Lessons Learned

Some of the challenges we are running into include the orientation of the servo laser combination above the photoresistor board and integrating Wi-Fi control into our design. We will also have some challenges with organizing the general wiring, considering there will be many different wires in a small area. Finishing the project early would help significantly since there are other projects that we need to complete.

Working diligently and not at the last second was very critical for us. Both of us have tough, demanding classes, so getting a head start on our tasks for this project was very important. The biggest limiting factor for us was time. Our course load was very demanding and if we had more time we would be able to clean up multiple aspects of our project. Another limiting factor were the vibrations caused by the servos. These would move the laser out of position and had to be fixed by increased thickness of the arm and connectors used on the servos and laser. Next time we would do the CAD components first, not the electronics. It is easy to move wires around to fit a clean-looking well-made housing, but having to design a housing around breadboards and components that are already finished was a backwards way to do things.

Our gems of wisdom include:

• Work early, work often

• Again work early work often

• Create a realistic timeline, stick to it

• Divide up roles according to skills

• Meet consistently

• Ask questions, ask for help

• Get a head start on sections you are uncomfortable with

• Leave a decent amount of time for troubleshooting