We are a team of five sophomores studying engineering at Olin College of Engineering
Our team consists of Dan, Bryce, Libby, Corey, Shy, five brilliant engineers looking to share a love for encryption with the world.
Corey co-leads our electrical subteam. His love and constant desire for snacks has ensured that the team has stayed nourished throughout the project. Corey contributes mainly to our electrical subteam, where he can often be overheard discussing relays and seen shocking himself with electroluminescent wire.
Github
Daniel is the epitome of a team player. He can often be found trying to find new programming tasks to tackle or getting outside. Daniel is our mechanical lead, contributing to both our mechanical and software subteams, and his goals range from gaining experience in mechanical design to learning about electrical integration.
Github
Libby is our resident mechanical engineer. The idea for this project spawned from her work at a museum over the summer, and she has helped drive the team throughout the project. Libby contributes heavily to our overall organization and management while also acting as a sixth man to help out wherever else she is needed.
Github
Bryce is the other co-lead for our electrical subteam. The team lovingly refers to him as "B", to which he responds with post-it notes that suggest our goals should include "getting Corey off the team." Bryce contributes heavily to our electrical subteam and his goals range from doing electrical stuff to programming.
Github
Shyheim is a jack of all trades. He has contributed to multiple subteams, with his main focus being on developing our mechanical housing. His positive attitude ensures the team stays in a good mindset and on-task. Shyheim contributes mainly to our mechanical subteam and his goals range from CAD to programming.
Github
Having predominantly worked with DC circuits in the past I’ve certainly gained a respect for AC electronics during this project. Beyond that I’ve learned a few things in regards to designing with very limited resources. Two of which are time and money. A lot of thought was placed into the electronics in this project so that we could save as much time and money as possible while still having a functioning project. My learning goals have been satisfied with the fun challenge that is designing electronics and firmware for one of the most clever and complex encryption methods in history.
I began this project with the intention of working mostly on the software and electrical side of things. As the workflow of the team necessitated, I dipped my toes into the mechanical aspects of the project early on and eventually concentrated nearly all of my efforts on that subteam, helping the electrical leads as required. Eventually, I shifted my software goals in favor of acquiring some mechanical design skills. Along this vein, I did accomplish some of my final learning goals, as I worked to improve my mechanical skills, both in terms of design and fabrication with regards to the laser cutter and 3D printer. Though it was not my primary focus, I also gained some experience with the electrical side of the project, always making sure I understood what that subteam was designing even when I did not directly contribute.
While most of my original project learning goals were related to the mechanical system, as we progressed, I spent more and more time learning about the electrical circuits that made our display possible. Ever since I began designing this visualization last summer, I have had long term goals of seeing it realized as an interactive exhibit that will someday reside in a museum. So as this project developed, I sought to learn all I could about the electrical systems I was unfamiliar with and the project management skills I would need to see my dream become a reality. I ended up meeting few of my initial learning goals, but along the way, I realized that I could learn from my peers and gain new skills in order to one day be able to create a museum-quality Enigma visualization.
Coming into the project I wanted to put most of my focus into the electrical system. I ended up being exposed to AC circuitry for the first time, was a part of designing the two PCBs we shipped, and was able to practice designing a complex electrical system on a limited budget. The last one ended up being my biggest learning experience, as we spent many hours trying to figure out a way to make connections between 26 letters while not losing all of our budget. Overall, I am happy with my contributions to the project and the learning I was able to do.
I personally was able to complete all of my individual learning goals and gained a lot of experience in 3D printing and CAD. Overall, from this project, I learned to stretch my arms out more to try and alleviate the work from other members of the team, even if it is in small ways such as laser cutting or 3D printing parts. I learned how to really contribute to my team even if I had the least amount of experience with some components of the project, and that help to better understand each different component of the project from the mechanical to software aspects.