Accomplish
This week I nailed down the specific components for CapSure’s build. I put together a Bill of Materials in a Google Sheet, cataloging suppliers, part links, and unit costs, and worked through the associated Purchase Forms. While researching the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3, I confirmed the Sense variant integrates an OV3660 camera module and a digital MEMS microphone on-board, which saves us from sourcing and wiring separate peripherals. For storage, I settled on a High Endurance microSD card, since standard consumer cards aren’t rated for the sustained write cycles that continuous video/audio recording demands and tend to degrade quickly under that kind of load. I also ran rough power budget calculations, estimating roughly 400mA average current draw for the system, which is what led me to spec out 2000mAh rechargeable LiPo cells to hit a reasonable runtime target. Separately, I realized our original use-case requirements were functioning more like design requirements, so I restructured them accordingly. For instance, the video/audio quality requirement shifted from a hardware-specific spec (“480p 15fps”) to a functional one (“identify a person at X distance and understand speech at X distance”), with the original spec repurposed as the design requirement it was actually describing.
Progress/Schedule
We’re mostly tracking on schedule, though the ESP32 order is a mild risk. Amazon’s had the shipping at an estimated arrival in early-to-mid October and that was if the order was placed today. To use that dead time productively, I’m planning to get ahead on firmware architecture and wiring diagrams, and start sourcing smaller components (buttons, switches, wire, breadboards) so we’re not blocked once the ESP32 lands.
Deliverables
This week’s goals: finish placing the remaining parts orders, track down where to get the smaller components on campus, and start ramping up on basic CAD tools so I can get familiar with TechSpark’s 3D printing workflow for the enclosure. We’re also aiming to have the Design Review Written Report ready to submit.