CPU is performing a read operation and out of the CPU via the data bus when the CPU is performing a write operation The control bus is used to convey control signals such as READ, WRITE, RESET and INTERRUPT Microprocessor CPU Semiconductor Read-only Memory (ROM) Semiconductor Random Access Memory (RAM) Quartz crystal (to set clock frequency) Input/output (I/O) interface devices Serial I/O port Power supply components Serial interface The system clock provides an accurate time reference for all data transfers within the system The CPU executes the control program and carries out logic and arithmetic operations The ROM stores the control program and any permanent data that is required The RAM stores transient data and variables used during program execution The I/O device provide a means of interfacing the system to the outside world Parallel I/O is used to transfer parallel data (usually in bytes, i.e. 8 bits at a time) into and out of the system The serial port is used to transfer a stream of data into and out of the system one bit at a time The CPU places addresses on the address bus whenever it needs to read from or write to a memory or I/O location Data is transferred into the CPU via the data bus when the CPU is performing a read operation and out of the CPU via the data bus when the CPU is performing a write operation The control bus is used to convey control signals such as READ, WRITE, RESET and INTERRUPT