'A small business wishes to sell a range of electronic games to help alleviate boredom for young children and also be of educational value. You have been asked to design and make a suitable prototype'.

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Design Brief

For my electronic products GCSE project I have chosen to produce the following project from the NEAB approved list.

'A small business wishes to sell a range of electronic games to help alleviate boredom for young children and also be of educational value. You have been asked to design and make a suitable prototype'

I have decided to design, research and make a portable infrared target game that is fun to use and good for improving reactions. After choosing this idea a number of guidelines instantly presented themselves to me:

> Appearance

> Safety

> Expense

> Guidelines set by NEAB

For this project I am going to extensively research all of the major areas of the product such as the four listed above and other areas such as chips and casing. I must try and consider every option of fulfilling the product guidelines to the greatest amount of customer satisfaction.

Design Specification

This section is going to cover the rough spec of the product I am going to produce. I have compiled a list of points to do this:

> The final product must cost less than £10

> The final product must be aesthetically pleasing

> The laser emitter must be cased ergonomically

> The product must be enjoyable for children

> The product must have an ON/OFF switch

> The product must have a battery power indicator LED

> Mains electricity cannot be used

> Battery must be easily accessible

> The product must be safe for children to use

> The electronic equipment must be housed in the casing

> The PCB must be secure in the casing

Research

This section of my coursework is going to involve researching casing materials and ways of joining, electronic components and existing products..

Wood

I am only going to research man-made boards because they are cheaper to buy so, are more suitable for my project.

Plywood

Plywood is made from layers (or plies) of wood glued together with each grain at right-angles to the last. Plywood is always made with an odd amount of plies so that the top and the bottom grains run in the same direction. Some plywood is veneered with a more expensive hardwood to improve appearance and make it more durable.

Chipboard

Chipboard is created by compressing small chips of wood and glue with heat. Most chipboard is graded meaning that it has smaller chips on the outside surfaces of it which adds to the smoothness and overall quality of the wood. Chipboard veneered with melamine or hardwoods are widely used for work surfaces and shelves.

Meranti

Meranti is a hardwood with very similar properties and looks to Mahogany, durable and strong. It is dark and much cheaper than mahogany and in plentiful supply. It is medium weight and finishes fairly well. Quite difficult to work and doesn't polish as well as mahogany

Teak

Originates in Burma and India and is coloured a rich, golden brown. It is hard, strong and naturally durable . It has a very attractive straight grain. It is difficult to work with because it blunts tools and doesn't glue very well because all of it's natural oils. It is also very expensive.
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Softwoods such as pine

Softwoods come from very fast growing trees and so are less expensive to produce and buy. They are generally very easy to cut and work with but must be finished to a high standard to have a viable amount of durability.

Whitewood

Whitewood is a softwood that originates in Northern Europe and Canada. It is a strong, creamy white wood that is fairly strong and easy to work. It is not very durable and contains small, hard knots and resin pockets. It is generally used for inside work.

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