PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

WELCOME TO THE FINAL BLOG OF THE CPDD MODULE! Project development was tedious and took very long for us to complete, but it was nonetheless fulfilling. Here in this blog, there's about 16 (?) weeks worth of hard work from my team and I. I hope you can appreciate our good efforts as you read on! Enjoy!😁

In this page, I will:

1. Briefly describe my team chemical device

2. Show how the team planned, allocated the tasks, and executed the project. 

3. Document the entire design and build process of the chemical device and include videos, pictures, and screen captures of the processes.

4. Include “Hero shot” of every milestone of the processes, example the part A that was 3D printed, part B that was laser-cut, electronics components moved/worked according to the program. Hero-shot is taken with the person-in-charge holding/working/making the parts.

5. Include the name of the person who was in-charge of every part of the project. 

6. Document my individual contribution to this project.

7. Provide the link to the page of the blog of my teammates. 

8. Describe problems encountered and how the team solved them.

9. Include all the project design files as downloadable files. 

10. Embed the final prototype design file, i.e., the final fusion360 design file showing the entire prototype.

11. Type my Learning reflection on the overall project development.

1. Our team Chemical Device

• In this section, I will briefly describe my team's chemical device.

• What it is. What problems will the chemical device solve? 

• Below is the hand sketch of the chemical device.

Our team’s chemical device is an automated watering system to water plants. 

CHEMICAL DEVICE: 

Our team’s chemical device is an automated watering system to water plants. 

BACKGROUND:

Based on the article published in “The Straits Times”, Covid-19 has led to a botanic boom in Singapore as more people become plant parents to relieve stress while working from home. Many people think that plant parenting has been especially helpful during the circuit breaker as more people spend time at home beavering in front of their computers. Hence, planting has given them an extension of their own space into the outside world and a chance to reconnect with nature. 

Plant sellers like Terrascpaes, a nursery specialising in exotic plants, saw a 10% increase in sales. They mentioned that they sold about 1000 plants in the circuit breaker period from April to June after it started retailing its plants online. 

Now, our borders have lifted and people started to travel more frequently as compared to the pre-covid period. HOW are plant owners supposed to water the plant when they are overseas? HOW can we help plant owners from overwatering their plants? HOW can we ensure that plant owners have the time to water their plants, even during their daily busy schedules?

EXISTING SOLUTION:

Plant owners can ask their friends or relatives to look after their plants while they are overseas. However, it may be troublesome to seek help from friends to look after the plants as they might be busy, or they would not know the right amount of water to give. This may do more harm than good to the plant. 

There are many DIY self-watering kit tutorials available for plant owners to construct; however, it can be very time-consuming to build and control the amount of water flowing into the soil. Additionally, plant owners may not have the materials required to build these DIY kits. This may lead to them spending more money than what is needed in order to purchase these materials. 

OUR SOLUTION:

Our SmartPot, named Tod, will solve this issue by providing plant owners with a convenient way to keep their plants hydrated. The soil moisture sensor will sense the moisture level of the plant. If the sensor senses a low moisture level (i.e. < 15%), the sensor will send an output signal to the pump to start the pump. The pump will then be pumping the water to the soil to keep the plant hydrated.  Once the sensor senses a high moisture level (above 15%), the sensor will send an output signal to stop the pump. To let the plant owners know/observe the moisture reading, we also added an LCD screen to display the soil moisture readings to the user. 

This will ensure that plant owners will not have to worry about forgetting to water their plants, or dispensing the right amount of water to them. 

PROBLEMS THAT OUR CHEMICAL DEVICE (SmartPot) CAN SOLVE: 

Problem #1: User overwater the plant

Solution #1: Based on the current soil moisture level of the plant, SmartPot will supply water to the plant to bring the moisture level into the acceptable range. 

Problem #2: User does not have the time to water the plant

Solution #2: SmartPot’s automated watering system can last for 2 weeks. Users will only have to replenish the water tank every 2 weeks. Users will only have to worry about refilling the tank every 2 weeks. 

Problem #3: Existing solutions are impractical and time-consuming to carry out

Solution #3:  Our SmartPot is compact, inexpensive and user-friendly. Users only have to refill the water tank and plug in the power source.

THE ISSUE WE WANT TO SOLVE:

The main issue we want to solve is to find a convenient way to keep users’ plants hydrated with little effort needed. 

PROBLEM STATEMENT:  

How can we enhance the user’s plant parenting experience so that plant owners can save time and cost?

Here’s the link to find out more about the news article: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/home-design/covid-19-has-led-to-a-botanic-boom-in-singapore-as-more-people-become-plant 

2. Team Planning, allocation, and execution

• In this section, I will list down my team member's name and their respective roles (CEO, CFO, COO, CSO)

Roles:

Task allocation:

• I will show the finalized BOM (BILL OF MATERIALS) table.

• I will show the finalized Gantt chart (planned and actual) and the tasks allocation for each team member.

Design and Build Process

In this section, I will provide documentation of the design and build process. This includes journeying from the first stage (with our concept sketches), to assembling our final prototype!

This is a brief roadmap of our design and build journey: 

1.  Our initial concept sketch: 

                                 Figure 1: Initial concept sketch

In our initial design, we planned on using a weight sensor to measure the weight of the soil (when dry, and after watering it) in order to program how much water the pump has to supply to the plant. For the user interface, there will be a button on the side for the user to select their desired moisture level for the plant. 

For our pipe, we planned to poke holes through it for the water to be dispensed to the plant. 

However, after going through our TRIZ refinement concept, we realised that our current concept sketch would not be sufficient. 

2. Our refined concept sketch (making use of TRIZ)

In our initial sketch, there were certain problems we had to consider, namely: 

1. Evaporation of water from the soil 

2. Maintaining soil moisture level 

3. Improving water retention in the soil

In order to solve these technical contradictions, we made use of inventive principles:

                                              Figure 2: Use of TRIZ refinement concept

Hence, coming up with our final concept sketch: 

                                                   Figure 3.1: Refined concept sketch

                    Figure 3.2: An improved sketch of the outcome from the three-step TRIZ process

          Figure 3.3: An improved sketch of the outcome from the three-step TRIZ process

In this concept sketch, we included:

• Tube dispenser punched with tiny holes to ensure fair dispersion of water across the soil

• Soil moisture sensor is used as it is more effective to measure the soil moisture level as compared to a weight sensor 

• A potentiometer is used to change the settings on the LCD screen instead of having multiple buttons 

• Routeing the pipe back to the tank to save water by reusing the water that has not been dispensed onto the soil

• An additional electronic storage box is added to store the Arduino kit and wires to improve the appearance of the Smartpot instead of exposing the Arduino kit and wires. 

3. Planning + BOM 

Next, we moved on to discuss the allocation of tasks as well as getting the materials ready for us to build our cardboard prototype. Most of the materials were available in the lab, so it was not a problem for us to get the materials. 

We agreed that Justin, Keith and I would work on the designing + Fusion part, while En Ting and Jun Hao worked on the code for our pump and soil moisture sensor. 

We had to wait until we received all the materials from the lab (pump, soil moisture sensor, LCD screen) before we could start designing our prototype. This is because we had to take into consideration the dimensions of the electronics when putting them into the prototype. 

4. Calculations, measuring dimensions, creating cardboard prototype 

After receiving the necessary materials, we moved on to deciding the dimensions of the prototype. This included calculations to see if our water tank could hold enough water that would last for approximately 2 weeks. Additionally, we had to keep in mind the amount of acrylic we could use. 

4.1 Deciding dimensions 

Our initial SmartPot dimensions: 

4.2 Calculations

After trying to draft out these dimensions on the cardboard, we realised that the size of our electronic box was too small. It was not able to fit all the electronics inside. Hence, we had to re-calculated and resize our SmartPot to ensure that the amount of acrylic we were using was still within the amount we were given. 

4.3 New dimensions + calculations 

So this was the dimensions we decided to go with to create our cardboard prototype. 

4.4 Cardboard prototyping

The process of us creating our cardboard prototype of SmartPot: 

Final look: 

Front view 

Top view 

Inside electronic box

CAD ON FUSION: 

                                    Figure 4.1: Front view of initial SmartPot 

                                         Figure 4.2: Top view of initial SmartPot

5. Feedback from Dr Noel 

During the Mid-Point presentation, we showed our working codes, cardboard prototype, and the CAD to Dr Noel. The following feedback was given: 

1. How do you ensure that the plant gets watered when the pipe is running along the sides of the Pot? Problem: the water will just run down the side of the pot instead of dispensing it directly onto the plant 

2. The size of the SmartPot is too large for the plant

3. The soil moisture sensor is placed at the side of the pot, but your plant is placed in the middle of the pot. How will you ensure that the soil moisture the sensor is reading is from the soil near to the plant? Problem: the soil moisture reading will be inaccurate as it is not measuring the soil near to the plant 

4. Problem with the code: 1 input (soil moisture) and 2 output (LCD and potentiometer). Problem: this will be very challenging for us as the requirements only stated that we needed to include 1 input and 1 output. Dr Noel advised us to include 1 input and 1 output first. 

5. It will be hard to laser cut the water tank and use acrylic as it may not be strong enough to hold the water inside. You will not be able to seal it tightly to prevent the water from leaking out. Problem: we had to find an alternative (e.g. plastic container) to hold the water, instead of laser cutting using acrylic. 

6. Making adjustments to prototype 

Hence, with the feedback given, the following adjustments were made: 

1. We resized our pot so that it will be slimmer to fit the plant (15 cm by 7 cm by 15 cm) 

2. We changed the orientation of the pipe to make it run in the middle of the pot (by using duct tape) 

3. Downsizing the pot meant that we could move the soil moisture sensor to the middle of the pot (near the plant) 

4. Using only 1 input and 1 output for coding (input: soil moisture sensor. Output: LCD Screen). 

5. Using half of a plastic water bottle as an alternative for the water tank. 

Read on to part 6 to see how we integrated all parts into our prototype and conducted test runs of our SmartPot!

Part 1. Using Fusion360 to finalise the CAD of SmartPot. (done by ME, Hannah). Link it to Hannah’s blog 

• Documentation for task 1.

In this section, I will be showing you how to make the CAD of our SmartPot using Fusion360. 

Part 1: creating the pot

1. Click create sketch > select x-y plane 

2. Click 2 point rectangle > key in 70mm and 150mm > enter > finish sketch 

3. Click extrude > 150mm > enter 

4. Click create sketch > select plane > click create centre diameter circle

5. Select the left side of the rectangle and key in “10mm”. Repeat the same for the right side. You should have 2 holes on this face of the box. 

This will be the holes for the pipe to run in and out of the pot

6. Click create sketch > select the top plane > create a 2 point rectangle > key in 61mm and 140mm > click finish sketch 

7. Click extrude > click the 61mm by 140mm rectangle we just made > change operation to CUT> key in “-145mm”. 

8. Click ‘extrude’ > select both of the holes at the side of the pot > change operation to CUT. For this, any length will do.

This is the final look for the pot: 

We’re done with the pot! Let’s move on to make the electronic box now 

Part 2: Making the electronic box 

Our electronic box is placed at the side of the pot (150mm by 150mm square). So, thats where we will be starting our sketch. 

To make it neater, I made another component and labelled it “electronic box” 

1. Create a 2 point rectangle with dimensions 150mm by 130mm > finish sketch

2. Click extrude on the NEW RECTANGLE > select operation NEW BODY > extrude by 50mm 

3. Click create sketch on the same plane > create a 2 point rectangle > key in 141mm by 120.5mm > finish sketch 

4. Click extrude > select the rectangle you just made > change operation to CUT > key in -45mm 

We will now create the hinges for the door of the electronic box (done by Hannah and Justin)

5. Create sketch > create 2 point rectangle > key in 25.75mm by 16mm (create 2 rectangles, each on one end of the box) 

6. Click extrude > operation NEW BODY > extrude by 4mm for BOTH rectangles 

7. Switch to the side view of the rectangle > click create centre diameter circle > enter 4mm > create another centre circle from the same point > enter 8mm

8. Click “sketch dimension” > click the outermost circle’s circumference > key in 8mm

9. Click sketch dimension > click the 2 points > key in a distance of 3mm 

10. Click finish sketch > extrude > select the outer circle > Operation: JOIN > key in a distance of -6mm

11. Click the sketch of the hinge > create pattern > rectangle pattern

12. Click on axes > select the length of the hinge 

13. Key in a distance of 19.7mm and a quantity of 3

How the hinges look like now: 

14. Create another component (hinge), using the same steps from step 7-9

15. Extrude the hinge using offset plane> offset=30mm, distance=30mm> operation=join

16. Make a second sketch for the hinge using 7-9. Use extrude. Under extrude, use offset plane> offset=30mm, distance 30mm> operation join

Combine the hinges together by using the move tool.

