Reflect and Share

Show your final product through photos and/or video

Explain how it works/doesn’t work using scientific terminology

The battery stores chemical energy which through the circuit is converted into electrical energy.  Then, according to Matsusada, through the LED strip, this electrical energy is converted into light energy when “the current flows through the PN junction.” Essentially, this means that when electricity flows through the diodes, “the holes and electrons in the P-type semiconductor combine”, and the energy is emitted as light.

Explain the areas of success you found in the process

 The design turned out exactly as I envisioned it, so in terms of the process, I think I was successful in meticulously planning my process to ensure my success. Additionally, I’m quite proud that, during the create project, despite having a lot of failures in my attempt of having the string hold on to the balloon, I continued to trust the create and improve the process which addresses such attempts and persisted in the continuation of making my product following the original plan which is a part of why I believe I found success in my product.

Explain the areas you need to improve in the product

I asked for feedback on the product and Mr Hussack recommended me to spray paint the stand of my lamp to improve the aesthetics. I feel like this would help as my stand is made of an old, recycled “beaker heater” and this would help cover the rust on the stand giving it a more ‘new’ and professionally made look. However, I didn’t have enough time to spend two classes spraying and waiting for the stand to dry.

Explain the impact of this project on the environment, and the potential client/consumer/audience.

The lamp’s impact on the environment is mainly good. The lamp is made fully out of recycled materials from the cardboard to the LED light to the stand to the string and more. However, the lamp is powered through single-use batteries instead of renewable energy. Additionally, as mentioned before on how LEDs work, the process allows the electrical energy to convert to mainly light energy due to the PN junction which saves a lot of energy compared to normal light bulbs which produce a lot of thermal waste energy. Also, my target consumer was myself or those who like me who want a bedside lamp for dim light during late work hours or just purely want something to match a bohemian aesthetic.  I believe my lamp does somewhat achieve that. The lamp is made up of only one LED strip which provides enough illumination for roughly 2 meters around it which couples with how the lampshade blocks out some light gives off a nice dimmed light effect. However, the stand of the light gives off a modern-like look, which though looks nice, does not fit my initial intent of a bohemian aesthetic. Also, the stand takes up a lot of space and considering my audience would probably have this lamp on their bedside table as it’s intended for “late workers” it’s inconvenient in the sense that it takes up a lot of space leaving the already small bedside table even more cramped and impractical.

Create and Improve

Day #1

Plan: Collect and bring the materials needed. Begin making the prototype of the lampshade. Document the process by taking pictures and videos. Write blog post #1

Actual thing I did: After collecting the materials, I began to create my first prototype following this tutorial:

However, unlike the video, my string could not stay in place and wrap around the balloon. I wondered if it was because the balloon I blew was too big, which would prevent the string from applying pressure to the balloon and having a firmer grip as it would be too inflated. I tried again with a smaller balloon. This time the hemp string held onto the balloon for longer, but it eventually slipped off again. So, I decided to try it with a thinner string thinking it would be more malleable and soak up the glue and water solution better for a better grip on the balloon instead of holding on to the string like the first balloon. So, I tried again for the third time. It worked better than both of the trials before, but it still eventually slipped.

Day #2

Plan:  Finish find the perfect technique to use to make the lampshade with prototypes and begin making the actual product, documenting the process along the way. Write blog post #2

Actual thing I did: At this rate, I was really upset with the constant trial and error. So, I decided to use this class to do extensive research on this paper mache-ing technique. After spending half of the class doing research,  realized that there seems to be a variety in the consistency of the glue for each video. In some videos, the creator used pure white glue and in others glue and water at a 1:1 ratio. I’ve been using the solution of glue and water at a 1:1 ratio. So, I decided to try one more prototype using a pure glue solution. This time it worked! That is until I let it out to dry…..

Day #3

Plan: Begin making the final product, and document the process. Begin writing blog post #3

Actual thing I did: At this point, I was behind on my plan, I was still trying to figure out how to make my string grip the balloon. I continued to surf the internet for a way to paper mache better. Then, I stumbled across a video where the person used the “tail nudge” thing on the balloon as an anchor for the string to wrap around instead of the smooth balloon surface. I was in desperation for this lampshade to work, so I literally tried everything– glue solution, balloon size, string type, the application of the glue to make sure the string would tangle. AND AFTER EVERYTHING, THIS METHOD COMBINED WITH MY PREVIOUS DISCOVERIES, WORKED!!!!!!!! This method, coupled with using only the glue as the solution, using thin string, untangling the string before dipping it into the glue, using Olivia as my string provider as I wrapped the balloon, allowed me to finally make the lampshade without the string falling off. To ensure this string would hold I also sprayed on this ‘hairspray-like’ spray to hold its shape.

