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Anna’s Status Report for 3/22/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I focused on helping the team with motor control. I also worked on integrating LEDs into our design. Initially, this was challenging due to outdated information on certain forums. Through troubleshooting, I discovered that the RPi OS did not support externally managed packages, which required me to transition all dependencies and code to a virtual environment to install the necessary packages for the LEDs. I also learned that the LEDs should be controlled using SPI dev tools rather than PWM for the RPi. Once I got them working, I incorporated the code into our GUI. However, I ran into issues with PyQt modules conflicting in the virtual environment. With Ashira’s help, I was able to debug this issue and integrate the LEDs so that they are triggered by the UI. Beyond the LED integration, I also worked on adding a sensor to our circuit and tested its functionality. Lastly, I helped Ashira integrate a single motor into our code, ensuring that it rotates only when expected, during the snack dispensing process. This needs a little more tweaking though.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?

My schedule is in progress.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

I hope to fine tune the sensor to detect within a specific threshold and integrate it into the code as seamlessly as possible. Additionally, I hope to assist the team in attaching the springs to the stepper motors and assembling one fully functional dispensing slot for the demo.

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David’s status report for 3/22/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

On Monday, I worked with my team on trying to debug the motor issue that remained from last week. While I personally wasn’t able to figure out what was wrong with the schematic and code, my teammates were able to, which was awesome. They were able to get the motors to spin in a more clean motion as well.  Additionally, I’ve been spending time this week getting the schematic for the speaker to set up, installing needed scripts, and trying to run them to produce sound. Currently, no sound comes out of the speaker which leads me to believe that the wiring is wrong since there is also no indication of the speaker module turning on. I’m trying to fix that part. 

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?

I believe my schedule is in progress, but that’s mainly because of the amount of help I am getting from my teammates, who are the best.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

I hope to figure out the issue with the speakers and get those to output sound depending on what is happening in the system. Also, I think our team is trying to get the motors attached to the vending machine structure so I hope to assist with that. 

 

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Ashira’s Status Report for 3/15/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I mainly focused on manufacturing and assembly of the vending machine enclosure, as well as finishing up the ethics assignment. Because our schedule for manufacturing was pushed back by a week into our initially planned assembly time, we had to redistribute some of our efforts to make sure that both jobs were finished by the end of the week, which we did successfully. With the help of David and Anna, we were able to laser cut all the pieces of the enclosure and assemble almost everything as well (shown below), with the exception of the dispenser springs and front panel, which we’ll install later on, when development for all the peripherals are finished and components can be mounted. I also spent some time helping David with debugging his schematic and code to troubleshoot the motor control. Other than that, I also spent some time this week working on the ethics assignment that was due on Wednesday.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule? 

My progress was behind coming into the week due to delays in manufacturing, but I was able to catch up and finish almost all the manufacturing an assembly this week.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

Since the mechanical end of the project is basically complete, this next week, my main focus will be in helping out with peripheral control, namely, getting the motors to work as needed, as well as bringing up speaker, LED, and sensor functionality. It might also be valuable to make an attempt at integration with the GUI as well, but the priority will mainly be implementing the basic functionality first.

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Team Status Report for 3/15/25

What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready? 

The most significant risk at this stage is ensuring the proper functionality of the vending machine, particularly the motor controls. Debugging has been more time-consuming than anticipated, and we still need to configure 6 motors. To address this, the team has met to analyze probable causes, testing 1 motor at a time to identify and resolve any problems before scaling up.

Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward? 

Nothing was changed in our design. On another note, however, based on our meeting, we recognized areas in which our requirements can be further clarified, such as further justification for the vending machine size, which is as follows: internal storage capacity determines its external dimensions, snack vending machines typically range from 68-72″ H x 29-41″ W x 30-34″ D, smaller machine would require more frequent restocking, designed to accommodate both study materials and the vending machine on a desktop while minimizing clutter.

Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred. This is also the place to put some photos of your progress or to brag about a component you got working. 

