As mentioned in my previous status report, this week’s tasks were primarily focused on designing the finalized version of the drum module which incorporated what I learned through the prototype, designing a PCB to house the circuitry within that final module, and drafting the BOM for the components I’d need.
Here are the results of that progress:
The New Drum Module Design:
The EAGLE PCB board:
And the BOM for the EAGLE board and for the FSRs I’ll need:
The main change between these designs and the old prototype module is that I’ve removed the center platform in the drum module. This platform led to some undesired force dissipation along the crossbars, and as such I’m going to instead have the FSR supported through a platform that comes directly through the center of the PCB from the module’s base. Additionally, I’ve trimmed some of the wasted material from the prototype design, which when combined with the removed crossbar should hopefully reduce the printing costs.
The PCB also has LEDs in its 4 corners, which was a post-MVP target we had and which I feel should be readily achievable. I’ve already performed tests of the drum module using some spare LEDs I ad on hand, so I’m confident the ESP32 should be capable of adding this light feedback to the system. The needed holes for these LEDs to stick through have also been added to the drum module design.
Regarding the BOM, all of the components have been ordered. The PCBs are currently expected to arrive this Monday and I picked up the other components (excluding the FSRs) yesterday. I currently plan to test these components on a breadboard this weekend, and then solder them to the PCBs once they arrive this week. Assuming everything goes well, I’ll likely also print the new drum module by the end of this week to test the entire system together.
Regarding how this progress fits into our timeline, I think I’m on good pace with our initial estimations. As I mentioned last week, I feel the place I’m currently at aligns well with where I’d like to be for MVP even though I technically didn’t have the drum count we targeted for MVP (due to the additional 3D printing costs). If everything goes exactly as planned, I’ll likely have some flexible time in the coming weeks, so I’ll hopefully be able to help with improving the C++ code in areas like the game’s main menu.