02.09.2024:

First Project Event in Room W18: A Successful Start

At the first general project event, which took place under the direction of Mr. Musielack in room W18, we were given the basic information about the project process, important rules, and dates for the interim and final presentations. In addition, the individual project groups received their toolkits and keys for the respective project rooms.

Our project, "BBS – System Warehouse," was assigned to us in room W03. There, we set up and got a first overview of the current state of the project from the previous year.

Afterwards, we appointed Lukas Branse as our project spokesperson. Together, we decided that our project should be given a new name. After several suggestions, we finally agreed on "LogiCore."

Additionally, we discussed the further course of the project with our project manager, Mr. Müller, and his expectations for the upcoming phases. We also exchanged ideas with Mr. Schäfer, the responsible IT specialist, regarding data protection aspects. Since we plan to grant every student at BBS-1 access to LogiCore via an ILIAS account to borrow tools as needed, some legal questions still need to be clarified.

Afterward, we divided the tasks for the next project phase, which is due by the next meeting on September 9, 2024. My task is to contact the company that supplied the LED strips last year to clarify whether it is possible to illuminate individual compartments in the cabinets. This should give teachers and students an even better overview of where each tool is located.

Additionally, all three members of our group will independently design a mockup for the graphical user interface of the LogiCore system.

09.09.2024:

At the second project evening at school, we summarized the results of the first week and discussed our next steps.

Additionally, Marian and I repaired a cabinet door with a bent locking mechanism. In conversations with Mr. Müller and Mr. Brand, we clarified which additional materials we should integrate into our system and discussed that each compartment in the tool cabinets in LogiCore should be illuminated with an LED strip. We also distributed the main tasks of the project among ourselves.

For the upcoming week, my task is to contact the company Zedfy again to discuss the feasibility of the lighting and to obtain a corresponding quote.

16.09.2024:

On this project evening, our main task was to inventory additional materials.
Mr. Müller and Mr. Brand had prepared three more pallets with items that needed to be stored, including motors, rollers, etc.

We also discussed the creation of the requirements and specifications document and assigned tasks. Together with Lukas, I was tasked with creating the requirements document.

Regarding the LED strips, it still needs to be clarified how many LEDs are needed in total (how many compartments we want to illuminate) in order to update the current offer from the company Zedfy and place our final order.

19.09.2024:

I obtained an RFID reader with corresponding tags from the company GIS through my workplace.

I brought this to school in the evening and discussed with my teammates how we can access it, as I had previously tested it at work. I also explained how we can write to and read from the tags.

23.09.2024:

This evening began with a 90-minute presentation by the company SEW about gears and motors and their areas of application. The essential differences were explained, along with practical examples.

After the presentation, we had some time to continue working on our project. Lukas and I discussed further details about the requirements document and how we can design it optimally, as the submission deadline for the requirements and specifications document is set for September 30, 2024. Afterwards, we gained an overview of the LED control and how the individual strips can be controlled with the software.

Unfortunately, the RFID reader I brought does not meet our requirements, as we cannot store all the user data on it. Therefore, we need to look for another model.

30.09.2024:

Project Update: Progress on LED Extensions

Today, we were finally able to determine the scope of the LED extensions. Mr. Müller has requested the installation of LEDs in 8 cabinets, which totals 46 compartments. I will have the quote for the LEDs and the necessary accessories adjusted accordingly by the company Zedfy. However, I am concerned about whether we can complete the implementation within the planned timeframe. The soldering and wiring work, which will largely be done by me, takes place under challenging conditions—often overhead, in tight spaces, or close to the ground. Therefore, I estimate that we will only have enough time to complete 4 cabinets at most.

Mr. Müller also pointed out that a Gantt chart is required for the project's scheduling. I plan to create this next week to provide a clear overview of the individual tasks and their durations.

Together with Mr. Müller, we developed a concept for the interior lighting of the cabinets and their mounting. The LEDs will be installed in sets of three on aluminum rails, which will then be fastened to the front edges of the cabinet shelves using rivets or screws. Each rail will have 5 pre-drilled holes: the two outer ones for the rivets and the three inner ones for the LEDs. We carefully calculated the distances between the holes to create an accurate drilling template. I plan to produce this drilling template using a 3D printer to enhance precision.

We already cut and drilled one rail as a sample, as well as the first shelf board. Unfortunately, this was not as smooth a process as expected, so I plan to bring my own cordless drill in the future. It might have more power, and we could progress faster with the work.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress!

07.10.2024:

Progress in Material Management and Planning

This Monday evening was largely spent organizing and storing additional materials from the pneumatic section. This task proved to be quite time-consuming, as the various components were scattered across multiple boxes. We first had to sort everything and categorize the individual parts to gain a better overview and enable efficient use of the materials later on.

Last week, I also had the quote updated at Zedfy to ensure that we only receive what we can ultimately install. Additionally, I created a Gantt chart using the Gantt Project software. This chart helps us present the project schedule clearly and comprehensively, ensuring that all team members are on the same page and can better understand the next steps.

The combination of these two measures will help us work more efficiently and meet the project deadlines.

Over the next two weeks, school holidays are in effect, which means the school will have adjusted opening hours. However, our team still plans to meet on-site to continue organizing materials and possibly conduct additional tests with the Python script.

21.10.2024:

We decided to use the autumn break to meet at the school and continue the inventory process. Marian had to leave for work after two hours. Lukas and I, being on vacation, were able to stay longer and log additional materials into the system.

28.10.2024

Unfortunately, I had to cancel today’s meeting due to illness and was unable to continue working on the project.

04.11.2024

Today, we are proud to announce that we have mostly completed the inventory process. Another significant milestone has also been achieved: we successfully managed to control the LEDs via our own script on the Raspberry Pi. All previous functions are now back in operation, and even better, we’ve developed a completely new script—including an updated user interface.

The new GUI is already functioning well, but further adjustments are planned to enhance the user experience. Overall, we are satisfied with the progress. However, there is one downside: our LED order from Zedfy still hasn’t arrived. With our upcoming midterm presentation, we will have very little time to address this in the next few weeks, but I plan to follow up on the order to find out what’s causing the delay.

11.11.2024:

During this school meeting, we planned our upcoming midterm presentation on November 18, 2024. We divided the presentation into different topics and decided on a rough structure. Afterward, we began building the framework for the presentation, so everyone could add their part from home.

18.11.2024

Day of the Midterm Presentation

The preparations went well, and it was an exciting moment to present our progress so far. The presentation itself also went pretty smoothly—we were able to clearly and understandably present our project and felt well-prepared.

The feedback from the teachers, Mr. Schäfer and Mr. Müller, was overall very positive. They praised our clear structure and the concise presentation of the key points.

There was one small critique: Some of the images on our slides were a bit too small, which made it more difficult for the audience to see details. However, we immediately took this feedback on board and will work on improving this for the next presentation.

Despite this small issue, we are very satisfied with how the presentation went overall. The positive feedback has further motivated us, and we feel well-equipped for the next steps in our project.

Additionally, I received information from the company Zedfy that the LEDs are expected to be shipped today. Therefore, we hope to begin the work next week.

25.11.2024

Unfortunately, we had to realize that our delivery still hasn’t arrived. I will contact the company Zedfy again to find out when we can expect the order. We are currently a bit concerned, as it's difficult to estimate how long these tasks will take and what potential problems we may encounter.

Marian and Lukas continued working on the QR codes for the inventory and removal of materials. I took the time to gain a better overview of the existing electrical installation and sketched out a rough circuit diagram, which I plan to map out in E-Plan alongside our wiring. Up to now, there has only been a handwritten plan from the previous group.

02.12.2024

I was unable to participate in the project on this day as I was on a business trip. Fortunately, we were informed that the LED order has arrived, so we can begin the installation next week.

09.12.2024

On this evening, Marian and I took care of the LED order from the company Zedfy. I inspected the delivery and got an initial overview. Our order included a power supply for the LEDs, a WLED controller for addressing the LEDs, and two rolls of LED strips.

Since our task involves illuminating certain compartments in specific cabinets with LEDs, I wanted to clarify in advance whether, as a qualified electrician, I was allowed to access the sub-distribution panel in our room to work safely on de-energized circuits. After some back-and-forth, I was able to resolve this with Mr. Brand, and I deactivated the fuses listed in the circuit diagram from the previous project group. Unfortunately, we discovered that this plan was partially incorrect, and the fuses listed did not correspond to the respective circuits. Therefore, Marian and I had to test the fuses and record the results manually in the old circuit diagram.

Once we figured out which fuse was responsible for each circuit, we turned our attention to the WLED controller to address the LEDs individually. Unfortunately, we encountered a few issues here, but we were able to resolve them with Mr. Schäfer's help. I soldered additional LEDs onto a strip as a test, because the WLED controller previously only supported one LED strip, and we wanted to use this controller before installing the newly ordered one. Again, there were issues, but after several attempts, we managed to fix them. The problem was that the previous project group had used a different type of LED strip, which caused connection issues with the controller, as it couldn’t recognize the newly added strip.