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Anna’s Status Report for 3/15/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I completed the ethics assignment and collaborated with my team to draft the group collaboration section. Additionally, I acted on feedback from our weekly meeting, particularly condensing our talking points into concise notes, such as further justifying our product’s size by researching and documenting studies that support ergonomic factors of our design. I also assisted Ashira with laser cutting and assembling parts of the physical enclosure. Besides this, I upgraded the RPi, installed necessary dependencies, and uploaded the GUI code to test its functionality. This test revealed that I need to adjust the display configuration as I encountered issues with the screen orientation and parts of the interface being cut off, so I also spent some time trying to fix these issues.  Additionally, I tried to help David on debugging the motor control system to ensure the team stays on track.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?

My progress is on schedule.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

I hope to properly fit the GUI within the display by updating the current code and have some functioning peripherals.

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David’s status report for 3/15/2025

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I worked with my team on the manufacturing of the structure of the vending machine. During class times, we went to TechSpark and I tried to assist with the laser cutting of the different pieces. Today, we as a team spent a lot of time assembling the structure from the laser cut parts, which included spending time securing pieces together with hot glue.

Individually, I worked on debugging the motor control issue that I had from last week – that the motors were turning as soon as the power was switched on and no program runs. I tried some different things but unfortunately wasn’t able to figure out the root cause. I had some tests where I would get different results each time without changing the setup, which makes us think this is a connection issue. 

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?

My progress is a little bit behind schedule. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to figure out my issue with the motors, so that’s my task for the next week. My teammates may also be able to work with me on it since they made really good progress for their parts. 

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

I hope to fix the schematic and code for the motors so that when the power is turned on, no motors spin at all. Also when the code runs, the motors each move when they are supposed to and move with proper steps and direction.

 

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Team Status Report for 3/8/25

What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready? 

The most significant risks as of now are getting the manufacturing and assembly of the enclosure finished by this week. Our manufacturing timeline had to get pushed back by one week, since we had some road bumps relating to material sourcing and selection last week, so we will put most of our effort this week into laser cutting and assembling everything to get back on track with the original deadline by next week. On the software + electrical sides, we were able to bootload the RPi and get it up and working, and in an effort to support the mechanical side of things more this week, we were able to finish the general layout of our GUI ahead of schedule. We had also originally dedicated some effort to submitting purchasing requests this week, but since we were also able to get that done earlier, we’re able to consolidate more efforts towards manufacturing as well.

Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward? 

Nothing significant was changed in our design; however, there were some small size changes made to our CAD enclosure – namely, making the dimensions a little smaller in an effort to reduce unused space.

Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred. This is also the place to put some photos of your progress or to brag about a component you got working. 

A was written by Ashira, B was written by David, and C was written by Anna.

Please write a paragraph or two describing how the product solution you are designing will meet a specified need…

Part A: … with consideration of global factors. Global factors are world-wide contexts and factors, rather than only local ones. They do not necessarily represent geographic concerns. Global factors do not need to concern every single person in the entire world. Rather, these factors affect people outside of Pittsburgh, or those who are not in an academic environment, or those who are not technologically savvy, etc.

Our vending machine’s design considers global factors in supporting user interface that is easy to understand and interact with. Our machine’s UI will be mounted will using a touch screen display, which will allow users to make selections and interact with the machine with steps and effort, an aspect that could be important for users who are not the most tech savvy. We also intend to include symbols and images during the timer & snack selection process in our GUI’s design, which would be important in cases where language or literacy barriers might arise. In addition, our vending machine’s notification system will include features which communicate a finished state through both visual notifications and sound as well, which is something that could be important for users who might be hard of hearing.

Part B: … with consideration of cultural factors. Cultural factors are encompass the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws (or rules of behavior) held in common by a nation, a community, or other defined group of people.

Our vending machine project considers cultural factors by ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, and user-friendly design. We use a touchscreen interface with simple language options to accommodate different users. The machine provides both visual and audio notifications, making it easier for people from different linguistic backgrounds to use. Additionally, we follow safety standards and design rules to meet different community expectations. If placed in a specific location, we can adjust product choices based on cultural preferences or dietary restrictions. By considering these factors, this is a vending machine that respects and serves a diverse group of people.

Part C: … with consideration of environmental factors. Environmental factors are concerned with the environment as it relates to living organisms and natural resources.

