Final Prototype and Evaluation

It's finally finished! My promotional MP3 speaker is complete, well as a prototype anyway, and it works! I have made a prototype bag too which would contain the speaker and be handed out at the train station to promote new high speed trains to commuters.

I have kept the bag simple and used strips of orange to match the design of the speaker. I am really happy with my final outcome. It has been a long and stressful process but it is so satisfying when everything comes together in the end.

The paint finish has worked really well and has completely disguised the fact that the speaker is made of lots and lots of flat pieces of plywood. I love the white and orange, it makes the product look modern and stylised, appealing to both sexes. 

Although I am happy with my design I think I could have saved time had I used the CNC machines. My final product may have been more precise which would have helped when joining the two sides together, however with the machines being unreliable I did the best that I could with the time that I had. I'm glad I took on a complex organic shape, I think I've done a good job at reflecting the train I chose from my research and the colours really compliment the final outcome. The assembly of the electronic components could have been better, maybe trying different ways to secure them inside the speaker, although this was always going to be a difficult task when working with a small complex shape. CAD has played a big part in this project. I probably spent too much time on this element but I think I have gained so much from using pro engineer for this project and can see it's value as a design and manufacture resource.

Finishing

I need to get a really good smooth finish before I can start painting, otherwise all of the ridges will still be visible in the final prototype. To achieve this finish I've had to use lots of wood filler and fine sandpaper. Doesn't look very pretty but hopefully it will all be worth it when I start spraying.

 I've had a small issue with the design. Originally it would come apart in two halves so that the user could change the battery. However, it would be easier to finish the speaker if it was a whole piece. Consequently, I've had to make a small cut out in the base to allow the battery to be changed. Not the easiest of tasks, and something which could have been done simply on the laser cutter when I originally made my slices. Nevermind.

I can finally see my design coming together! I've used a gloss white paint to match the train from my research. Each half will be joined together with a piece of vibrant orange acrylic in the centre and the same acrylic will be used for the speaker grill on the front.

Believe it or not, this tangled mess should hopefully make my speaker work. It has proved very difficult to solder all of the components together to fit in a small space. Luckily I made space for the circuit board and battery to rest in securely which helped a little.