ThinkTank
ThinkTank
Presenting…
ThinkTank’s Ponder Puzzle!
The Great Learning Tool!
…by Robert Rudd, Mona Daniels,
Ouqi Jiang, Tina Wen, Andrew Clare
With help from TA’s: Yonatan Tekleab, Willie
Sanchez, and Sandra Gonzalez
Begin at the Beginning…
Theme: Learning Tools
When we first started brainstorming ideas
for our project, we knew we wanted to
design something that was:
Interactive
Challenging
Attention grabbing
Educational
Fun
Developing our Strategy:


Deterministic
Design
Process
Peer Review
Evaluation
Process (PREP)
(To see more
examples of PREP
sheets, please access
our website:
web.mit.edu/aclare/Pu
blic/SSP)
Results of Our Brainstorming:
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A wooden map
A computer game
3D Brain/Eye
3D scrabble
Geography game
Operation type game
Music game, games for the blind
Building “Blocks” of Life
The Ranking of the Strategies:
Functional
Requirements
Fun/excitement
Educational value
Handicapped
accessible
Interactive
Feasibility/doable in
time
Marketability (less
competition?)
Staying power (dep.
on market)
Modularity
Originality/
innovative
Simplicity of use
Total score
Rank
Body game
with wand that
Weight shows info
3
0
3
1
Puzzle Map that
Optics 3D
lights up and helps
Kit
Brain/Eye the blind
-1
1
0
1
0
0
Building
"Blocks" of
Life
-1
1
Blind
story
books
-1
1
1
2
-1
0
-1
1
0
0
0
0
-1
-1
1
-1
5
0
1
-1
0
0
-1
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
-1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
1
0
1
-1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
1
3
2
2
3
0
4
-3
5
-4
6
Functional Requirements of
Body Game/ World Puzzle
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Puzzle lights up and plays music upon
completion
Sound plays when specific pieces/parts
touched and plays info about that
piece/part
Pieces marked with braille for the blind
and textures to facilitate puzzle
completion
Demonstrate interchangeable parts for
different subject areas (geography, human
physiology, etc.)
Developing our Concept:


Deterministic
Design
Process
Peer Review
Evaluation
Process (PREP)
(To see more examples
of PREP sheets, please
access our website:
web.mit.edu/aclare/Pu
blic/SSP)
Design Parameter Options
Functional Requirement
(Strategies)
Puzzle
Design Parameters
(concepts)
1) Wood
2) Plastic
3) Pre-made map
Do something when puzzle 1) Sound
is complete
2) Light
3) Nothing
Provide information about 1) Touch screen
piece/area when touched
2) Wand
3) Voice Recording Pen
4) Lights next to text on box
Interchangeable parts
1) Overlays
2) Different puzzles
Assist Handicapped
1) Braille
2) Sound
3) Ridges
4) Big Pieces
5) Not at all
Analysis Reference
Final Concept:
• Wooden Box
• Plastic Puzzle Bases
• Lights and Sound
• Information Wand
• Different Puzzles
• Clay 3D Puzzle
Circuitry Design (goals)
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Be able to touch specific pieces and
plays information about that piece.
When the puzzle is completed, some
parts of the puzzle light up.
When the puzzle is completed, some
sound plays (“Congratulations! You
completed the puzzle!”)
Info Circuit
Problem: How to
play seven pieces
of info for seven
continents?
Solution: Buy seven
sound chips to
record sound and
play back.
mic
speaker
sound chip for the info and congratulation sound
bubble
switch
power
Another problem
Problem: Each chip comes with one battery
and one speaker. If we use seven chips, how
to just use one battery and one speaker?
Solution: Use our brains!!!
Battery And Speaker Problem
First try--not working
All the chips are in parallel, and in series with the
battery and the speaker.
Battery And Speaker Problem
Second try--working, but not practical
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Accomplished the
goal of using one
battery and one
speaker.
Requires a four-pin
wand and four
corresponding pins
on each info spot
on the map –
impractical.
Battery And Speaker Problem
Third try—the way to go!
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
Op-amp
Op-amp
741
741
1k Ω
9V
potentiometer
10kΩ
speaker
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
10kΩ
Use op-amps as input adders.
Flashing Lights
555 Timer
(DC->square wave)
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Chose R2=39k Ω
and C1=10E-6 F
to get the right
frequency
(approximately
0.5Hz)
Flashing Lights Wired Up
“Congratulations” Circuitry
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magnetic switches in series to control the
“congratulations” circuitry
lights and sound circuitry in parallel to be
triggered by the magnetic switches
Info Switch Design
Touch button design
Our puzzle design (nail design)
On/off; Info/puzzle Switch Design
Ponder Puzzle box
Design Parameters:
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Small enough to fit on a
normal desk
Large enough to
accommodate internal
circuitry
Grooves to accommodate
sliding cover, and
additional puzzle overlays
Sturdy, but not overly
heavy.
Ponder Puzzle box
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Decided on wood (easy
to work with, strong,
relatively light)
All woodworking was
done in the Hobby
shop under the
guidance of Ken Stone
Ponder Puzzle box
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Each board was made
separately using a
variety of saws and
blades
The boards were later
clamped and glued with
the bottom board being
screwed on after the
circuitry was inserted
and tested
Puzzle
Functional Requirements:
 Fit together well
 Imbed magnets to
complete circuit
 Holes to insert wand to
hear information
Puzzle

