Hand crank radio
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Contents |
Executive Summary
Stakeholders and Product Needs
There are four main stakeholders concerned with this product: consumers, distributors / retailers, manufacturers and transporters (shipment). Each of the stakeholders have different needs as listed below.
Consumers
The Kikkerland Solar Radio Crank is directed toward household consumers who are concerned about their carbon footprint or natural disasters (which may cause extended power outages). Based on our user studies, these are some areas that consumers feel the radio can be improved on.
- Cheaper product price
- Clarity & loudness of radio
- Size
- Durability & reliability
- Efficiency of solar cell & crank (i.e. number of rotations to minutes of radio time)
- Ease of use
- Weatherproof
- Ease of tuning
- Better signal reception
- Fast shipping and efficient transport
Distributors / Retailers
For retailers and distributors, the following characteristics of the radio may come in handy.
- Efficient packaging for cheap & easy transport
- Safe packaging to protect the product functions
- Appealing packaging to display at the store
- Minimal waste packaging
- Product must be in demand
- Ease of storage (e.g. stackability)
- High demand
Manufacturers
The Kikkerland Solar Radio Crank should meet the demands of the customer while being produced at minimum expense, and hence earning the company a better profit margin. Below are some aspects that the manufactures want in their production of the radio.
- Less parts
- Common materials
- Easy assembly to reduce labor costs
- Automated assembly
- Standardized parts
- Reduce shipping costs
- Cheaper production costs
- High demand
Shipping / Transport
For ease of transports, these characteristics are important.
- Lightweight
- Ease of storage (e.g. stackability)
- Durability
- High demand (e.g. large shipment quantities)
Usage
How It is Used
This radio requires neither a battery nor a power cord to function. For power, this radio possesses a small solar panel on its upper face as well as a hand crank on its side as shown in the figures below.
The solar panel allows the user to leave the radio exposed to direct sunlight and listen to their favorite station while the radio gathers solar energy. The hand crank is especially useful indoors, during nighttime, or in emergency situations where light is not directly accessible. The radio contains a dynamo generator that can store the energy created by manual-cranking and gathered from the solar panel in the 300 mAh/2.3 Ni-MH battery. Here are the steps to operate the dynamo solar radio:
- Rotate arm or expose radio to sun to generate energy
- 1 min cranking = 30 min radio play time
- 5 hours sunlight = 30 min radio play time
- Turn the On/Off/Volume dial
- Change frequencies by switching the AM/FM/WB switch
- Turn tuning dial to change stations
- Plug in headphones for headphone option
Radio Frequency Available:
- Fm Frequency Range: 87-108 MHz
- Am Frequency Range: 530-1600 kHz
- Radio Frequency Range: 149-186 MHz
User Studies
The portable hand-cranked radio seemed very easy to use. However, there were a few areas of design that must be changed. For instance, the resistance of the crank motion seems to be proportional to the speed of the cranking. The faster the cranking is, the more power is generated but the bigger the resistance becomes. There is a need to be able to find a balance point between resistance in the wheels and power generated from the crank and the solar panel.
While researching this product, there were a few common themes in the review of the product. They are as follow:
- Direct sunlight is needed for the panels to absorb sunlight efficiently
- Antenna for the radio goes straight up, it does not bend
- If you are using the product outside in a sunny day, you never have to crank for power as the solar panel itself will provide the radio with enough power
- On average, 1 minute of cranking gives approximately 15-25 minutes of playing time. Or, 100 turns of the crank is equal to approximate 10 minutes of audio
- The radio is small and light, it fits in the palm of your hand
From these comments, it can be concluded that the energy conversion either from mechanical to electrical, or from solar to electrical, is quite efficient. With a few tweaks, it may be possible to integrate this system with other daily life appliances to convert the rolling mechanical energy into electrical energy. A cheap and portable system to recapture the energy lost from a mechanical process in our daily life may present an interesting research and business opportunity. To achieve these goals for the design process, additional understanding and research on the product must be done.
