Page 2 - Specification for my nightlight.

by abuelgasim (student)

GCSE Design & Technology

Product Analysis

What

I will create a night light, where each light will come on at night and automatically switch off in the morning.

Who

The automatic night light will be made for the use of little children (of both genders) aged between 4-9 years old.

When

The child’s night light will be used whenever light is needed to brighten up a dark area, this is likely to be during night-time before a child is going to sleep or when a child wakes up during the middle of the night needing to go to the toilet.

Why

For night time trips to the bathroom as there will be no need for the child to fumble around for the light switch and no longer will the child feel scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
For children who need a light to help them sleep or children who prefer to sleep with the lights on to make them feel relaxed.

Where

The child’s night light will be placed on a bed side table and so must be freestanding and aesthetically pleasing as the child will look at it frequently.

Purpose

The night light casing must fulfil the following functions:

contain and hold the electronic system
protect the electronic system from damage
make it convenient to carry, use and store the product

The PCB and wires are fragile so need to be encased and protected by a hard shell. Also to prevent the child form messing with the circuit.

Function

To be durable yet aesthetically pleasing to the customer.
This will increase the life span and awareness of the product.

Performance

I will create a simple, but effective packaging and therefore, there should be no faults.
The main function of the casing is to protect the PCB as it is fragile. The case will be of a simple design, which should be less errors with its overall function.

Quality Requirements

The packaging is required to have a high quality finish, therefore it must have smooth edges and rounded corners.
It will ensure that the final product is aesthetically pleasing, increases safety hence improves overall product.

Safety issues

The product packaging must have rounded edges that has a radius of around 2-5mm and a smooth texture
So that the child will not hurt themselves.

Size requirements

The automatic night light must be to fit in a shoe box (29.5cm x 18cm x 9.5cm).
This is because it should not be too big, as it will ...

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Quality Requirements

Safety issues

The product packaging must have rounded edges that has a radius of around 2-5mm and a smooth texture
So that the child will not hurt themselves.

Size requirements

The automatic night light must be to fit in a shoe box (29.5cm x 18cm x 9.5cm).
This is because it should not be too big, as it will have to stand on a bedside table, however it should still be large enough to house the electronic circuit and a battery holder.

The product will also have to be portable for the child and so weigh less than 500g.
So if a child wakes up during the night needing to go to the toilet he will not be afraid to do so as he can carry the night light with him.

Requirements of the user

A 9v battery shall operate the product.
Making the product reusable and increases life span.

Scale of production

One off.
This is because it will be made in the workshop. It also decreases chances of making a mistake as more time can be spent on the packaging.

Manufacturing Process

To make the packaging I will utilize manufacturing processes such as moulding, forming and woodwork techniques.
This is because the automatic night light is liable to high quantities and therefore must be able to be mass produced.

Materials

The packaging will be made of one or a combination of the following materials: High Impact Polystyrene (HIP), Acrylic, or any type of wood such as MDF.
These materials are cheap and fairly simple to construct a packaging with in the workshop. Moreover, HIP is durable and so can be vacuum formed with the use of MDF to act as a mould.

Aesthetics

The packaging must fit in with the mode of a child’s bedroom, be attractive and eye catchy. The design shall be unisex.

Cost

This product will be sold for £7.50 to make a profit.

The product will be sold at this price as it is aimed at middle class citizens who are earning over and around £25,000 yearly in a household. In addition, there is a lot of completion going on with prices of similar products. Customers will buy the night light, which attracts them at such a low cost.

Purpose

As this a systems and control product, it must include a control system. This will be a printed circuit board and it will include a microprocessor.
The circuit will ensure that the light will come on at night and automatically switch off in the morning.

Requirements

The input component will be a light-dependent resistor (LDR).
This is a suitable input component as LDRs are used to detect light levels, hence it will convert changes in light levels into changes in electric current.

The electronic system of the night light will include a microprocessor.
A microprocessor can control a variety of inputs and outputs. In addition, a microprocessor can be updated if required, and can be recycled / reused after the useful lifecycle of the light. A microprocessor will allow me to specify at exactly what light level I want the LED to shine and what light level for it to switch off.

There must be at least one LED as an output component.
LED lighting has a high efficiency and low energy consumption. An LED will be a good feature of the product as it will attract environment conscious consumers.

User Requirements

9v battery shall operate the product.
Making the product reusable, increases life span and easily fitted on to the circuit.

Reliability and Performance

The circuit will be constructed by hand and each component will be individually soldered. I will make many quality checks to ensure each stage has been done correctly.
Eradicates the possibilities of an error as the circuit must pass a test before starting the next stage of the circuit construction.

Size requirements

PCB and the components must no more than 90x60x4mm.
The circuit must be small and compact so that it can fit into the packaging.

Safety issues

The electronic system must be hidden from the child so that the child does not find the electronic components.
This is essential because from my research all of the parents I asked said that safety was the biggest issue and that they didn’t want exposed electronic components.

In addition, a battery holder must be secured in the product casing.
I do not want the night light to go off in the middle of the night. A secured battery holder will prevent the risk of the battery falling out of the casing and hitting the child when the child is carrying the night light. It will also prevent the battery form rattling in the casing, when the night light is being carried, and damaging the electronic circuit.

Scale of production

One circuit per product. Therefore I will create only one circuit.
This increases simplicity and accuracy.

Manufacturing Processes

The product will have a PCB and I will utilize manufacturing processes such as soldering.
This is because the automatic night light is liable to high quantities and therefore must be able to be mass produced.

Materials

Printed Circuit Board, electronic components such as LED, resistors, transistors, light dependent resistors and on/off switch.
The components will create a circuit that fits the purpose of the product.

Environment

Each component can be removed and therefore reused if need be.
This means that the product is good to the environment and can easily be disassembled if required.

Cost

No more than £3, which includes cost of solder, PCBs and components.
Cheap and doesn’t greatly affect the overall cost of the product, hence the price can still attract customers.

Final Evaluation

The product shall meet all necessary demands and targets set. The final product shall be aesthetically pleasing, with a unisex design due to the non-specific gender of the product. There shall be no technical or physical faults with the manufacture, therefore improving skills. Safety and quality are important areas. At the end, in order to evaluate the product, the product will be measured to check dimensions, weighed to see if it meets the specification.

To ensure no faults in the process of manufacturing the circuit, many tests shall be required to have been passed in order for it to be deemed ready and suitable.