DESIGN ITERATIONS

Experimenting with the triangle/hexagon design in order to have clear input channels for the cords and be more visually balanced

 

The scattered triangle design was incorporated into the final design

TEAM MEETING 25/10

Design talking points

- Going with the hexagon/triangle pattern

- Using a membrane of rubber or foam to keep cords in their channels

- Plug management- one sloped surface

- Include CNC light cut outs at bottom of cord channels

- Lighting the interior, LED strips?

- Light leaking from back to make lighting feature

- Thickness of entire board

Issues to address after talking to our tutor

- Placement, size & fixture of glass panel

- Integrating an on/off switch to fit aesthetic

- Mains power cord- needs to look good

- Differentiating 6 individual channel inputs/outputs

- Tidy up triangle design to be visually balanced

- Light channels having individual acrylic pieces, sitting flush w the wood

Things to do for next meeting (29/10)

- Iterate more designs for top triangle panel- SolidWorks, Photoshop, Sketches

- Design integration of glass panel

- Measure thickness of cords- post findings

Projected Timeline for Week

TUES- have design finalised, get CNC file checked by technicians

THURS- CNC routing starts @ 10am, Measure top panel for membrane fitting, make box & cut our back panel

RENDERINGS

Some experiments with different channel designs for routing the wires through.

This was most popular with the group, however we all felt it needed some improvement.

This is a redesign of the first, inspired by some sketches that Janice did.

QUESTIONAIR RESULTS

MATERIAL PREPERATION

MULTIBOARD DECONSTRUCTION

HOME AND OFFICE SET UP

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to complete our real-world research, talking to an expert in this field will be the best course of action. We have yet to talk to one, but have prepared a list of questions that will enable us to continue with the production of our design. I will update this post when we have answers to the following questions.

• What limitations will we run into with regulations?
• Insulation is an important factor, to reduce the chance of short circuiting and electric shock.
• Safety factors are included in this.
• Making sure our electronics are earthed properly will also reduce the chance of electric shock.
• We will also need to carefully monitor the gauge of the wires we use and the resistance in any conductors
• What is the most important thing to take into consideration when building a custom multi-socket?
• Safety obviously
• What is the maximum amount of sockets that you would recommend? And if we did want to add more, what provisions can we put in place to accommodate this?
• Most commercial multi-boxes are limited to 6 or 8 sockets.
• Would it be best to create our own circuitry, or re-appropriate an existing product?
• Re-appropriating an existing circuit would be our best bet, and having a certified electrician wire it up for us.
• What problems will we run into in terms of heat generated?
• Heat will only be generated when a bad connection or short-circuit is made, or the pins from the appliance don't make proper contact.
• What do you know about USB charging, and how hard would it be to integrate this into the circuitry?
• USB charging is usually done via a separate power supply built in.

CLASS TIME DISCUSSION

After our presenting our idea to the class last Thursday, we have decided to address certain areas which need to be taken into consideration.  Such areas as: the plug socket with regards to the angle the cord plugs in at, the way the socket area is routed out and the number of plugs used; the aesthetics of this multisocket board as a whole, the materials used and reconsideration of the overall size; the interaction between the user and the board, as well as the accessibility to the plugs and cords; cord management and the way the cords sit fixed to the board, as well as ensuring there is no overlapping of cords between appliances. 

As a group we discussed all of the above concerns, and realised in order to make final decisions we need to do more research to ensure these concerns are addressed and concluded with positive results.

CIRCUIT BOARD PRECEDENT

We looked into the design and layout of the circuit board as inspiration for how the layout of the tracks that the plugpoint cables run through. Its also fitting that the design for electrical cables be derived from an electrical component (circuit board). We feel that this create a more contemporary feel as well enhance the aesthetics as well as function of the design.

The basic visual aspects of the circuit board are:

- tracks run parallel

- only consists of straights and 45 degrees

- no crossover of tracks

- different start and end points = differing lengths

- effective space management

AIMS/MATERIALS/OBSTACLES

MAKING MULTISOCKETS INTO ART -------------

As a team we aim to design and manufacture a wall mounted multisocket board which also acts as a task light, while making a true feature of the power cords.

SOCKET: Option 1: Each socket is a flush cross 'membrane' which the plug gets pushed into, for a discrete seamless and safe connection.  Option 2: The plugs get plugged into the side of the socket structure; there is also a light on the socket which both indicates the user when the connection is activated, and also acts as a task light.

PEGS: Multiple pegs/rods are attached to the board in a uniform pattern to help with cord management.  By wrapping the cords in a zigzag way around these rods the user is presented with a interesting wall feature (art work), and it also prevents the cords from dangling on the floor therefore acting as a safety aspect.

COVER: A frosted acrylic cover on a slide or lift mechanism will allow for maximum safety, and prevent children from being able to touch the cords.   This acrylic will also act as an area where the user can write notes etc and wipe off.

MATERIALS: Wood, rubber, perspex, plastics, cork/white/blackboard.

Below is an example of what our final design could look like.  As a collective group we have design many iterations, we just need to make a decision as to what best fits our needs and wants.  Obstacles which we may be faced with is problems with getting the electronics correct, funding and time.  To help us through these we will ensure our time management is well maintained and that we remain up to date at all times, we will split cost on everything, and ensure we get help when we need it.

DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES