RCPD Electronics: Project
#49 “Neither THIS Nor
That” & Project #50 “Not
This AND That
EGR 100; Section 10
Trevor Corneil, Sung Min Lee, Alex Phillips, Andrew Tran
December 5, 2013
The RCPD, or Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, is a group at Michigan State
University tasked with the job to respond to the various needs of students, employees, and
visitors with differing forms of disabilities. The goal of the RCPD project for the engineering
classes is to aid in the area of educating individuals who are either visually impaired or hearing
impaired in the basics of electronics. The individuals are to be given a specific task related to
electronics that needs to be accomplished.
Figure #1: Project #49 “Neither This
NOR That” provided design
Figure #2: Project #50 “Not This AND
That” provided design
There are multiple circuits that can be built using the RCPD electronics kit that each
group is given. The group is then tasked with the job of teaching the impaired individual on how
to get the pieces from the kit, put the pieces on the snap-board, and explain how the current flows
through the circuit in order for it to work. Group six was tasked with the job of explaining two
circuits. The first circuit is referred to “Neither This NOR That”, shown in Figure #2, while
second circuit is referred to as “Not This AND That” (Figure #1).
There are various ways to about educating a blind or deaf individual as to how the
different circuits work. The most efficient way to do so is to create a video with subtitles or audio
track for the individual depending on which impairment they have. The best way to meet this
requirement is to have a video and audio on one file, but have them still be separate. The blind
individual won't be able to hear the audio which means that the audio can be as slow as possible.
The deaf individual won't be able to see the video which means they won't be confused. The
audio and video need to be separated because the audio track will generally need to be much
slower compared to the video because there is no visual aid to accompany the learning process,
making it take much slower. It makes much more sense to have the audio and video not be in
synch with each other, so it can cater to each individual specifically instead of trying to cover
both at the same time.
Production of a lesson plan in which some of the group members may be unfamiliar with
the concepts of basic electronics as well as how to effectively communicate these ideas poses
significant challenges for the project. For example, cameras and knowledge of how to use them
effectively were not provided and as such there may be difficulty with the technological aspect of
producing the video. Additionally, the video needs to be slow enough so that a deaf student can
read all of the subtitles and manipulate the circuitry accordingly but also contain audio that is
paced at the same optimal speed. Also, the groups have never spoken with a student with these
disabilities so their specific needs and input were not received when the project was assigned.
Braille is also a language that many are not familiar with so learning how to use it on the
multiple parts of the RCPD kit as well as a potential script for the video may prove difficult
without proper research. All in all, the time constraint of four weeks may prove the most difficult
when trying to coordinate schedules and conducting tests with the prototype on multiple people.
Another difficult issue when constructing a project like this is to find the resources in
which to do so. The engineering groups are required to film the RCPD project is finding a
machine to film with, and a time to do so. One of the other biggest constraints that teams faced
was to incorporate both the alarm and LED light into one circuit. The task is extremely difficult
if no one in the group has a background in electrical wiring, which very few people in the groups
did. Each engineer within their specific group had to do their own individual research as to how
circuits work and then come together as a team to discuss the optimal way of constructing the
circuit.
Methods:
To attain the final product many designs were carried out in order to insure an accurate
and effective design for the instruction of blind and deaf students about the concepts of
electronics for Project #49 “Neither This NOR That” and Project #50 “This AND That”. The
first design was provided in the instruction booklet that came with the RCPD Electronics Kit. It
was a single looped circuit with either the alarm as shown in Figure #1 or LED (light-emitting
diode) that utilized both the press and slide switches to explain both concepts presented. This
design utilizes two different circuits for each concept and with the task of teaching two different
concepts that would entail the assembly of four different circuits to accommodate both
disabilities. The provided design is flawed though in its execution, it is easier for the client to
build a singular circuit that provides both stimuli, light for the hearing-impaired and sound for
the visually-impaired, with completion of the circuit in regards to the concepts presented. In
order to create a lesson that is friendly to both disabilities consolidation of the design provided
by RCPD is a must. Additionally, in order to effectively teach the material to the client a video
with audio is the best method as the client is able to see or hear progressively at a moderated
pace how to assemble the circuit and receive and explanation for how each part works in regard
to the concepts. Initially, in regards to the video it seemed best to pace the audio and video
together for a happy-medium pace that would satisfy the needs or time constraints of both
disabilities in locating the parts, assembling each circuit and listening to the explanation of how
it works. Although, there were many weaknesses with this design concept since the pacing of the
visually and hearing-impaired clients would greatly vary during the assembly process since
visually-impaired clients would need extra time to locate the correct part using Braille labeling.