Part 3: Designing the water tank 

1. Click create cylinder 

2. Select X-Y plane 

3. Select create centre diameter circle > key in a diameter of 85mm 

4. Key in a height of 110mm

5. Create sketch > create centre diameter circle with diameter of 80mm >finish sketch

6. Click extrude > click on the circle with 80mm diameter

7. Select operation: CUT > extrude by 100mm

Illustrating the pipe: 

1. Click create sketch > line 

2. Select the line > click create pipe > diameter of 8mm > operation: NEW BODY 

Creating handle for lid of water tank: 

1. Create sketch > select x-y plane 

2. Select line 

3. Key in 25mm 

4. Draw another line perpendicular to the first line. key in 60mm. make sure its at 90 degrees

Create another line perpendicular to the second line. make it 25mm, same length as the first line

Click fillet

Select the 2 edges on the left side

Key in 5mm for the arch

Click finish sketch

Final look: 

How to import to cura for 3D printing (using tank handle as an example): 

1. Right click on body > save as mesh 

2. Save as STL file 

3. Open Cura > open the file 

4. Rotate the handle. This will ensure that there will be no air printing 

5. Select infill density 20% and select infill support 

6. After slicing, it should take 24 minutes 

With that, you’re ready to print! Save to disk and set the correct settings on the 3D printer before printing!

Final look at our SmartPot!!

Embedded Fusion file 💻:  

HERO SHOTS😃

Me working on the fusion file

Completed 3D printing & laser cutting by the design team!

Part 2. Design and Build of Part B (done by Justin) 

Link to Justin's blog: Justin's blog

Part 3. Design and Build of Part C (done by Keith). Link it to Keith’s blog

Link to Keith's blog: Keith's Blog

Part 4. Programming of pump and soil moisture sensor (done by En Ting). Link it to En Ting’s blog

Link to En Ting's blog: En Ting's Blog

Part 5. Programming of potentiometer and lcd (done by Jun Hao). Link it to Jun Hao’s blog

Link to Jun Hao's blog: Jun Hao's Blog

Part 6. Integration of all parts and electronics, including the assembly of the final prototype (done by everyone)

Alright! Now we are ready to assemble all the components together! 

Step 1, Glue all the acrylic pieces 

We used acrylic glue to glue the acrylic pieces together and used masking tapes to hold the pieces in place. 

Laser cutting:

Glueing the acrylic parts together:

Step 2, Glue all the 3D printed pieces 

Once the acrylic glue has dried out. We then used super glue to glue all the 3D printed components (hinges, handle & latch) onto the acrylic and the cover respectively. 

Testing working mechanism:

Step 3, Create a water tank

Previously, we wanted to laser cut our water tank but we are afraid that our water tank will be not leakproof. We also didn’t want to waste the 3D filament to print our water tank. Hence, we repurposed a plastic bottle into a water tank. We used scissors to cut the plastic bottle. 

Next, we cut a U-shaped slot for the tubes and wire so that we can cover the tank properly. 

Testing water pump:

Testing dispensing of water :

Step 4, Combine all the codes 

We came together to combine all the separate codes for each components (soil moisture sensor, pump and LCD screen) together. 

Here’s the final code for our prototype:

Step 5, Attach the arduino kit & breadboard into our electronic box

We used duct tapes to secure the arduino kit and the breadboard to the wall of the electronic box. We also used zip ties to group the wires to make our wiring system more organised and aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, we also added small tiny tags to label the jumper wires to reduce confusion.

  

Step 6, Cut holes in the tube 

First, we had to find the section of the tube which will be inside the SmartPot. Next, we decided to cut the holes such that they will be facing the plant. At first, we cut a total of 6 holes into the tube, however, through trial and error we found out that using 2 holes was enough to supply the plant with sufficient water. As such, we taped up the rest of the holes using duct tape.