OMAX Water Jet layout
Puzzle
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Used the Water Jet to cut the puzzle
Polypropylene material
Puzzle
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Utilized Crayola Model
Magic Clay
Pliable at first, but air
dries hard and
lightweight without
crumbling
Non-toxic: child-safe
Fulfills two functional
requirements:
• 3D to show land
textures and elevations
• Conceals magnets
Demonstration
Production
Budget
Item
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Under budget
Easy to
manufacture
Simple design
Mold for puzzle
pieces
Custom circuit
boards
Baseboard
Wood
Hobby Shop for miscellaneous
Puzzle/Map
Crayola Model Magic Clay
Plastic for puzzle
Color Map-CopyTech
Waterjet
Plexiglass Cover
Circuits
Magnetic switches
20 sec. sound cards
9V Battery
9V Battery multipack (4)
Big circuit board
Small Circuit boards
DPDT switches
speaker/amplifier
Cost/item quantity item subtotal
1
1
$18.00
$10.00
$8.00
$6.29
$0.00
$0.50
$7.00
$0.00
7
1
1
1
1
$51.53
$44.03
$0.00
$0.50
$7.00
$0.00
$4.99
$10.49
$3.29
$10.00
$3.29
$1.79
$2.99
$12.99
7
8
2
1
1
3
1
1
$160.07
$34.93
$83.92
$6.58
$10.00
$3.29
$5.37
$2.99
$12.99
Total
$229.60
$10.00
$8.00
Further Development
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Interchangeable
puzzles
Use same circuitry, fit
the same holes and
magnets
Mini computer to hold
information or each
puzzle comes with info
cartridge
Smaller magnets,
more lightweight
Future Puzzles
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Varying difficulty levels: child to
adult
Individual continents/countries, solar
system, human body, rainforest…
endless possibilities!
More physically detailed for blind,
braille
Ponder Puzzle!
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Sight, touch, and hearing stimulated
Lightweight clay, 3D pieces
Versatility makes it for all ages
Toy for home, study tool, pastime,
teaching tool in classrooms
Technology meets tradition
Acknowledgments
(Alphabetically)
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Jim Bales, Edgerton Center
Steve Banzaert, Edgerton Center
Marc Graham
Ed Moriarty, Edgerton Center
Stephen Oglesby
OME Staff
Anne Davis Shaw
Professor Slocum
Ken Stone, MIT Hobby Shop
Roy Talanian, MIT Hobby Shop