Designing a Personal Music Player Brief / Problem
Designing a Personal Music Player
Brief / Problem
The problem is that I have to design and make a model personal music player that will fit ergonomically into the palm of someone's hand and fit into a pocket.
I am going to design a micro-disc player that is modern and
Practical and easy to use.
Materials
Wood
Plastic
Metal
Glass
Manufacture
Glue
Saw
Sand paper
Wet and dry paper
Weight
Light
Heavy
Storage
Where will it go?
What will it be stored in?
Style / Aesthetics
Old fashioned
Futuristic
Modern
Art deco
Cost
How much will it cost to make?
Ergonomics
Average sizes
Carrying out investigation
After completing my analysis it is easy to see what areas I need to research. The first thing I need to find out about is materials. I need to research materials because it is very important that I choose the right materials to make my product. E.g. wood, metal, plastic, glass
Below are a list of other areas that I must research before I can write my specification:
Existing products (products that are already released on the market)
Ergonomics
Fittings
at the moment I am unsure of what style my product is going to be, here are some of the styles:
Futuristic Old fashioned
Art deco Modern
Analysis
Materials - the materials I am going to use to construct my Micro-Disc player must be strong, light and must also look good. The materials I could consider using are:
Wood, metal, plastic and glass.
Ergonomics - ergonomics is the study and application of the average sizes of human beings in relation to designs. I must think about when designing my product the size of an average humans hand size. Firstly the size of people and secondly the size of my product in comparison to the average size of people.
Weight - weight is an important factor I must think about when designing my product
Style - I must think about and research lots of different styles, for instance:
Art deco, futuristic, old fashioned, modern and many others?
Manufacture - I must think about how I am going to make my product - I must remember to write myself a manufactured plan or a flow chart of how I am going to make my product.
Storage - I must consider where my product will go.
Researching Materials
Metals: mild steel - this metal is the most common ferrous metal. it is grey in colour and is a very soft metal.
Aluminium - this metal is soft and also light. If mixed with metals as an alloy it becomes strong and easy to use.
Woods: hard wood -this wood is harder and generally more durable than soft woods, there are many different colours. Hard wood is normally used for high quality furniture e.g. mahogany.
Hard woods are usually very ...
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Storage - I must consider where my product will go.
Researching Materials
Metals: mild steel - this metal is the most common ferrous metal. it is grey in colour and is a very soft metal.
Aluminium - this metal is soft and also light. If mixed with metals as an alloy it becomes strong and easy to use.
Woods: hard wood -this wood is harder and generally more durable than soft woods, there are many different colours. Hard wood is normally used for high quality furniture e.g. mahogany.
Hard woods are usually very expensive.
Soft woods - soft woods are easy to cut, but less durable than hard woods.
soft woods are lighter shades of colour and are cheaper than hard woods.
soft woods are used alot in the construction industry in roofs, window frames e.g. pine
MiniDiscs where created in 1992 by the Sony Corporation to be a cheap, portable, editable, digital recording format that has "near" CD quality recording. Since then MiniDiscs have taken a slow start. Because everyone had just gotten settled in with their new CD equipment, they did not want to fork out more money for something that seemed like the same thing. Now people are starting to see the real advantage of MDs, and its starting to get a little more popular. In Japan especially, prices are going down and production is going up. I heard that in Japan, the low-end decks are around $150, and discs get down to $1.50, that's as cheap as a nice tape deck, and hi-bias tape. If more people start buying MD equipment in the US, we could reach those prices. Today, MDs in the US are kind of underground. There are a lot of people that have not heard of them yet, and not a lot of advertising. But more and more I see prices going down, and more people that know about them. Well enough of the boring stuff, here are some advantages and disadvantages.
advantages!
The sound quality is great. I have never been able to tell a difference between MD's and a CD or DAT. MiniDiscs have an advantage to CD-Rs in that after you record something on them, you can erase the whole disc, erase one track, you can move around tracks, and put in track marks, you can even label the disc and each track. Some formats, like DAT, can do some of these things, but MDs still have the disc based media advantages.
MiniDiscs are smaller. The Discs are 7cm x 7cm, and the portable recorders can be smaller than cassette walkmans.
The discs are encased in a plastic shell, much like floppy discs, so you don't have to worry about them getting scratched.
Its cheap. Infact I just saw a deck for $199 at Circuit City, where the cd recorders were $499. And if you look, you can find discs for $2.50 to $3.00.
There just cool. Just look at the equipment, who wouldn't want to have this stuff.
And, as of all digital formats, you can make a digital copy from any digital source through coaxial or optical connections.
Of course that not all the advantages, just some of my favorite.
disadvantages?