Step 7, Transfer the plant into our prototype 

We used a shove to transfer the plant into our prototype. 

HERO SHOT with TOD:

4. Problems and solutions 

In this section, I will describe the problems encountered in the design and build process and how the team solved them.

Problems faced by the coding team (done by En Ting & Jun Hao) 

Problem	How we solved it
Problem #1: Short of components  The pump code could not work with the existing components inside the Arduino kit. We are short of 3 components which are a 9v battery, a transistor IRF520, and a Rectifier diode IN4007.  We needed a 9v battery as the submersible pump used, draws a larger current than the current that the Arduino output pins can supply.  We needed an IRF520 transistor to control the pump from the low-current signals of the Arduino’s digital pins.  We needed a diode which will be added in parallel with the pump to only allow the current to flow in one direction to protect the circuit.	Difficulty level: Easy We went down to Sim Lim Tower to get the IRF520 transistor.  We got the diode from the lab and brought the 9v battery from fairprice.
Problem #2: Used the wrong type of code After copying and editing the soil moisture sensor code we searched online, the sensor wasn’t able to sense any values. The serial monitor was generating small tiny boxes instead of a numerical value.  Capacitive sensor (one probe): Soil moisture sensor (two probe):	Difficulty level: Easy We relooked at the code and realised that the code we copied was used for a capacitive sensor which is also used to measure soil moisture but it is different from the one we got from the lab. The one that we got from the lab was called a moisture sensor module which is a simpler version than the capacitive sensor as does not require a library inside the code.  After identifying the correct type of sensor we are using, we went to search for the code and managed to let the code work.
Problem #3: Overheating of the module board When we were conducting our test run, the module board (also known as the hydrometer) was overheated and started to transmit the wrong soil moisture value to the LCD screen. The sensor was supposed to sense a value of 1% but it sensed a value of 46%.	Difficulty level: Moderate We did a quick search and realised that we might have connected the jumper wires wrongly after we unplug the wires to assemble all the components together.  We connected the VOC pin (module board) to the GND pin (Arduino kit) and the GND pin (module board) to the 5v pin (Arduino kit) which is wrong. This will cause the voltage regulator to overheat Hence, we quickly unplug the USB cable, reconnect the wires and let the module board to cool for a while to bring down the temperature.  To avoid this error, we added tags/ labels to each wire to reduce confusion and efficiency.
Problem #4: LCD Liquidcrystal library was wrong To use a LCD, the Arduino must have a library provide the functionality of the LCD into the code. Arduino libraries are written using C or C++. This means that for our LCD we must have a library known as “Liquidcrystal” downloaded. Fortunately, Arduino provides this library on their website. Unfortunately for us however, this library did not work as there as line of code inside of one of the C++ files that was written incorrectly.	Difficulty level: Easy/moderate/ hard To fix the issue of the Liquidcrystal library being wrong, we had to access the C++ file and change it manually. To do this Jun Hao downloaded Microsoft Visual Studio which is a app that allows the user to code in different languages like C#, C++ and more. After downloading this app, he manually changed the incorrect line of code, however the issue that we had during this process was that for some reason, the code would not save as the correct one. Because of this reason the code had to be delayed until we could ask someone with more knowledge.  The person we asked was Dr. Noel, our lecturer for CPDD. He kindly helped us by downloading a new correctly made library into our computers and now with the correct library, the LCD could work
Problem #5: Potentiometer not working with LCD Our original plan was to make the SmartPot with 2 inputs and 2 outputs. These 2 inputs would have been the soil moisture sensor and a potentiometer that users could use to select the soil moisture level of the soil ranging from 20% to 60%. However, when doing the code for this part, there were many issues with connecting the potentiometer to the LCD. The main one was that the value of the potentiometer, which was supposed to show up on the LCD,  did not update on the LCD when ever it was changed. For some reason the LCD did not detect the change in the potentiometer	Difficulty level: Hard To fix this issue we had done a lot of research on this topic and nothing came up. We suspect the reason for this to be that we had actually crafted this portion of the code by ourselves without any references other than the knowledge of how the coding language worked.  Due to this issue, we ultimately decided to cut this part of the SmartPot from our prototype. In the end, we decided that the SmartPot will only have 1 input and 2 outputs. Those being the soil moisture sensor, the LCD and the pump respectively.