Overall, this evening provided valuable insights, and we hope to finally begin the actual installation next week.

16.12.2024

Progress with LED Lighting Installation

On the last official project day before the Christmas holidays, we were finally able to begin installing the LEDs in the cabinets. At the start of the day, we discussed the next steps and decided how to divide the tasks sensibly.

As described last week, we planned to use the "old" LED controller for lighting the compartments. To achieve this, we needed to connect the old LED strip at the front in series with the new LED strips to ensure proper addressing. Initially, I had intended to use a parallel circuit, where we would supply all the strips in the cabinets with 12V using Wago clamps. Unfortunately, this didn’t work because, in a parallel configuration, the controller would turn on all LEDs at the same time whenever we address elements 0-9 via the script. This meant that we wouldn’t be able to target individual compartments for lighting.

My main task for the evening was to prepare and solder the LED strips. Since we used Cabinet 1 as a test, the work took longer than expected. In some cases, we had to solder directly inside the cabinet, which made the process more difficult. As a result, we were unable to complete Cabinet 1.

Our plan for the next Thursday is to solder a complete section – the power supply and LED segments for the compartments – on the table and then install it. Additionally, we need to think about how to neatly arrange the cables to ensure no one accidentally damages the wiring while retrieving materials.

So, there’s still a lot to do in the coming weeks…

19.12.2024

Today, we met exceptionally on a Thursday before the holidays, as we won't be able to continue working on our project during the holiday period. I continued working on the LED strips and was able to equip a total of four cabinets with the strips (solder them). This was a real success for us, as we initially thought we would progress more slowly. Due to time constraints, we will probably leave it at these four cabinets. During the holidays, I will mainly focus on completing my part of the project documentation.

09.01.2025

This Thursday, I was able to continue working on cable routing. I installed a cable protector on the lowest cables in the cabinet compartments and measured how much cable duct we would need for the cabinet compartments and the top of the cabinets to properly protect the newly routed cables.

13.01.2025

Before school started, I purchased the cable ducts I had measured last week. In total, I bought 12 meters of cable duct with dimensions of 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm. Together with Lukas, I cut the ducts to the appropriate lengths and attached them to the inside of the cabinets to neatly route the cables. Once all the cabinets were equipped with cable ducts, we repeated the process for the tops of the cabinets. This allowed us to securely store all the cables within the cable ducts.

My main tasks for the remaining time until the project submission now include:

• Creating the final presentation
• Drafting the circuit diagram
• Designing the flyer
• Developing the operating manual

20.01.2025

On the penultimate session before the final presentation, we focused primarily on planning and structuring the presentation. Marian also tested the interaction of the script with the control of the LEDs in the cabinet compartments once again. This went very well, enabling us to now individually indicate which compartment a student or teacher is taking materials from.

We also discussed how we want to proceed in the last two weeks to ensure that we complete all tasks on time and are well-prepared for the presentation day.

27.01.2025

On the last project day before our final presentation, the technical discussions took place. Each project participant was questioned for 15 minutes about their contributions to the project. The examiners in this case were Mr. Schäfer, our project supervisor, and Ms. Wiedemuth.

We spent the rest of the evening practicing our presentation and preparing the room for the event.

30.01.2025

Our team took Thursday off to prepare our room for the presentation and to rehearse it one last time with the appropriate equipment. We set up a whiteboard and obtained a projector from Mr. Brand to display our presentation on the screen.

Once all the hardware was set up, we practiced our presentation multiple times. We structured it so that Lukas and I covered the theoretical part, while Marian would then demonstrate how our project works in practice. After several timed test runs, everything went smoothly, and we had the process well rehearsed.

01.02.2025

Today was the day of our final presentations. The presentations went smoothly for the most part and we were very satisfied overall.

After the last presentation we were all very relieved, even if the presentation itself in front of several listeners was more pleasant than expected, so that the time went by quite quickly despite 6 presentations on this day.

After the presentations, the principal gave a short speech and we were able to celebrate our achievement with a bottle of beer.

03.02.2025

This Monday was used to hand over the project to our project manager Mr. Schäfer. Mr. Schäfer still had some questions about the function of the project, that this can also be used in everyday school life. We also take a video of the project so that we could then edit it and hand it in by 12.02.2025.