Discuss how to present

Today we meet up together and discuss for our presentation. We need to give a presentation which about 10 minutes and demonstrate our circuit for 10 minutes too. It’s mean that each of us need to present about 5 minutes for our project and the demonstration for the circuit we will do together. Therefore, we divided to each other a few subtopic to present :
a) Introduction
b) Objective/Problem Statement
c) Circuit analysis
    - The component function
    - The flow of the circuit/How the circuit work
d) Conclusion

Part a, b and c will be present by hilmi and part c will be present by me ^^

Presentation Slide Show

We in the end of our project now, today we just complete the slide show for presentation. This slide will sum up all the process going through during the project happen. Or we can just say the summary of our report.

So, that all and tomorrow will be our last update.

Report Done!!

 Today, after worked like mad man, we finished doing our report and compile our works to become a complete full report. So, we just printed it out and binding and just wait to send the report to our course coordinator Pn norhana on Monday. We think we almost done 90% of our project and still ahead of due date schedule.

So we can chill a bit and prepared for our final exam.  

Demonstration by the other group of member

Today we went to see the other group demonstrate their experiment to us. The reason why we needed to see their group demonstration is to improve our skill in troubleshooting. Besides, the main purpose to do so is to build our critical thinking. Critical mind can make us to be a better thinker, a reasonable person and decision maker person. Hence, we need to comment what had been done by the other groups during their demonstration to us. We even judge them through their attitudes by asking them how was the project work and each components function. Below is their working breadboard:

Of course, the other group will also comment to our mistakes during our demonstration. All of those comment will be written to a piece of paper and pass it up to our lecturer.   

Gather Information For Report

Today, each of us busy finding the information for report. The hardest part was to find the information about percussion synthesizer background and application. We google through web and yet not gained so much information. So, we need to take little part of information from various website to combine it becomes nice and short summary. Other than that, we recall some problem we faced during this project that will be insert in our project report.   

For tomorrow, we planning to have group discussion with other group (attiya & haziq) to comment and gives suggestion to each other project work.

Discussion for report

After our circuit succeeds, now we move on to next phase, gather information to write a report. From the instruction given, we need to write maximum 8 pages report that including group name, objective and problem statement, background project, methodology, result and discussion, application of the circuit, and conclusion. To make things done in easier way, we separated the work between us equally and will have it compile after both of us finish do our own part.   

So,for today, that the plans, hope it will work well then.

Experiment Day

Today, we went to the laboratory and try to run our circuit. The first problem that we faced was we do not know how to adjust the value of the variable resistor. 

Although through the project question stated that we have to adjust the variable resistor value for R2, R3 and R4 when the switch is open. However, we do not know how to adjust the variable resistor when the switch is open.

Circuit diagram

Therefore, we can only try and error to test out the circuit. When we ran the circuit, we got the result where it was not the result we are expected. We thought the speaker will only sound when we press the push button,but in fact the result is not like that. The result which supposes to obtain was the push button was use to change the tone of the speaker and not to use it to switch “on” the speaker. The speaker will be switch “on” once there is a power supply to the op-amp 741 and 386. 

We realize our mistake after we found this video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhfCuMmRvTY&p=95588B0B968A333F&playnext=1&index=10

Finally, after watched this video, we can conclude that the result we obtain was done successfully.

Day 7

Sunday = holiday = break

Installing components on Breadboard

Today we have start installing our components on the breadboard we had bought yesterday. Through this circuit we learn a lot of things. First of all we know how to read the value of capacitor. For example 102 mean 10X10² pico. We also learn the function of the 741 operational amplifier and LM386 Low Voltage Audio Power Amplifier. The component had been installed on the breadboard, however we just figure out that there is no power supply of -9v. Therefore, we can only wait on till this coming Monday to try our circuit to test whether it is success or not. 

Below is the picture show the arrangement of the components on the breadboard that we had installed: 

Buy components at Megnumtronic

To proceed our project, one of us went to Megnumtronic sdn bhd at Jalan Pasar, Pudu to buy our incomplete component and breadboard. We also bought some tool to help us in constructing the circuit. After come back, we just work on attached the wire to the component by soldering. For example, we need to put a wire to each part of variable resistor terminal (have 3 terminals). Although this process little bit tedious, with our noob skill we managed to finish it in the end of the day.

 Now we have the entire component needed to build the circuit, so just looking forward for the next day to simulate our circuit into real things. 

Simulation with CircuitMaker 2000

Today we just manage to draw the circuit diagram into the simulation software which is CircuitMaker 2000. We have to sort out some problem in drawing the circuit as some component didn’t provide by the software. The component is LM386. For the solution, we find the equivalent audio amplifier to substitute LM386. In the first attempt, the circuit failed to run because some problem. After troubleshooting, we manage to get the circuit run. Unfortunately, we still didn’t convince the circuit will work in practical as we still have doubt in the result of simulation.

So, we just pray for the best when we do the lab session.       

Attend to a congress

Today we can’t do anything for the whole day as we need to attend an event that is Association of Space Explorers (ASE) XXIII Annual Planetary Congress 2010. Its start at 8a.m till 5p.m. Through the whole event, to be honest we not really learn many things as it is too complex for us. Anyway, we still have fun for going such event as we can meet a lot of astronaut which came from others countries. I guess that for today we can only search very little info for our project. Although it is very little but at least we know what is our project is about from this website :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun99/articles/synthsecrets.htm
We know that today we can’t do anything because both of us have others things to do for example digital pre-lab and assignments. The date line for these assignments is getting closer therefore we need to rush it and finish it first. We really feel sorry as we can’t manage our time properly to done this project. Anyway we promise that will try our best to done the project the next day when we are free. 

Briefing by lecturer

Yesterday, 4th October 2010 was the first day to start our project. Lecturer had briefing us some information about our analog project and divided us into a small group of 4. Each group will be given two questions.  Anyway, it was so unlucky because my group hasn’t got the question as there are not enough questions. So, yesterday there is nothing we can do although we plan to do some research for our project. Today, I and my lab partner with the other group of friends got our project title at around 11.25am. My project is about the percussion synthesizer. We had discussed and list down all the components that we need to use.  We even took the components today after the discussion.