Random Number Generator - February 2015
Define a problem
Generate concepts
The Random Number Generator aims to replace any and all dice that would typically be used in a board game. This is done by displaying a number between 1 and 6 on LEDs in the patterns normally seen on dice. To build the RNG, we were given a circuit board and all the components needed. Using soldering techniques, we secured the components to the circuit board.
Develop a solution
Construct and Test Prototype
Number Rolled Tally Count Total Count Distribution
1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30 30%
2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 19 19%
3 IIIIIIIIII 10 10%
4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 15 15%
5 IIIIIIIIIII 11 11%
6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 15 15%
1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 30 30%
2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 19 19%
3 IIIIIIIIII 10 10%
4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 15 15%
5 IIIIIIIIIII 11 11%
6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 15 15%
Evaluate a Solution
Questions
Reflection
This project, I thought, was a lot of fun. At first, it was kind of intimidating, working with the super hot iron. I was really afraid I was going to burn myself, but I didn't, so that was good. I think I got the hang of soldering pretty quickly. The first day, I was going really slowly, trying to make sure I did it right and everything was in the right place, but after that, soldering was much easier and I could work a lot quicker. I didn't encounter too many problems, as I made sure I put all the components in the right place and oriented them correctly and the ones I did encounter weren't too difficult to solve. The first (and reoccurring) problem was when components moved while I was soldering and did not lie flat. the way I fixed that was heating up the solder and pushing the component through. The other problem I came across was more complicated. When I started to solder my last 8-pin IC socket, the very first leg somehow fell through as I was soldering it. That left solder on the leg and completely filled the hole. To fix this, I heated up and melted off the solder from the leg. The solder inside the hole was harder to get rid of. With some creative problem solving skills, I heated up the solder and stuck a scrap piece of wire through the socket. I then used pliers to remove the wire while still holding the soldering iron to keep the solder from hardening again. This removed the solder from the socket so I could finish attaching the components.
- How evenly distributed were the numbers for your Random Number Generator? If your game was perfect, then each number should have come up approximately 16.67% of the time. Do you think your Random Number Generator is fair? Why or why not? The numbers generated were not evenly distributed. Number 1 came up 30% of the time, while Number 3 came up only 10% of the time. Numbers 4 and 6 came up closest to an even distribution of 16.67% at 15% each. No, it's not fair. There's probably some bias in what went into making the circuit board that influences it to go to Number 1 more than any other number.
- Another word for troubleshooting is debugging. Do a little research to determine the origin of the term debug and who was the person was to coin the phrase. Admiral Grace Hooper created the term debugging when she and her team at Harvard University in the 1940s found a moth in their computer and had to literally debug it to get it working again.
Reflection
This project, I thought, was a lot of fun. At first, it was kind of intimidating, working with the super hot iron. I was really afraid I was going to burn myself, but I didn't, so that was good. I think I got the hang of soldering pretty quickly. The first day, I was going really slowly, trying to make sure I did it right and everything was in the right place, but after that, soldering was much easier and I could work a lot quicker. I didn't encounter too many problems, as I made sure I put all the components in the right place and oriented them correctly and the ones I did encounter weren't too difficult to solve. The first (and reoccurring) problem was when components moved while I was soldering and did not lie flat. the way I fixed that was heating up the solder and pushing the component through. The other problem I came across was more complicated. When I started to solder my last 8-pin IC socket, the very first leg somehow fell through as I was soldering it. That left solder on the leg and completely filled the hole. To fix this, I heated up and melted off the solder from the leg. The solder inside the hole was harder to get rid of. With some creative problem solving skills, I heated up the solder and stuck a scrap piece of wire through the socket. I then used pliers to remove the wire while still holding the soldering iron to keep the solder from hardening again. This removed the solder from the socket so I could finish attaching the components.