The initial prototype took into account all of the weaknesses of the first design and
attempted to correct them through simplicity using a single part rather than the LED and alarm.
The fan, which was also provided in the RCPD kit, seemed to be the perfect solution. Instead of
providing only for two of the five senses, hearing and vision, the fan provides for three senses,
hearing, vision and touch which were given by the breeze created by the motion of the fan. The
benefit of providing for three senses instead of two is that the third sense, touch, is one that is not
impaired for clients with either a hearing or vision disability. Thus, clients would be presented
with certain verification of the completed circuit and would be able to recognize how the
switches work in conjunction to the presented concepts in the video and audio. The prototype
was engineered by simply switching out the LED shown in Figure #1 for the fan for both
projects since the fan and LED were both single units. Unfortunately, the fan posed potential
hazards due to moving parts and therefore could not be used in the final design so the design had
to be completely redone. But, the original design for the video and audio remained unchanged
except for the difference in subtitles from the alarm and LED to just the fan.
The final design incorporated one circuit for each project. The design is complex in that
the circuit needed the LED and alarm in the same circuit while keeping the concepts with the
press and slide switch constant. The designs were executed utilizing the least amount of parts to
keep the assembly relatively simple and easy to follow. The first circuit intended for Project #49
“Neither This NOR That” shown in Figure #3 completed the intended circuit using the alarm,
speaker, battery pack, LED, one wire connector and seven length-two snap connectors, a press
switch and slide switch all of which were provided by RCPD so the design would not incorporate
any costs. The second circuit intended for Project #50 “This AND That” shown in Figure #4 for
sake of simplicity needed the same parts as the circuit for Project #49 but used four less lengthtwo snap connectors and only needed an addition of a length-three snap connector. This design
intended to make the transition from one circuit to the other relatively simple because the client
would not need to open the RCPD kit for additional parts; instead they could just recycle parts
from the previous circuit. The idea behind the final design is that the problems in previous
designs would be remedied; as such both senses are involved in a single circuit, one for each
project. Once assembled, the client was then instructed to test the circuit and discover that the
circuit will work only if the switches are activated or deactivated according to the project they
are working on. Verification of the completed circuit is given through two different stimuli,
sound and light, of which one of the two stimuli could be sensed by either client.
Figure #3: Final circuit design for Project #49
Figure #4: Final circuit design for Project #50
Additionally, the final design incorporates a modified video and audio design. The video
was split into four explicit parts: Explanation of parts, Assembly of Project #49 “Neither This
NOR That”, Assembly of Project #50 “This AND That”, and finally the explanation of each
individual circuit in regards to the concepts given by the project and how it works (Figure #5).
The explanation of parts was filmed with a person holding up each individual part after locating
it using a letter and number grid system with the explanation of each part in both the audio and
video. Each assembly portion of the video and audio was done using the same type of letter and
number grid system similar to how one would play Battleships to allow the client to easily
understand where each piece must be locked on the electronic snap circuit board provided in the
RCPD kit. Lastly, the explanation of each individual circuit was performed with an individual
who used their finger to accurately depict the flow of current through the circuit and how each
switch either conducts or interrupts the flow of the circuit when engaged and disengaged. These
parts were deemed essential to accurately teach the concepts behind each project.
Figure #5: Breakdown of the sequencing of the
final video
The video was sequenced so as to piece logical aspects of the circuit together so that in
the end the client would successfully have gained the knowledge that they are presented. Instead
of the audio being produced in conjunction with the video with awkward pacing as discussed in
the first drafted design it was decided that since the clients are either hearing or visuallyimpaired they would not be cognizant of the other sense while carrying out the projects. Thus,
each portion of the final video, the filmed portion and the audio, was produced separately with
pacing catered to each disability. As such, the audio portion of the video extended precisely 2:18
minutes past the video and the hearing-impaired individual would be able to see that the video
has ended and stop before the visually-impaired client who was able to just sense the audio
portion. The final design incurred zero cost aside from time costs associated with scheduling
conflicts and time to film, edit and finalize the video and audio
Results and Discussion:
The final design consisted of a video that explained to the view on how to build the
circuit and how the circuit functioned. The video is 18 minutes long and clearly demonstrated
how to build the “Neither This NOR That” and the “Not This AND That” circuits to someone
who is either visually impaired or hearing impaired. After the completion of each circuit board,
the speaker then explains to the view how the circuit board works to help the viewer gain a better
understanding of basic electronics.
