In May I changed my final project: the description of original project is here
Final Project - Initial Concept
Motivations & Idea
Do you want to keep track of machine booking and usage within you lab? An online calendar is fine, but a physical calendar is better.
MakerCal is a cyber-physical calendar for shared spaces and/or machines. With MakerCal you can select among multiple machines, view the bookings of the current day and switch between days. An LCD shows you the current user of the machine, while red and green windows shows you the booking status for the day
Implementation Details
A computer or a SBC (like a Raspberry Pi) manages booking/cancellation requests and stores data in a local db or spreadsheet file. The MCU of the interactive calendar synchronizes periodically its local database with the computer via USB and updates the status on the board.
The board allows the users of the FabLab to switch between the various machines using big, nice buttons. An array of leds shows the hourly booking status of the week through red or green colors.
A liquid-crystal display shows the machine, the day and, optionally, additional information about the machine (safety information, reminders, etc).
Future works
In a foreseeable future, the LCD could also display other messages, notes about the current user (who booked the machine, his/her telephone number or other contacts for emergency), etc.
Moreover, it would be nice to move from USB to a wireless connection, combining the main board with the ESP8266 board I designed during week 15.
Finally, the interaction with the calendar might be improved adding support for a Telegram bot similar to the one I developed during week 11.
Assignments involved
- Structure: Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Controlled Machining, Computer-Controlled Cutting
- User interaction: Electronic design and production, Input, Output, Molding, 3D printing