Problems faced by the fusion/design team (done by Hannah, Justin & Keith)

Problem	How we solved it
Problem #1: Inaccurate orientation of the pipe The orientation of the pipe in the pot did not ensure that the water will be directly dispensed onto the plant (i.e. the pipe runs along the sides of the pot, but not in the middle where the plant is).	Difficulty level: Hard We decided to tape the tubes together in a way such that the areas where there are holes do not touch the walls, this will ensure that the water coming from the holes does not drip down along the walls but instead goes to the plant directly. We also made the holes facing the plant. This can be seen in the pictures below.
Problem #2: Did not consider the placement of the soil moisture sensor The soil moisture sensor was placed at the side of the pot. This means that it will only measure the moisture level of the soil at the sides of the pot. Hence, it will not accurately measure the moisture of the soil around the plant (which is placed in the middle of the pot).	Difficulty level: Moderate We made a hole along the side of the electronic box which gave the soil moisture sensor a shorter route to reach the middle of the pot, due to its short wire length.
Problem #3: Did not consider the possible plant size  The plant we received was extremely small (i.e. only ~2cm across the diameter). This meant that our pot dimensions (15cm x 15cm x 15cm) were extremely oversized.	Difficulty level: Hard We decided to change the dimensions of our pot to 15cm x 7cm x 15cm. This led to us having to redo the CAD design on Fusion360.
Problem #4: Incorrect placement of LCD screen Placing the LCD screen on the cover of the electronic box turned out to be troublesome as the wires that connected the Arduino to the LCD screen were not long enough.  So, it will be a problem when opening the electronic box. Additionally, the placement of the LCD screen may not be very convenient for the user to view the moisture level from.	Difficulty level: Moderate We decided to place the LCD screen on the top of the electronic box, facing upwards. We felt that this was the most logical spot to place the LCD screen as the pot will usually be on the floor and it will automatically be facing the user when checking the soil moisture level. However, it also took us some time to come to a conclusion on where to place the LCD screen as it could have interfered with the latch (our working mechanism).
Problem #5: Estimating and deciding on how we were going to cut the holes along the pipe.  Finding out the number of holes to cut and their placements along the tube	Difficulty level: Moderate We first had to estimate the section of the tube that will be in the SmartPot. Next, we decided to cut 6 small holes that are facing the plant. Through trial and error, we decided that 3 holes were enough to supply the plant with water. As such, we used duct tape to cover the rest of the holes.

5. Project Design Files as downloadable files

In this section, I will provide all the design files (Fusion360 files, .dxf files, .stl files, arduino programs files) as downloadable files. 

Google drive: Downloadable files

Below is my Learning Reflection on the overall Project Development.

If I were to describe this journey in 2 words, it would be tedious yet fulfilling. Firstly, there were many instances where my team was thrown off our plans😓 and had to troubleshoot as soon as possible in order to solve the problem. Take for instance, our pot dimensions had to be re-sized and re-calculated many times so that we could cater to the plant and the amount of acrylic we were provided with😰. I think one of the biggest challenges for me would be designing and redesigning our SmartPot on Fusion360. What I thought to be a manageable task turned out to be very time-consuming and frustrating. However, it was also gratifying😃 in the sense that I was able to explore many resources and put my designing skills to the test. For instance, I had to search up many videos online (e.g. on Youtube) in order to learn how to make certain parts of the SmartPot, like the hinges, latch, and so on. All these took up a great amount of time since I had to rewatch the videos many times until I was able to execute it😕. Nonetheless, it taught me to be patient and to be resilient. There were many instances where I would feel like giving up while designing on Fusion360. After all, I am not very skilled in using Fusion. But surprisingly enough, this experience made me feel even more motivated to improve my skills in using Fusion360 so that I will be able to design many more things and bring more “value” to my team, like in my upcoming Capstone project! 😖

Secondly, working with my teammates helped me to appreciate them and their hard work for our project. At first, we were very unfamiliar with each other and I found it hard for me to convey my ideas as I was apprehensive about their thoughts. Even so, I managed to grow comfortable and started getting used to sharing my ideas and receiving feedback😉, even if they were not what I expected. This also leads me to my next point > about having constant communication within the group. I often do not want to talk much as I will be afraid of what my teammates will think of me. For example, if I told someone to help me with one part of the project, I would be afraid that they would think I am being ‘bossy’😢. Nevertheless, being able to communicate in a team is extremely vital as I can share the workload with them, and everyone will be updated on the current progress of the project. Hence, I learned that I have to speak up and that if there are any problems on my end, I should not be afraid to ask for help from my group mates. After all, we are all working as a team. We should be there to support each other😎. 