Bill of Materials
Components
Part Number | Name | QTY | Weight (g) | Function | Material | Manufacturing Process | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Outside Screw | 4 | Less than a gram | Hold the two cases together | Stainless Steel | Cold heading, Thread rolling | |
2 | On / Off / Volume Indicator | 1 | Less than a gram | Adjust speaker volume | Plastic | Injection molding, Printing for labels | |
3 | Solar Panel Pad | 2 | Less than a gram | Stabilize the solar panel | Foam / Paper / Polymer | Polymerization forming | |
4 | Speaker Screw | 3 | Less than a gram | Attaching the speaker to the front case | Stainless Steel | Cold heading, Thread rolling | |
5 | Front Case | 1 | 25.5 | Holding the speaker | Plastic | Injection molding | |
6 | Speaker Screen Mesh | 1 | 8.5 | Protecting the speaker from physical disturbance | Steel | Stamping | |
7 | Headphone Screws | 2 | Less than a gram | Holding headphone adapter | Stainless Steel | Cold heading, Thread rolling | |
8 | Generator screws | 4 (3 different kinds) | Less than a gram | Holding generator to the case and the gear systemi | Stainless Steel | Cold heading, Thread rolling | |
9 | Antenna Screw | 1 | Less than a gram | Holding the antenna to the case | Stainless Steel | Cold heading, Thread rolling | |
10 | Hand crank collar | 1 | Less than a gram | Stabilizing the rotational movement of the crank | Steel | Stamping | |
11 | Radio Station Tuner Indicator | 1 | Less than a gram | Indicating the frequency of the radio | Plastic | Injection molding, Printing for labels | |
12 | Frequency Range Switch Knob | 1 | Less than a gram | Indicating if the frequency range of the radio (FM / AM / WB) | Plastic | Injection molding | |
13 | Back Case | 1 | 31.2 | Holding the assembly together. Where the crank is attached | Plastic | Injection molding | |
14 | Antenna's Solenoid | 1 | Less than a gram | Generating the magnetic field required for radio signal | Copper | Coiling, Hardening | |
15 | Headphone Jack Assembly | 1 | Less than a gram | Connecting headphone to the speaker | Copper, Plastic, Rubber, Steel, Lead | Soldering, Lithography, Masking, Depositing, Etching | |
16 | Crank Shaft | 1 | 2.8 | Increasing the lever arm | Plastic | Injection Molding | |
17 | Crank's Collar | 1 | 2.8 | Connecting crank shaft to the gear | Plastic | Injection Molding | |
18 | Crank Dowel | 1 | Less than a gram | Connecting crank shaft and collar | Steel | Cold rolling | |
19 | Crank Knob | 1 | 2.8 | Making it easier to turn the crank | Plastic | Injection molding | |
20 | Battery Pack | 1 | 14.2 | Storing energy for radio operation | Plastic, Copper, Rubber, Nickel Metal Hydride | Advanced manufacturing technique | |
21 | Solar Panel Assembly | 1 | 5.7 | Converting solar energy to electrical energy | Monocrystalline Silicon Wafer, Plastic, Lead, Rubber, Copper | Soldering, Lithography, Masking, Depositing, Etching | |
22 | Tuning Microprocessor Assembly | 1 | 22.7 | Tuning the radio frequency (FM / AM / WB) | Plastic, Lead, Copper, Rubber, Semi Conducting Materials, Polymer / Wax | Soldering, Lithography, Masking, Depositing, Etching | |
23 | Volume and Power Circuit Assembly | 1 | 8.5 | Control the volume and turn on the radio | Plastic, Lead, Copper, Rubber, Semi Conducting Materials, Polymer / Wax | Soldering, Lithography, Masking, Depositing, Etching | |
24 | Gear Collar Clamps | 2 | Less than a gram | Holding the gears together | Steel | Stamping | |
25 | Gear 1 | 1 | Less than a gram | Translating crank motion | Nylon (self-lubricating) | Injection molding | |
26 | Gear 2 | 1 | Less than a gram | Translating crank motion | Nylon (self-lubricating) | Injection molding | |
27 | Gear 3 | 1 | Less than a gram | Translating crank motion | Nylon (self-lubricating) | Injection molding | |
28 | Speaker Screen | 1 | Less than a gram | Vibrating to produce the sound | Plastic / Polymer | Stamping, Vacuum forming | |
29 | Speaker Plate | 1 | 8.5 | Housing the magnet to create the vibration | Steel | Stamping | |
30 | O Ring | 2 | Less than a gram | Mounting the magnet on top of the generator | Plastic | Stamping | |
31 | Gear 4 | 1 | Less than a gram | Connecting the generator to other gears | Steel | Hobbing | |
32 | Gear Shaft | 1 | Less than a gram | Connecting the generator to gear 4, Mounting gear 4 | Steel | Cold rolling | |
33 | Speaker Magnet | 1 | 2.8 | Controlling the vibration of the speaker to generate the sound | Metal alloys | Pressing, Heating, Annealing, Finishing, Magnetizing | |
34 | Generator Plate | 1 | 14.2 | Holding gears and generator in place | Steel | Stamping | |
35 | Generator | 1 | 11.3 | Generating electricity from rotation | Copper, Steel | Stamping, Layering, Coiling | |
36 | Generator Shell | 1 | 5.7 | Holding the magnet in place | Steel | Stamping | |
37 | Generator Magnet | 1 | 2.8 | Producing magnetic field to generate electricity | Metal Alloys | Pressing, Heating, Annealing, Finishing, Magnetizing | |
38 | Cable | 1 | Less than a gram | Connecting electrical components | Copper, Rubber | Drawing through rubber die | |
39 | Antenna | 1 | 8.5 | Enhancing signal reception | Stainless steel, Aluminum, Brass | Cold drawing, Die drawing | |
40 | Speaker Coil | 1 | 8.5 | Allowing the speaker screen to vibrate | Copper | Rolling |
Assembly Diagram
Mechanical Function
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA)
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Design for Environment (DFE)
Manufacturing
Use
End of Life
DFE Conclusions
Mechanical Analysis
Team Member Roles
References
Images taken from:
Figure 1: www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-Dynamo-Solar-Crank-Emergency/dp/B0017S4C26/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346370017&sr=8-2&keywords=