VendiBaddie takes environmental factors into account by considering the materials used in its construction, potentially reducing waste. The enclosure has been designed to be made of affordable wood panels which tend to be sturdier and more durable, ensuring longevity and minimizing the need for frequent replacements. Additionally, the machine utilizes a touchscreen interface which will effectively help with reducing the need for physical buttons or extra hardware by making the user interaction more flexible and thus lowering electronic waste in future iterations. While our current design does not prioritize energy efficiency, future improvements could explore the use of recyclable or sustainable materials, as well as energy-efficient components or alternative power sources to enhance sustainability and reduce environmental impact.

 

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Ashira’s Status Report for 3/8/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I focused on finalizing all the dimensions of the enclosure in CAD, since there were some spatial changes we wanted to make to the original design – namely, making it more compact & getting rid of unused space. I also spent time reviewing how the laser cutters work and generating all of the .dxf files for our parts to use on the laser cutter, so that hopefully the manufacturing process can go smoothly once we receive our materials. I had initially intended on finishing all the manufacturing this week, since I had planned to source all the enclosure materials from Techspark. However, we realized that the size of the materials they had in stock was not large enough for the design we planned in CAD, so we ended up having to source our materials from McMaster-Carr instead, which pushed back our manufacturing timeline by a week.  Apart from the mechanical things, I also spent a significant amount of time completing the design report; more specifically, I focused mainly on converting the design and use case requirements into a more cohesive description, as well as other aspects from our slides. I also assisted Anna with booting up the RPi.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule? 

My progress has fallen behind schedule by a week, since we weren’t able to get our materials and begin manufacturing on time. This week, I was supposed to focus solely on assembly, but because of the pushback, I will be focusing on splitting my time between finishing manufacturing and assembly. I anticipate that more of the time will be spent on manufacturing the components, since that manufacturing seems like it will be more error-prone, so I will focus on that part more during the week and then hopefully make a push towards the end of the week/weekend to assemble everything by Sunday next week.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

This next week, my main focuses will be manufacturing (laser cutting) and assembling the entire enclosure.

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David’s status report for 3/9/2025

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I worked on assembling the circuitry on the breadboard for the motor control schematic. Unfortunately, I believe I fried a few of the motor drivers due to not adjusting potentiometers correctly. At first, I wasn’t aware that the voltage regulator and motor drivers had potentiometers so that was a big mistake of mine. I also wrote the code for the motor control. I am currently running into an issue where the motor turns as expected when the program is running, but it also rotates when there is no program running. I am trying to debug that.

Additionally, I also helped out with researching ways to setup the SSH system for Raspberry Pi and the touchscreen with Anna and Ashira (this was the week prior to spring break).

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule? 

I think my progress is slightly ahead of schedule, due to the fact that I was able to dedicate more time to work on the project over spring break since I had no other commitments. I am running into debugging issues (which should be expected for embedded systems related work) so I need to be able to fix those in order to remain on schedule.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

This next week, my main focus is debugging the motor issue mentioned above where it moves as soon as power is turned on and no program is controlling it. I also plan to add more than 1 motor to the breadboard (hopefully all 6 required for our vending machine). Additionally, we as a team plan on manufacturing the structure of the vending machine (laser cutting the material).

 

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Anna’s Status Report for 3/8/25

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).

This week, I dedicated a significant amount of time to writing our Design Review Report, as this was our primary objective. Additionally, I began researching the installation process for the OS Imager on our RPi. I spent my time watching tutorials, and working to enable SSH to streamline our development process since none of us have had prior experience with it. I installed the OS on the micro SD card, edited the service settings (for SSH) of the RPi, found its MAC address so as to register to CMU-DEVICE, registered the device, and configured WEP file and SSH onto the RPi. Although it took longer than expected because I didn’t realize that a monitor was needed, we were able to successfully log into the RPi via SSH. Besides this, I also finalized the coding for the general layout of our GUI touchscreen, including its corresponding functionality. You can find the completed work here.

Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule? 

My progress is well ahead of schedule. However, we have fallen behind on the laser cutting of the enclosure because the material we initially wanted was unavailable at TechSpark, so we had to order it last week. Unfortunately, it did not arrive before spring break, causing a delay. To help catch up, I finished my main task for the project, prioritizing laser cutting as soon as the material arrives.

What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

After spring break, I plan to meet with my team to laser cut the enclosure and begin testing the components to ensure everything functions as expected.