Day #4,

Plan: Finalize the product. Seek feedback and reviews from teachers and peers.

What I actually did:

After the shell dried, I cut a hole in the shade to put the light and battery there. However, the area of the shell where the hole was cut was really fragile if you pressed on it (as seen in the photo):

However, my initial design for the light switch was to have it attached to the shell– meaning that whenever I pressed the button to turn on or off the lamp the shade would be damaged. So, I decided to change the design so the button wouldn’t be attached to the shade but hang, like this:

Then I started to try and create the stand of the lamp. However, I stumbled across this old lamp heater stand for beakers and it fit my lamp perfectly while meeting my previously mentioned criteria of being recycled.

Day #5

Plan: Work on improving the product base on the feedback

What I actually did:

At this point I was basically done, I just needed to refine some details.

Here’s what I did:

1.  The hairspray from earlier left this film of dried-up spray around my lampshade so I grabbed a tweezer and tried to get most of it off:

2. I wanted my circuit to be working for longer so I soldered the wires together.

3.  I covered the edge of the cardboard bottom with hemp string to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Develop and Plan

Techniques I will need to master:

Circuits:

-Assembling

-Soldering:

Paper Maché:

-Wrapping the balloon

-Getting the consistency of the glue right

Plan & Timeline:

Feb 21st: Define and Inquire. Choose a product and settle on a design. Sketch the plan out.  Check for approval from Mr Hussack

Feb 23rd: Design lab workday #1,  Collect and bring the materials needed. Begin making the prototype of the lampshade. Document the process by taking pictures and videos.  Write blog post #1

Feb 25th: Design lab workday #2, Finish find the perfect technique to use to make the lampshade with prototypes and begin making the actual product, documenting the process along the way.  Write blog post #2

Mar 1st: Design lab workday #3, Begin making the final product, and document the process. Begin writing blog post #3

Mar 3rd: Design lab workday #4, Finalize the product.  Seek feedback and reviews from teachers and peers. Continue writing blog post #3

Mar 7th: Design lab workday#5 Work on improving the product based on the feedback.  Finish writing blog post #3

Mar 9th:  Begin writing blog post #4

Mar 11th:  Finish writing blog post #4 and do any final edits of all the blog posts. Submit assessment!

Define and Inquire

This engineering task revolves around designing and making a product that converts energy aimed at a specific client. Since the end product will be taken home by me, I decided that the “problem” to be solved for this design would be particular to myself and those who require the same “solution.”

I share a bedroom with someone who has a different sleep schedule than me. This poses a problem as my bedroom’s lights are all incredibly luminous: having the light on wakes up my roommate, but if I turn them off, it’s exhausting to my eyes (as I would be staying up working in front of a device in the dark). Hence, I had the idea of making a lamp for my project as it fits the requirement of turning electric energy into light energy. This lamp will not only be specific to clients with such conditions as mine, but the product serves to produce a small light source and to decorate (rooms with a minimalistic, bohemian style like my own).

Knowing that I wanted to make a night lamp, I began surfing for designs on the web, keeping in mind the four criteria of a lamp design I wanted to meet:

Aesthetic:

One of the intents of this design is to decorate. Aesthetics is a vital aspect of the plan. Looking at the photos below, my room is a mix of a vintage, minimalistic, and bohemian aesthetic. Therefore, the lamp would have to match such moods.

Doability:

With a five day limit to this engineering task, the lamp shouldn’t require much effort to finish, especially since the engineer is a fourteen-year-old with no arts and crafts skills.

“EcoFriendly”:

I am making a lamp so the product will not be releasing much waste or pollution when functioning. However, the lamp must operate on LED instead of the typical light bulb. This is as LEDs use “much less energy than incandescent bulbs because diode light is much more efficient, power-wise, than filament light.” Essentially, using LEDs would save a lot more energy. I also want to make sure my lamp would be made primarily of recycled material.

Portability:

The outlets near my desk are all in use; hence,  the lamp I make must be portable.

Here are some designs I found and wanted to consider:

#1

I like how this design seems easy and doable and the effects of the light shining through the holes. It also meets my criteria for portability because there isn’t much need for a wire to connect the light. It’s also easy for me to change the lampshade material to a recycled material such as cardboard or an old cereal box or change the lights to LED.

