Work in Progress
USB Power Switch
Capstone Project
The capstone project my group has decided to work on is a sub power switch that will shut off the idle power used up by normal USB slots in your laptop or desktop computer.
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One way we are trying to innovate this project is trying to minimize the price, functionality, and the energy usage of similar products like this already on the market.
Our group has received a mentor in Darwiche Jinan. He is a professor of Python Programming at Santa Monica College and will be able to help us in the coding and software aspects of our project, as that is currently the most daunting task.
This is an annotated sketch of our design and all its components. Each specific component is labeled with a number that designates its corresponding role in the design.
1. Shell of USB hub. Material aluminium to give the product a very clean look and keep the cost low.
2. Printed circuit board. Will be where the usb devices are turned on/off.
3. Bluetooth chip. For potential connectivity to your phone to either send notifications or to manually shut off certain devices.
4. USB ports. Contained within the USB hub, are where appliances will be plugged into.
5. Wires. To connect various aspects of the product to the circuit board.
6. Rubber feet. To prevent damage to the shell and any surfaces in contact with the shell.
3D models made on Blender (CAD software) for the USB hub component of our solution. The prototype model has 4 usb ports on the top, with bevels on each top long length corner, with 4 rubber feet on the bottom.
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Additionally, our group conducted a cost analysis based on our current design, which is in the research document.