Lee’s Posts

“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” – Cinderella

Laser cutting was a very interesting class, I didn’t expect it to go the way it did. I assumed it’d be a lot more technical, but once we learned to navigate Illustrator we could do pretty much whatever we wanted.

As I plan to add the extra components of both LEDs and a sensor, I decided to stick with only one gear as to not overwhelm myself. Doing this also allowed me to be more creative with my design, as I don’t have to think about how multiple gears can fit together.

My first design included a lot of geometric shapes, I was taking inspiration from stained glass windows. It was very sharp and symmetrical, and though it looked nice I felt like it didn’t fit what I was going for. I want the colour sensor to control both the speed of the motor and the colour of the LEDs, and I felt like stained glass is to ridged for that concept.

I decided to make a design based off of this (https://youtu.be/xEcqC_lBXkc) artwork I really like, along with the bubbles seen in 1950s Cinderella (https://media.giphy.com/media/cAv1t940DC8la/giphy.gif). Both pieces show circles that overlap with each other to create new colours, and I wanted to try recreating that with the techniques we learned. I brought this up to our lecturer, and she mentioned that I could UV print in transparent ink to create different textures on the acrylic. I plan to utilise that, along with rastering and engraving to give the circles in my design different textures that reflet the LEDs like bubbles reflect light.

”Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today.” – Sensei Wu

On Monday we were given LEDs to experiment with, and the one I ended up using was programmable through a data cable. Though I am not yet confident with my engineering skills, I am very proficient in C++ and that motivated me to attempt to add that LED into my circuit.

It reminded me of my first C++ project, I was not confident with my coding so I chose to code a version of Concentration, a card game a like a lot. I find that using something you know to learn something else can help gain a better understanding of it.

Our Fusion and 3D printing class is what helped me decide on a plan for my circuit. The lesson was very fun and I am very proud of my box, though in hindsight I should’ve spent time planning it out before class, “winging” it was very stressful.

I had a look through the sensors provided and found one that can set RGB colours. I immediately thought of combining the sensor with the LEDs, coding the LEDs to change to whatever colour the sensor detects! And printing my box in clear filament will reflect the lights very nicely.

Tomorrow is our laser cutting lesson, I’m hoping to be able to make my gears out of acrylic instead of wood so it too can reflect the lights. If not then maybe I could attach clear vinyl or tissue paper to the wood for a stained-glass effect. I’ll wait until tomorrow to properly decide.

“Afterthoughts are still thoughts. They just come after other thoughts.” – Pascal, Animal Crossing

I like Ohm’s Law, it makes sense to me. Back in 2024 a lecturer said to me that “90% of coding is just googling what to do” and that made me feel like I had wasted a lot of time. But calculating resistance feels meaningful, I feel important when I do it.

Learning about transistors made me really question what I knew about engineering. I realise that I’ve never thought about electronic parts outside of “I need this part to make this thing work”, I never questioned why I need a part to make something work. That’s what I enjoyed most when reading about transistors. I never would’ve thought that such a small device would have so much put into it, or the different ways electrons act in a PnP vs an NpN type.

I loved soldering. I first learned the basics from my grandad who also wanted to be an engineer. It felt so rewarding to see my circuit go from a breadboard to a protoboard, I kept saying to my mum “look, I made this!”.

I didn’t know what an Arduino was until this course started, and working with one for the first time is what first made me feel like I was going to be good at this. When I first saw it I actually recognised the LEDs on it, I’d worked with them before back in March when repairing a Nintendo DS Lite. Recognising that part was such a big confidence boost, like everything that was overwhelming me went away because I had proof that I can remember all this stuff.

“What you see is what you get! Just a guy that loves adventure!” – Sonic the Hedgehog

2 years in I decided to switch university courses from Games Development to Technology and Robotics. It was a last minute decision, one I wondered if I’d regret.

My first wayfinding week, back in 2023, was not enjoyable for me. I had no friends, and no one willing to be my friend. It went so badly that I skipped the first week entirely in 2024. Those were the only two things on my mind this week as I entered this new class. To my surprise the environment couldn’t have been more different. I felt included immediately into a small group of people that actually showed up to class.

I feel like I learned more just this week than I did for the past 2 years. Not because my last teachers were bad at what they do or anything, but because of the way things are taught. The vibes are different, I feel like I can actually ask for help if I need it.

I feel like I’ve learned more because I don’t have to put as much effort into learning as I did before. I taught myself C++ back in 2023 as I did not understand the way it was being taught, and when I asked for help all I got was a repeat of what I did not understand. Here I already understand the material as it’s being explained (and actually broken down), so I can spend my time at home improving on what I’ve learned instead of rereading the slides again and again.

I’m enjoying it a lot already, and I’m excited to learn more.