Engineering Board

introduction

In the summer of 2021, I had an idea to create an iPad-like device specifically tailored to the engineering market. The iPad is more geared towards artists with it’s high quality Apple Pencil and XDR display which increases the cost of the device significantly. I wanted to create something similar to the iPad but give it features that would be appealing to an engineering company. Followed is my thought process and the design I came up with to present to Siemens executives.

schematics

Board functionality

One big way I intended to differentiate this device with the current tablets on the market was to include engineering tools commonly used, such as a CAD mouse, ruler, protractor, etc.

Each device would have their own RFID chip which would allow the engineering board to differentiate between the different tools and tools such as the CAD mouse would have magnets on the bottom to allow one to use it without slipping on the board.

The engineering board can connect with a computer and communicate with CAD software — specifically NX — and can upload/download schematics and 3d models that can then be discussed about away from the computer. Other engineers have their own pencils and can draw on the schematics, each pencil tied to their person so one can see the comments made, isolate them, and understand what that engineer was thinking.

Overall I saw this device as something that would improve the collaborative environment that is engineering and allow users to work more away from their desks.

3d model

board design

The board features a 1 fan design with the cooling chamber isolated from the battery of the device. The intention of this design was to create a venturi effect inside the board, increasing the speed of the air and allowing a higher volume of fresher air to enter the device and cool the SOC down.

The pencil would also be stored inside the engineering board. This seemed to be the best option for ensuring the pencil was secure and would go back in the same spot every time. To remove it, the pencil had an expandable tip which will be shown later on.

Pencil design

I wanted this pencil to have a tactile feel, similar to an actual pen. I believe this will make the device more enjoyable to use and keep it flush with the housing of the chassis. One example in the consumer market of this design can be the S-pen found on the recent Galaxy Note devices. It achieves the same goals that I want to achieve with this design, therefore I used it as a big inspiration for the design I came up with.

I was not able to create the internals for the pencil but that is something I hope to pick up in the future with a better understanding of consumer electronics.

manufacturing

For the manufacturing of this device, I decided to create tooling paths in NX CAM to better understand the software and the limitations of CNC milling. My thought process was to have 3 different tooling programs, the rough shape of the device, a refined secondary pass, then a final pass with a ball mill to ensure the device is as close to spec as possible.