Engineering Design

1. Engineering Design - A general approach

2. Outline • Form a group • Proposal • Technology review • Progress report • Progress presentation • Demo • Poster day • Final report • Assessment • Resources • Suggested approach

3. Form a group • Find partners (usually 4 in each group) as early as possible • Better with a project idea already before looking for partners • Better to find partners with complementary talents and/or skills • Mutual respect

4. Form a group • Send your team members’ information (full name, student ID, and e-mail address) to lixun@mcmaster.ca • Deadline: Sept. 17 • Not grouped students in C01 after the deadline will be randomly assigned to form new groups • Everybody in C01 will be informed by his/her group assignment no later than Sept. 20

5. Proposal • Raise and collect possible project ideas • Think of the application, rather than the technology • Think of what is needed, rather than what you are good at • Every partner needs to make contribution to project ideas • Search literature (publications and internet links) for inspirations

6. Proposal • Identify the project to work with • Comparison and analysis on: significance in application, impact to the general audience, technical soundness, feasibility • Get the opinion from the instructor • Get the unanimous support from every partner on the final selection

7. Proposal • Prepare for the proposal presentation • Motivation • Background (similar works done by others) • Feasibility (manpower with necessary knowledge and skills involved, time, and funds) • Step-by-step technical approach • Scheduling • Risks and alternative plan

8. Proposal format • Objectives: (Up to 10 lines) Clear and concise • Resources: People - Names and effective time Facility/Equipment/Software/Funding • Description:(4 pages maximum) Motivation Background (with references) Project details – Provide details of each milestone and expected time for its completion (usually set your target at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold level)

9. Proposal format • Scheduling: Make use of Gantt Charts • Assumptions/Risks: Examples: • Delayed delivery of components • Components too expensive • Deliverables: Itemize each deliverable (at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold level) • Summary: (Up to 10 lines) Focus on expected end results

10. Proposal • Proposal due: Oct. 15 (make submission to lixun@mcmaster.ca) • Presentation time: • In the week of Oct. 15-19, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group • Location: BSB-120 (Lecture room) and JHE-326H (Tutorial room) • Mandatory meeting (if necessary): • In the week of Oct. 15-19, after each group’s presentation, 15~20 minutes for each group • Location: ITB-A313

11. Analog electric signal Temperature Pressure Motion ECG signal …… Sensor A/D Processor Digital electric signal Control unit Driving circuit D/A Analog electric signal Display A project example Input Interface Output Interface

12. Technology review • About 1/4 of the work done: • Simulation (if possible) is successful • Hardware components are ready • Logic design for the processor is ready • Circuit design for I/O interfaces is ready • Review meeting: • Show the simulation result (if there is any) • Show the logic and circuit designs • Check the component list

13. Technology review • Meeting to report following details: • Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure • Problems encountered • Prediction on progress • Meeting schedule: • In the week of Nov. 5-9, at the normal lecture and tutorial hours, 10~15 minutes for each group • Location: ITB-A313

14. Progress report • About 1/3~1/2 of the work done: • Implementation of major part (function blocks) completed • Report: • Show a closed-loop working system block-diagram • Identify the major function • Give implementation details on the completed function blocks • Self-evaluation

15. Progress report • Progress report contents: • Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure • Problems encountered • Prediction on progress • Self-evaluation result • Progress report due: Dec. 17 (make submission to lixun@mcmaster.ca)

16. Progress report format • Project briefing (in a few lines) • Technical approach • List of tasks • Current status • Problems encountered • Problems yet to be solved • Self-evaluation (In a separate paragraph, indicate each group member’s contribution in the project)

17. Progress presentation • Presentation: • Current status: implementation, scheduling, expenditure • Show the main loop of a working prototype • Identify further added functions • Problems encountered • Prediction on progress • Consider how to show the full system in a most attractive way at ECE EXPO • Schedule: Mid. Jan. 2019 (exact time TBD)

18. Demo and final check • Check the working status of the fully functional system • Check miscellaneous issues for display: panel posters, power supplies, system settings, possible interferences (space, wireless, etc.) • Schedule: Feb. - Mar. 2019 (exact time TBD)

19. ECE EXPO day on early April • A full day, every partner must show up • Always leave at least one partner at your booth • Every partner must be at your booth for the presentation to examiners, and for possible extra presentations to VIPs • Clean up your booth upon completion, don’t drop any piece in your system

20. Final report – due TBD • Introduction (motivation and background) • Project goals and planned approach • Actual approach (design, modeling/simulation, implementation) • Critical problems solved • Conclusion (final result achieved) • Future plan (any potential market value or specific usage?)

21. Assessment • Proposal 20% • Progress report 20% (whole group 15%, individual member 5%) • Progress presentation 10% • Final 50% (including final report, presentation, poster, ECE EXPO, and peer evaluation)

22. Resources • Manpower: 4 (on average) • Time: ~6 months • Lab space: ITB-156 (open full time) • IEEE student chapter: PCB milling • Instructor: ITB-A313, ext. 27698, lixun@mcmaster.ca • TAs’ office hour: 1 TA available every afternoon in Lab (ITB-156) from Monday to Friday

23. Suggested approach • Find an application: better to utilize an existing technology to solve a new problem, or enhance a popular technology, rather than to develop a new technology from scratch • Set up step-by-step technical approach that will lead to the final accomplishment of the goal • Complete a design for the whole system • Find components: read data sheet beforehand, make careful comparisons on multiple choices, weigh among performance, cost, and lead time

24. Suggested approach 5. Run simulations or perform analyses to your design, with components specified by the data sheet 6. Order components or start over again from step 4 or even step 3, depending on the result of step 5 7. Build your system towards the Bronze level 8. Test your system 9. Add features to your system to reach the Silver, or Gold level

25. Suggested approach 10. A few hints in the execution process: • Work on a parallel, rather than a serial fashion whenever possible (for saving time) • Always have a plan B • Think about if your system will be well presentable to the general audience on the poster day