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║ For THOTCON 0xC, we emerged from our first conference ║▐
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║ more interactive. The theme for the conference would be ║▐
║ Contra (the NES video game), so we thought it would be neat ║▐
║ to make the core functionality of the badge a ║▐
║ conference-wide laser tag game. ║▐
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║ For the badge art, there wasn't a set design, but taking ║▐
║ inspiration from Contra, we thought a neat shape would be ║▐
║ the target at the end of the first stage. One of the ║▐
║ organizers sketched the target design with callouts to ║▐
║ various feature ideas. This served as our initial design ║▐
║ guidance. ║▐
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║ We wanted to try something relatively new to electronic ║▐
║ conference badge design, creating a custom plastic housing ║▐
║ for our badge. This would allow us to recreate the design ║▐
║ and shape of the target more recognizably (at least how we ║▐
║ were interpreting it from the side-skewed view). I had been ║▐
║ experimenting with 3D CAD using Fusion 360 the months ║▐
║ before, so I volunteered to take on investigating what it ║▐
║ would take to create this shell for the badge. I was not ║▐
║ prepared for the level of rigor required to accomplish this ║▐
║ task, but with a little work and some initial quotes, it ║▐
║ was clear custom housing was within our budget. ║▐
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║ We settled on injection molding the covers and using ║▐
║ polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ║▐
║ (ABS) as the materials. At the quantity we needed (2000ish ║▐
║ units), costs per unit were cheap enough and we would have ║▐
║ a lot more control over color and finish. The plan was to ║▐
║ have two parts, an opaque part (using ABS) that would ║▐
║ reflect the badge color for most of the visible area, and a ║▐
║ transparent part (using PC) for LED passthrough in select ║▐
║ spots. The PC could also be used to create a lens for the ║▐
║ laser tag transceiver. ║▐
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║ While I was working on the housing, my teammate was ║▐
║ prototyping electronics. We decided to use infrared (IR) ║▐
║ and instead of a transceiver module, the emitter would be ║▐
║ separate from the receiver. This allowed me to create ║▐
║ different lenses for the receiver and transmitter, and it ║▐
║ also gave us more control over individual component ║▐
║ placement to better match the housing. We settled on ║▐
║ putting the receiver in the center and the IR emitters on ║▐
║ the center-left and center-right sides of the board. ║▐
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║ The lens design process was something I was not prepared ║▐
║ for, and probably the part of the badge design I spent the ║▐
║ most time on. I spent countless nights learning about ║▐
║ optical lens design and trying to create a custom design ║▐
║ before I settled on recreating and customizing a ║▐
║ preexisting total internal reflection (TIR) lens to fit our ║▐
║ application. The TIR lens allowed us to focus the emitter ║▐
║ beam over long distances, making for a much for accurate ║▐
║ laser tag experience. ║▐
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║ We used Xometry as our injection molding partner. They ║▐
║ offered a wealth of experience and knowledge for my first ║▐
║ time creating an injection moldable design. While the ║▐
║ overall process wasn't difficult, there were a few aspects ║▐
║ of the process that caused major changes in the design. ║▐
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║ First, I learned that it's best to keep the overall ║▐
║ thickness of the injection molded design as consistent as ║▐
║ possible. Thicker areas can lead to impressions in the ║▐
║ plastic due to longer cooling periods, and it can also ║▐
║ affect flow of the plastic during the injection process. ║▐
║ This led me to remove the receiver lens in the center ║▐
║ bubble over fear it'd cause a large, noticeable indent. I ║▐
║ tightened the emitter lens slightly, but since this area ║▐
║ was more hidden, I was okay with the risk of deformation. ║▐
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║ The larger impact to the design came from learning how long ║▐
║ the entire process would take once Xometry received our ║▐
║ design (creating the mold, injecting, purging/changing ║▐
║ colors, and shipping). Overall, it was set to take 9-10 ║▐
║ weeks, which meant delivery after the conference date. To ║▐
║ reduce the timeline, we changed the housing design from two ║▐
║ pieces to one by combining the inner and outer designs. ║▐
║ Instead of having an opaque ABS shell with the badge color, ║▐
║ the entire plastic was made from clear PC so the PCB color ║▐
║ could show through. ║▐
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║ I was unable to attend the conference and see the laser tag ║▐
║ action in person, but I hear it was a big success and ║▐
║ attendees had a fun with it. While there are aspects of the ║▐
║ housing I'd change if I did it again, I learned a ton about ║▐
║ injection molding, 3D CAD, and optical lens design. I look ║▐
║ forward to continuing to use these tools and learnings in ║▐
║ future projects. ║▐
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╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ Part hardware hacker, part creative technologist, and part ║▐
║ human-centered designer thriving at the cross-section of ║▐
║ engineering and design. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Led to engineering through my love for music, art, and ║▐
║ math, I hold degrees in electrical, computer, and music ║▐
║ engineering. Following a stint in academia, I joined IDEO ║▐
║ as a senior electrical engineer where I contributed ║▐
║ creative problem solving and prototyping fluency to a ║▐
║ breadth of projects ranging from vehicles of the future, to ║▐
║ life-changing medical equipment, to innovative children's ║▐
║ toys. Most recently, I was at Delve and now Sundberg-Ferar, ║▐
║ diving deeper into engineering for production, and working ║▐
║ on bringing ideas and prototypes to reality. ║▐
║ ║▐
║ Outside of work, I enjoy creating rotoscopes and ║▐
║ illustrations, reverse engineering electronic toys, and ║▐
║ taking a break from screens by running, biking, and camping ║▐
║ in the great outdoors. ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2012 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ BEE in Electrical Engineering ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ School .... University of Delaware, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Grad year . 2011 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior II Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Bresslergroup / Delve, Philadelphia, PA ║▐
║ Key roles . Developed embedded hardware for diagnostic devices ║▐
║ . Developed embedded firmware with precision-timing ║▐
║ . Designed for manufacturing ║▐
║ Years ..... Nov '20 - Apr '22 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Senior Electrical Engineer ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... IDEO, Chicago, IL ║▐
║ Key roles . Specialized in rapid hardware prototyping ║▐
║ . Developed embedded and front-end software ║▐
║ . Designed human-centered solutions for clients ║▐
║ Years ..... Sep '14 - Oct '20 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ User Experience Intern ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Shure, Niles, IL ║▐
║ Years ..... Summer '13 & Summer '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Graduate Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Miami, Music Eng Dept, Miami, FL ║▐
║ Years ..... Aug '12 - May '14 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Co-Founder and Shop Manager ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Newark Bike Project, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Oct '11 - Aug '12 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Undergrad/Grad Research Assistant ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Company ... Univ. of Delaware, Elec/Comp Eng Dept, Newark, DE ║▐
║ Years ..... Feb '09 & Aug '12 ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Languages ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ C, C++, Obj-C HTML, CSS Spanish (int) ║▐
║ Basic Assembly Javascript Japanese (beg) ║▐
║ Matlab Python ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Software ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Adobe CC Autodesk Fusion Microsoft 365 ║▐
║ ║▐
║ -=≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡ Other ≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡≡=- ║▐
║ Screen Printing Bike Mechanic Furby Technician ║▐
║ Sketching Illustrating ║▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
╟┐ ┌╢▐
