solderbaat^1.0

This page contains the most important documentation recorded throughout the development of the prototype. All files are in PDF format and are easily downloaded by clicking the link or the PDF icon. The purpose of each particular document is explained alongside the link to the file. The Primary Documentation section contains those files explicitly requested for documentation, while the Supplementary Documentation contains links to files found in other sections, or other files deemed important.

In this section, the system operation and user interfaces are described. The document below is the User Manual, and contains information for an average, non-technical user to operate SolderBaat, as well as detailed technical descriptions for advanced troubleshooting. Additionally, the safety concerns associated with the device's operation are made clear, and requirements ensuring safe operation are given.

User Manual
	User Manual (1.02 MB)

During the concept development, several issues appeared that would require a further technical analysis in order to make a quantitative justification for these design decisions. Each trade study addresses one of these issues and uses an analytic or numerical model to provide the quantitative justification.

Trade Studies
	Nick - Lift Mechanism Analysis - Nick's trade study addessed the issue of designing the lift mechanism. The purpose was twofold: to determine dimensions necessary for the correct lift elevations, and to determine a suitable motor to drive the lift. The results of his analysis directly determined the lift design used in the final prototype.
	Jeff - Gripper Mechanism Analysis - Jeff's trade study addessed the issue of designing the gripper mechanism. Using both expermintal data from gripper strength tests and a theoretical model of the gripping action, Jeff determined a quantitative justification for the design of the gripper and the solenoid requirements.
	Mike - Soldering System Analysis - Mike's trade study addessed the issue of designing the soldering system. The choice for the soldering iron power, the type of solder, the length of the feed solder, and the time for the soldering operation were determined using theoretical heat transfer models and experimental data.
	Dave - Horizontal Motor Control Analysis - Dave's trade study addressed the issue of controlling the horizontal motion. By constructing a virtual motion control model using the lead screw geometry, stepper motor parameters, and the application of a PID controller, it was determined that close-loop feedback control based on limit switches would be the most feasible.
	Brad - Bearings and Connections Analysis - Brad's trady study addressed the issue of the best design choice for bearings and connections. Using theoretical machine elements models, Brad determined the optimal bearings and pin joints, and the results of this trade study directly determined these design decisions.

Each week, a member of Precision SATLAB delivered a presentation explaining the current state of SolderBaat's development. The purpose of each review is to explain to the Board of Directors the current status of the design, the progress according to the team's schedule, potential showstoppers, three action items for the previous week, and three actions items to be worked out during the current week.

Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR)
	Week 1 (09/05/06)
	Week 2 (09/12/06)
	Week 3 (09/19/06)
	Week 4 (09/28/06)
	Week 5 (10/03/06)
	Week 6 (10/10/06)
	Week 7 (10/24/06)
	Week 8 (10/31/06)
	Week 9 (11/07/06)
	Week 10 (11/14/06)

At the completion of the prototype, the Concept Design Review was presented to demonstrate the technical justification for decisions made in the prototype development. This presentation was delivered on two occasions, both times to overhead management as well as a board from industry. The presentation was broken down into (1) the basics of the design concept, (2) the design methodology used to arrive at the concept, (3) the method for fabricating parts and assembling the prototype, (4) the embedded intelligence and automation within the device, and (5) the key feasibility issues, key features, and overall performance of the prototype. This document is now included in the final documentation, and the link to download it is below.

Concept Design Review (CDR)
	CDR (11/28/06)
	Note: The video here (3.89 MB) is recommended for full functionality.

In order to track the amount of time spend on each stage of the project, the members of Precision SATLAB recorded their hours individually. The hours are input every week, and the data recorded includes the number of hours worked and the type of work during these hours. The data is input according to each Precision SATLAB member's randomly assigned letter so that the results are anonymous; the concern here is represent the total time spent on the project, and not necessarily which particular member is doing the work. The total results are to be compiled into the final spreadsheet at the end of the project, and is available now in the final documentation.

As a group, Precision SATLAB spent a combined total of 875 hours on the project. It is clear from the graph above that certain times were busier than others, but the bottom line is that the team saved a lot of time in the end by working hard in the third quarter. Additionally, a fair amount of time spent at the beginning the concept development phase paid off big time in the end. There were unexpected problems all throughout this journey, and the team was prudent to distribute its time wisely. All the time logs are available below, in both weekly formats and the compiled whole.

Summary Statistics
	Complete Statistics
	Team Summary
	Summary Graph

Weekly Task Tracking Summaries (TTS)
	Week 1 (08/21/06)
	Week 2 (08/28/06)
	Week 3 (09/04/06)
	Week 4 (09/11/06)
	Week 5 (09/18/06)
	Week 6 (09/25/06)
	Week 7 (10/02/06)
	Week 8 (10/09/06)
	Week 9 (10/16/06)
	Week 10 (10/23/06)
	Week 11 (10/30/06)
	Week 12 (11/06/06)
	Week 13 (11/13/06)
	Week 14 (11/20/06)
	Week 15 (11/27/06)

Ideas for the concept were first generated individually. Each engineer at Precision SATLAB composed a statement addressing the target market, product design requirements, and a brief written description of the concept. It was also necessary to demonstrate the ideas graphically for each concept.

The final group design evolved from each of these individual concepts, as well as from a series of brainstorming sessions dedicated to key design requirements and possible issues of concern. The team arrived at a concept selection that is described in the document below. This document addresses the key technical issues to pursue through trade studies, as well as the preliminary schedule for the concept completion.

Individual Concept Memos
	Nick
	Jeff
	Mike
	Dave
	Brad
Group Concept Memo
	Group Concept Memo

In order to evaluate the efficacy of the complete protype, Precision SATLAB developed a scoring system for SolderBaat. The main emphasis in the rubric is the completion of the technical requirements necessary to solder the fuse into place. There is emphasis on the importance of the automation of the process as well.

Grading Rubric
	Grading Rubric

The entire developement of the prototype was constructed on a budget of $400, with an additional $100 available from internal sources. The document below is a record of all supplies purchased, and validates the satisfaction of the budget constraint.

Budget
	Expenditures

The project nugget is a concise, one-slide presentation of the entire project. It contains a visual representation of the project's progress, a brief abstract of the key features and the technical challenges, and the project title.

Project Nugget
	Project Nugget