PCB Lamp: Top Specs and Constraints

Project Overview

From my previous posts, I have started designing a PCB lamp.

Specifications and Constraints

In order to successfully complete this project I have developed a set of constraints and specifications which I will follow for this project.

Specifications

1. While off, the lamp should be visually interesting
   1. In order to achieve this task, I intend to create designs on the front of the cube using copper traces. The copper traces are what allow the glowing effect to have texture and change.
2. While on, the lamp should show contrast and change appearance
   1. From the previous specification, I will be utilizing copper traces and pours to be able to generate designs and contrast on the surface of the PCB, with significantly more contrast than when the lamp is off.
3. While on, the lamp should provide enough ambient lighting to have some vision in a dark room
   1. In order to provide enough light, I plan to use a light of similar brightness to a house light, knowing that the lamp will likely absorb a decent amount of the light.
4. The lamp’s construction material should be PCBs to conform to the PCB aesthetic
5. The lamp should be battery powered and able to recharge with a runtime of at least 2 hours
   1. The intention of utilizing a battery is to allow the lamp to be used both on the stand and other locations on the desk.

Constraints

1. Time is limited for this project, from the end of spring break to the project due date is less than one month
2. The scope of the electronics may prove difficult to implement given the limited time
   1. During the next phase of the design process, I will be exploring whether or not the scope of electronics I would like to implement is reasonable for the length of this project. A number of features including battery power, capacitive touch control, dimming, and charging, are all features I would like to have implemented. There is significant potential for these to quickly become out of scope so I will take time to explore the amount of work expected.
3. Any delays, mistakes, or issues in PCB manufacturing could cause significant delays
   1. In order to ensure delays are not a problem, I plan to send the PCBs out for order over spring break such that if any issues do arise, I will still have time to make a revision and submit it again.
4. The cost of PCBs goes up pretty fast as they increase in size
   1. In order to balance size and cost of the lamp, for this project, I plan to make the cube 6x6x6 inches. This should be a good balance between size and cost to keep the total order price around $50.