Break It Apart!
For our first project of the year, students were asked to reverse engineer an object. This entails choosing an object at an average level of complexity (for the sake of complete and detailed analyzation) and carefully disassembling it, noting each connection between parts throughout the process. Once we learned all of our object part and their relationships we brainstormed potential way these part could be used to perform a different function.
My group chose a toy sound maker. We carefully broke it apart, and recorded each individual piece, its function, its material, and its size. We used all of this information to produce detailed sketches. These drawings helped us understand the interworking of our object more fully, and provide insight for others who weren’t working with us. Then we came up with a plan to rebuild the megaphone, but this time with a different purpose. Then we set out to build a machine that played music from an iPod instead of the four predesignated sounds the toy originally made.
My group chose a toy sound maker. We carefully broke it apart, and recorded each individual piece, its function, its material, and its size. We used all of this information to produce detailed sketches. These drawings helped us understand the interworking of our object more fully, and provide insight for others who weren’t working with us. Then we came up with a plan to rebuild the megaphone, but this time with a different purpose. Then we set out to build a machine that played music from an iPod instead of the four predesignated sounds the toy originally made.
our reverse engineering presentation
our reverse engineering project writeup
Content
design process
a multi-step, systematic approach to engineering design philosophy
reverse engineer
reproduce another manufacturer's product following detailed examination of its construction or composition.
Reflection
This is the first project we have done as seniors. As with any endeavors, there are some challenges that can be expected, but overall my group and I would agree to this project went very successfully. I believe my group faced our largest struggle when we were trying to bring our rebuilding plan into action. We had obtained all the parts we thought we needed, but when we assembled our creation, it didn’t work. This was quite frustrating as we had done a lot of prior planning. Luckily we took a step back, did some more research and were eventually able to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the research that went into this project. Knowing I had the ability to learn all about the complex inter-workings of a machine only from my own research and observations was a very satisfying feeling.
Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite parts of this project was our presentation. I usually look forward to the intricate process that goes into a project while presenting it tends to feel like a chore. This time around though, I really enjoyed it which I can attribute to the flow of ideas and collaborative efforts between me and my teammates. We all came up with many interesting and effective ways to display all of our hard work. I was proud of the work we did, so worked hard to make sure people could understand it an appreciate it. During this project I learned that stressing when a plan doesn’t work out as expected won’t fix anything and the best thing to do is calm down and look at it from a new perspective. I also think my group members taught me how to break down tasks into manageable portions, which will be very helpful in future collaborative efforts.
Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite parts of this project was our presentation. I usually look forward to the intricate process that goes into a project while presenting it tends to feel like a chore. This time around though, I really enjoyed it which I can attribute to the flow of ideas and collaborative efforts between me and my teammates. We all came up with many interesting and effective ways to display all of our hard work. I was proud of the work we did, so worked hard to make sure people could understand it an appreciate it. During this project I learned that stressing when a plan doesn’t work out as expected won’t fix anything and the best thing to do is calm down and look at it from a new perspective. I also think my group members taught me how to break down tasks into manageable portions, which will be very helpful in future collaborative efforts.