Personal Projects
The following projects are separated into categories.
3D Printing
Pool table support
I used this pool table all the time freshman year, but there was something that really annoyed me about it: it had a depreciated pocket. When I hit a ball into that pocket, sometimes it would hit the edge of the pocket and jump out. So I thought "this is annoying, let's try to fix it". My plan of action was to create a support in SolidWorks and then 3D print it.
So lets do it:
I created a model on SolidWorks (left) and 3D printed it. Then I put it in the pocket (right). It worked, but it was very hard to stick in the pocket.
It held up for a while, but every so often, it fell off the pool table and I had to reinsert it it. I didn't like that so I decided to make a second iteration.
In the second iteration, I cut out the piece on the bottom that made it hard to fit in the pocket. I also made it a bit smaller (left).
I printed and put it in the pocket (right). This time it worked like a gem.
Hassle free support.
So what does this show? I can find a problem and identify/implement a solution using unique tools. I can also make iterations to improve an existing design.
AAA to AA Battery sleeve
One day, I accidentally bought a 24 pack of AAA batteries for my lamp which required AA batteries. I would have canceled the order, but I didn't realize my mistake until I tried to put the batteries in the lamp. I didn't want to buy any more batteries, so I found an alternative.
AAA batteries and AA batteries have the same voltage, so I figured all I needed to do was 3D print a sleeve to make the AAA battery fit into the AA slot. And so I did...
The clear one was the first iteration of the sleeve. It didn't work because I didn't account for the 3D printing tolerances, so the hole for the battery was a bit too small. So I made the sleeve and hole a bit bigger on the second iteration and it worked like a charm. I still use it today.
So what does this mean? Well, I learned to account for real world tolerances.
Excel
I like to calculate and analyze things. These are examples of how I do this in excel.
This spreadsheet tracks my spending on Amazon in 2015. It plots the graph of total spent on the y-axis and the time (days) on the x-axis. This spreadsheet helps me budget (which is very useful for a college student) and it is fun to see my spending trends.
This spreadsheet calculates my grades based on the hws, quizzes, and tests that I put into it. It also calculates my
semester GPA. I do this because grades are important to me, and I like playing with the numbers.
This spreadsheet calculates my cumulative GPA. I made this spreadsheet because one of my tutoring clients wanted to make sure he kept his GPA requirement for his scholarship, so he wanted to know what grade he needed in each class to maintain a 3.0
The online GPA calculators were tedious to use, so I figured a local excel file would be the easiest way to have something that can be saved and easy to change.
I am most proud of this project because of its value to people. After I gave it to my tutoring client, I put it up on reddit so
anyone can download and use it.
