Accomplished:
This week, I continued working on the test and measurement infrastructure side of the project by drafting the test bench PCB and preparing for eventual integration with the oscillator design. Even though the final oscillator schematic is still being finalized, this work was still useful because it let me make progress on the supporting hardware and think through the practical constraints that the final design will need to satisfy. In particular, drafting the PCB helped me better understand how the oscillator interface, probing structure, and bring-up flow should be organized once the design is available.
In addition, I also worked on the ethics assignment this week. Although this was separate from the hardware implementation itself, it was still useful in thinking about how our design and characterization workflow may be used by future students and lab users, and how we should communicate the intended use and limitations of the system.
Progress/Schedule:
I am currently on schedule for my portion of the project. I have already started drafting the test bench PCB, which puts me in a good position to move quickly once the final oscillator design is available from Charlie, which is expected by tomorrow or Monday (3/15–3/16). At this stage, the main remaining work on my end is to incorporate the finalized oscillator design into the PCB and then push the design toward completion.
In the meantime, I have been using the available time to prepare as much of the test infrastructure as possible in advance so that I can accelerate once the oscillator implementation is finalized. I have also started thinking ahead about the demo PCB, although that work still depends on the final oscillator design and its measured operating behavior.
Upcoming Deliverables:
Next week, my main priority is to incorporate the finalized oscillator design into the test bench PCB and complete that design. My goal is to finalize the test PCB by the end of next week so that it can be ordered on time. In parallel, I also want to continue preparing for the interim design milestone, which is coming up in about three weeks.
If oscillator performance measurements become available soon enough, I will also begin translating those results into early demo PCB planning so that I can start drafting that design as soon as possible. Overall, my focus for next week is to finish the test PCB and prepare the next stage of measurement and integration work.