This was our original idea for how the motor would move two different walls/beams at the same time and the same distance. It is interesting to think that we kept this idea for the whole duration of the project.
This lego structure was our very first prototype. This was the first physical structure that really helped us visualize what we were working with. We were thinking of many different ways to get this to work, and this was one of the better ideas that we had come up with. This took much longer than the next prototype, considering we were still working on making the design the best it could be. The prototype you see here has the same function and mechanics as the final project does.
The second prototype we made we used an Arduino and motor, and we learned a lot about the coding necessary to make it work. Not only did we learn more about the code we needed, we learned what the two posts would look like, along with what function they would fulfill. The posts in this project were used to help support and push the phone into the correct point. This prototype was mainly used for visualization and to learn more about Arduino, but what we didn’t know that it would teach us is more about how hard it was to get the alignments correct for the posts to actually move.
Our second to last prototype which most resembles our final prototype was definitely a challenge. We had to get a lot of precise measurements, which involved a number of calculations, and a little guessing on some things. Using the information we collected, we laser cut a box with two slits on the roof of the box, for the shaft of the wall to go through. Once the laser cut was finished we attempted to put it together and found out that it was tricky to get it all together. We also didn’t like the material very much, and the top was supposed to be see through. Next we worked on the spacing, we needed to find a place to put the motor, Arduino, control circuit for the motor and a power switch. This prototype also gave us a sense of what the size of the AutoDock would actually be. Having a pretty closely sized box allowed us to visualize and make more calculations to improve the next prototype of the AutoDock.
AutoDock automatically plugs in your phone. Simply place your phone onto the box and move on with your life. AutoDock is a good alternative for the millions of people who have phones without wireless charging capability, and who don’t want to add a bulky charging case to their phone or otherwise use attachments (such as magnetic connectors) that hog the lightning connector port (especially now that the iPhone 7 -- and probably upcoming phones -- don’t contain a headphone jack). AutoDock provides a simple, aesthetically pleasing box which plugs your phone in without any effort beyond placing your phone down.
AutoDock uses an Arduino microcontroller to control two stepper motors connected to separate rack and pinion systems. These systems pull the walls (beams) so that the phone is aligned with the lightning cable plug which is held steady at the base of the box. The height of the cable plug is adjusted to fit the user’s phone/case precisely.