MiniDiscs use compression to cut out inaudible parts of the signal, so it can fit on that little disc. Although studies show that no one can tell the difference, some people want all of there precious signal.
It's hard to find equipment and pre-recorded MDs. I live in Jefferson City, Mo which is a pretty small town, so I have to go to the Big Cities to get stuff. Also, since MiniDiscs aren't that big in the US yet, not many pre-recorded MDs are manufactured.
Those are the only disadvantages I can think of, and the first one doesn't really even matter.
Let me tell you a little more about that compression.
compression:
MD's use a method of compression called ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding), which only records the information audible to the human ear. It compresses the signal to One-fifth of its original size. This compression method is very similar to MPEG encoding, which is used for Mp3's. As I said before, people have compared MDs, CDs, and DAT, and not been able to tell any difference.
I bet your asking yourself, "but how does it record"? Well, I'm about to tell you.
recording:
MDs use a special Magento-Optical method that magnetizes regions of the discs 60 millionth of a cm apart to a North or South pole. When the laser runs across these regions, it can tell whether its N or S and starts to construct the data stream.
conclusion
So, all in all, MiniDiscs are a way to get CD quality recording on a compact, inexpensive, media. I love every part about MiniDiscs, and would definitely recommend them to anyone interested in Hi-Fi audio in general.
Sleek, stylish, and silver! Not only does Sony's MZ-E909 look great on the go, but its rugged magnesium body weighs in at an eminently portable 1.75 ounces.
In addition to portability and chic styling, you also get track navigation and playback features cool enough to satisfy even diehard MiniDisc fans. Sony's "Easy Skip" group/folder function gives you simple navigation through groups of tracks - especially handy if you've used LP4 mode on a separate recorder to fit up to 5 hours' worth of music on a single 80-minute MD. The backlit LCD on the stick-style remote delivers nearly effortless control, even in the dark. Two digital sound presets let you adjust the bass and treble, then save your preferred settings. And Personal Disc Memory remembers those settings, along with your other listening preferences, for up to 20 discs!
But there are also the tried-and-true Sony MD features you love, like MDLP(tm) playback and G-Protection(tm) for a virtually skip-free listening experience. Not to mention an amazing 145 hours maximum playback time with the supplied rechargeable plus one optional "AA" battery! You even get a handy charging stand, so you can recharge the battery without taking it out of the unit.
The MZ-S1 takes MiniDisc durability to the next level! It combines the second generation of Sony's rugged Sports styling with direct digital dubbing of your favorite PC audio to MD at up to 32 times faster than real-time. Plus, you get handy software for your PC: OpenMG(tm) Jukebox for music management, and Simple Burner QuickRip(tm), which allows you to dub CD tracks directly to MD without saving files on your computer's hard drive. Making MD mixes of your favorite tunes is easy and quicker than ever!
Taking those mixes with you while you work out is ultra-convenient, too. You get easy one-hand operation thanks to a clever thumb-control key on the grip. The included reflective hand strap and backlit LCD are perfect for nighttime jogs. The durable plastic body incorporates rubber gaskets and waterproof seals to help keep out moisture and dirt. And you've got G-Protection(tm) for smooth playback no matter how strenuous your workout.
The MZ-S1 can also make great-sounding recordings from a CD player, radio, cassette player, and other sources (analog and optical cables available separately). MDLP(tm) record mode lets you store over 5 hours of music using a single 80-minute blank MD. And one optional "AA" battery can power the MZ-S1 for up to 54 hours!
High-speed, drag-and-drop transfer of PC audio. No, it's not an MP3 player - it's Sony's revolutionary new Net MD Walkman! Its advanced USB connection gives you direct digital dubbing of MP3s or ripped CD tracks from your PC to MiniDisc at speeds of up to 32X - that's 80 minutes of music in as little as three minutes! Plus, you get handy software for your PC: OpenMG(tm) Jukebox for music management, and Simple Burner QuickRip(tm), which allows you to dub CD tracks directly to MD without saving files on your computer's hard drive.
But the pocket-sized MZ-N505 can do more than just record from your PC. It can also make great-sounding recordings from a CD player, radio, cassette player, and other sources (analog and optical cables available separately).
MDLP(tm) record mode lets you store up to 5 hours of music using a single 80-minute blank MD - perfect for taking lots of tunes on the go! And, since it's MiniDisc, you get easy recording, editing, and titling with discs that are fully rewritable, nearly indestructible, and ultra-affordable.
Sony's G-Protection(tm) skip recovery system makes your MD listening experience a smooth one. And an optional "AA" battery can power the MZ-N505 for up to 56 hours! Available in silver or gold finish