One other problem my team and I faced was having to constantly troubleshoot our prototype in order to cater to the plant we were given, and this dragged out the duration of us creating our prototype😑 to finally assembling it using the acrylic we laser cut. Initially, we planned on having a pot with dimensions 15 cm by 15c m by 15 cm. We figured that having a square pot would be easier to laser cut and glue together. However, the plant we were given was extremely small, which led us to change our plant to one of a bigger size (although it was still very small lol😅). We finally decided on a pot size of 15cm by 7 cm by 15cm. The width would be 7cm, as we felt that a ‘slimmer looking’ pot would also be eye-catching and could cater to the small plant.🎋

Other than the plant size, we also had to change the orientation of the other components, like the soil moisture sensor and the pipe (after receiving feedback from Dr Noel). This was also very time consuming as we had to try out different combinations to work with the materials we had already prepared. I feel that this part of the project also allowed me to learn the most as I cannot expect everything to go well😌. In such a big project like this, nothing will be smooth sailing. Hence, one of my biggest takeaways is that I need to adapt to the current situation as fast as possible😯 and I should not panic when something goes wrong. As my teammates and I always say, “TRUST THE PROCESS”. I am thankful that we managed to work around the limitations and problems we had to create our final prototype😃. Yes, there were certain components which we wanted to make more aesthetically pleasing (like our water tank), but I remembered that we cannot be too ambitious😖. First, we should ensure that we meet the project requirements, and then start to add more features from there. I should also anticipate the possible problems that may arise during the project, and think of ways to solve them. 

Skills wise, I am definitely lacking in Arduino programming and coding😓. As I did not work on that part of my project, I do not have enough exposure to it. This is because I wanted to make use of this project to hone my Fusion designing skills. Nonetheless,  watching En Ting and Jun Hao getting frustrated over their code definitely scared me HAHA😬. But this only reminded me how I have to face learning how to code later on. It is daunting for me, but I should not be afraid about how I will not do well😞. Similarly when I first started designing on Fusion, I had a lot of trouble creating even a simple keychain (sad). But look at me now! I am able to design our SmartPot, although it isn’t of the best quality haha😶. I should concentrate on honing this coding skill and the benefits that I will reap from it. There are so many things I can do with coding! So moving forward, I will use that as a motivation for me to keep on trying hehe😃. 

Going forward, I want to adopt the same attitude and mindset when I move on to work on my final year project.  I wish to take on this next huuuuuge project with a resilient attitude, and not give up in the face of adversity😊. Additionally, I should not be thrown off track when something goes wrong. Instead of worrying about what I SHOULD have done or how the problem will escalate, I should focus on how I am going to solve the problem. I should also keep in mind to have constant communication with my teammates, and not be afraid to speak my mind. Finally, TRUST THE PROCESS. Nearing the end of the project, my teammates and I found it very hard to assemble our final prototype together + work on the presentation slides as we had a massive amount of workload to deal with, along with our tests from other modules. Thankfully, my team is able to work relatively fast and we knew that it was important to complete our assigned parts before the due date. This allowed us to assemble our prototype in time! For this, I am really grateful to my teammates for putting in the hard work alongside me😁 to see our SmartPot come to life, from when it was first drawn on paper😆.

Overall, the CPDD module was very demanding😔. Most of the time, I found myself complaining (lol) about the workload. However, it also gave me a glimpse into how demanding the FYP would be and the commitment it requires. In a way, CPDD has ‘trained’ me to prepare for FYP. And to this, I would also say that this module is fulfilling. Looking back at how tough the project was, I am proud of myself for coming this far and wish to see how I will do in my FYP!😎