Week #1

Week 1: Design Week

The first week focused on design so for most of the week I was jumping between SolidWorks and my notebook. I usually write down my thought process down when trying to design or conceptualize a part. I think this method also aligns on what the staff said about documenting your design problems for the final report. I spent a good portion of the week sketching and writing notes in my notebook, where the format usually looks like this:

After thinking about a part design and how it would function, I would CAD the part from looking at my sketches, and the dimensions from the wooden mock-up. One of the parts I designed this week was a support for the middle section of the split track. I had to think about where I could support the track section, with a lot of limitations/obstructions in mind. Eventually, I thought of a potential solution to the problems and I modeled it on SolidWorks: 

I was also responsible for modeling the split track to expand on the previous straight track. That modeling was less design and more calculations as the turn radius was stated to be 30 m by the staff, and the straight track determined the track width. I also organized the team's CAD files in a Google Drive, and discussed a lot about design for several parts. 

I asked the other full-scale teams about their design approach to ensure that there would be no colliding designs on the track. As far as I know, Wayside's and Bogie's team designs should have no interference when integrating our designs. 

Orientation Week #2

This orientation day was meant to be a training day where we would learn the basics of SolidWorks, 3D printing, and welding. Paul was giving a small tutorial on how to use SolidWorks, and I modeled a Lego part, while following his suggestions. I was already familiar on how to use SolidWorks, but Paul provided some helpful insights with SolidWorks. After I modeled the Lego part, I saved the part file into a .STL file and put it into Cura. Though I did not print the part, I was familiar with the 3D printing process. I also learned the basics on how to weld with the help of Eric. I also discussed with the team about the Lightning Talk, and some preliminary design concepts.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Dustin Lien and I am going to graduate San Jose State University in Spring 2019. My major is mechanical engineering, and my capstone is mechantronics. My interests outside of academics and engineering are video games, reading, and watching shows.

I hate traffic. I want to work in automated transit networks because I want to help contribute to a system that will reduce traffic. Conservation is also a topic of interest because I feel like we have a responsibility to take care of our environments. Also, days are getting way to hot.