However, I’m concerned about the aspect of hiding the battery pack. Also, when the lights are off, the lamp might look out of place, and a bit childish, primarily if I use recycled material as the shade and the stars aren’t cut out perfectly. Additionally, the vibe of my room is more vintage and rustic bohemian, and I feel like having something so geometric and perhaps childish if not executed correctly would be unfitting. Therefore, in terms of aesthetics, I would say this does not pass as it does not fit the vibe, but if I want to meet my criteria for being eco-friendly, it will look silly. Overall, I would say this design is unsuitable as I could easily find another plan with the same or better effects of this lamp which wouldn’t have as many cons.

#2

Keeping in mind the pros and cons of the first design, I went to find the following design idea. I saw this lamp and thought it was doable and looked cool like the first one. However, this design fits the vibe of my room while being eco-friendly since it’s a recycled bottle that gives it a rustic look. However, looking at the design, you would have to use a wired plugin to power the lamp, and I want to use batteries and LEDs. The lamp would lose its aesthetic of the wire going through the transparent bottle if I switched to LEDs. Also, I think without a light bulb, the lamp would look a bit weird, seeing as it’s a typical lampshade with an “unusual” LED strip lighting instead of a “classical” light bulb. Overall, I think this design meets the criteria for eco-friendliness and aesthetics better than the first plan. It also is doable over a five-class period. The only con is that it’s not portable; however, I like this design the best.

#3

Then, I ran into the third design Idea, the hanging string light. It’s doable– I’ve found many youtube tutorials on this. The bohemian-ness of the strings matches my room for a rustic look, especially since my bedside tray is also stringy/ woven/basket-y  (look above in the aesthetic section). I feel like this design would look cohesive to my room. Also, I think that having an LED strip instead of a lightbulb would not look outlandish but aesthetic in this design, seeing as the lampshade is quite unusual/ not classic, so the lighting unit wouldn’t look weird if it weren’t a “classical” light bulb. I also think I could easily hide the battery unit to make it look good and meet my criteria for being portable. So, this lamp ticked all my aesthetic, eco-friendliness, doability, and portability boxes. However, I want to put this in my room, and I think hanging it on the roof would pose some difficulties seeing as I would have an irrational fear of the lamp falling down because I would be the one attaching it on the roof, not a professional. However, I really liked the looks, and it checked all my boxes, so I decided to, with this idea, however, adjust the attachment of the lamp to one that would stand up and not hang.

Good:

•Fluency, dynamics, punctuality

•I offered different insights than my peers

• I linked the text to the audience

Improvements:

•Advocating for speaking opportunities

• elaborated further

•Specific questions

Insights:

•coin hit on the head’s symbol – poverty restricting education

• The title of “The Partridge and a Pear Tree” may be less about the symbol of the Patridge and more about the allusion

• I need to find the balance between dominating and staying quiet.

What did I do well in the formative Socratic seminar?

•contributing to the discussion and adding on ideas

What do I still need to work on?

•Inviting others to contribute

• Annotating the text with detail and thinking about questions while doing so

• Questions that prompt the team for a more fruitful conversation

•Incorperating the specific  textual evidence

•Using analytic language

•Using literary terms in my analysis

What steps will I take to achieve these goals?

•Doing research on the jokes and references mentioned in the story

•Looking over the exemplar questions

What did you do well?

I used a formal tone and supported my analysis with appropriate evidence.

What do you still need to work on?

I needed to do parenthetical citations for the second thesis of my first body paragraph to avoid plagiarism.

Wikipedia Contributors. “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I’m_Nobody!_Who_are_you%3F.

What goals do you still have for next time?

I need to pay attention to the correct form of article for grammar.

How will you work to achieve form?

Make sure to check Grammarly’s suggestion.

I have employed a range of language techniques appropriate for the elements of fiction in my creative pieces. I have also developed a good understanding of how to analyze these techniques, and it’s effects on the reader. In my creative writing journal, I created and crafted a thoughtful response to the techniques I used. I need to work on language.  Grammar in my pieces was not deployed well. To improve, I would need to really take in the time and effort to thoroughly edit my work. I could use websites such as grammar to help me in this.  I could have also asked Dr Maloney for help on my reflection as this project was not timed in class. I noticed that in my common vertical, I also didn’t score very high in grammar. I believe I could use also use IXL to improve my grammar on top of using these websites. Additionally, I definitely need to be reading more. Through reading, I can be exposed to more authors who use different techniques in writing. This can help me annotate the writing more insightfully.