Difficulty of Completion vs. Number of Participants
Figure #6: As a result of the testing conducted on hearing and visually impaired students, it was found
that overall, visually impaired students had the most difficulty
The “Neither This NOR That” circuit board, the video took about six minutes. On
average, those who were hearing impaired managed to finish this circuit in a little over six
minutes and those who were visually impaired finished this circuit in seven minutes. For the
“Not This AND That” circuit board, that part of the video took about four minutes since fewer
parts were being used. On average, those who were hearing impaired managed to finish this
circuit in a little over four minutes and those who were visually impaired finished the circuit in a
little over six minutes. The explanation for the time difference between the hearing impaired and
visually impaired is that those who were hearing impaired could easily follow along with video
while those who were visually impaired needed to listen and follow along with the video, but
also had to pause the video if they needed more time to listen to the instructions again or to catch
up if they weren’t able to follow along with the audio. After the participants finished up building
the circuits, they were asked to rate how easy it was to follow along the video on a scale of 1-5, 1
being the easiest. In Figure #6, shows the feedback that was received during the debriefing
process. The trend in the graph showed that those who had hearing disabilities ranked the
instructional video easier to follow compared to those who were visually impaired.
The final design for this project met all the requirements, which was to teach a hearing
impaired or visually impaired person how to build both of the circuit boards and then explain to
them how each board worked. There were many constraints while the design was being drawn
though. At first, the plan was to replace the LED with the fan motor, that way, a visually
impaired or hearing impaired person would know that they finished the board since the fan motor
made and noise, created a little breeze, and also could be touched and felt. The problem was that
the design was dangerous to a person that was visually impaired, since having high rpm objects
wouldn’t be safe. Adjustments had to be made and the design now incorporated the alarm and
speaker along with the LED. It was extremely difficult to figure out how the speaker worked
with the alarm unit, but after several hours, everything was figured out and then it was perfectly
incorporated with the original design. Now, the design would be able to notify both visually and
hearing impaired participants because the alarm would make a sound and the LED would work
at the same time. One major constraint of this project was the inability to gather up to meet up
and work on the project. Schedules conflicted most of the time, and it was difficult to meet up
and work on the project. Even though meeting up was a difficult task, it did not discourage
anyone from stopping. The project was finished much earlier than the due date and was almost
flawless.
Conclusion:
The solution to the problem was engineered such that the client was able to effectively learn and
be able to retain all of the information communicated to them through means of either audio or video
depending on their sensory impairment. The circuit was engineered to accommodate visual impairments
with an alarm that sounds when the circuit is completed and also to accommodate an LED that glowed
brightly when the circuit was completed. The audio and video were produced such that each individual
impairment was catered to with regards to pacing and relevant content. Each was produced separately
since neither would rely on the other because each client only needs one sensory stimulus or the other.
The final design for both the circuit and video was selected to fulfill all of the requirements regarding the
communicating the specific concepts in Project #49 and Project #50 to the best of its ability. Based on
Figure #6, during the testing phase of the project, it was found that out overall the video excelled in
teaching the concepts with relative ease. The only problem was that there was obvious discrepancy
between the participants that were hearing-impaired and the participants that were visually-impaired
which was that the visually-impaired participants overall had a much more difficult time completing the
task which was due to the pacing of the audio being slightly too fast. Overall, the final design was up to
expectations as all participants were able to complete the task and follow along with the video whilst
retaining all of the concepts provided.
During the design process many problems were encountered which subsequently led to
alternative designs and a final design that effectively took care of each problem. First, the circuit provided
by RCPD only provided a single stimulus to both the visually and audio-impaired clients. As such, a
circuit was developed that combated that using the fan which was also provided in the kit. Unfortunately,
due to the hazard of moving parts with clients who are unable to see the potential hazard involved there
were some ethical concerns with implementing such a design. In the end, the fan was ruled out and
another circuit had to be designed that used the alarm and light that had a much more complex design
than just the fan but was optimized to include the fewest number of parts possible to retain simplicity in
assembly. Next, the audio and video had to be paced such that clients with either impairment were able to
follow and understand the material presented. It was discovered that a pace that fit both impairments’
needs was very difficult so the video was engineered to have the filmed video portion and the audio
portion produced separately to accommodate both impairment’s needs. Lastly, a camera needed to be
attained in order to film the assembly of the circuit and the explanation of how the parts work. A camera
and tripod was attained from a third-party separate from RCPD and ended up having exceptional quality.
Though the design served its purpose in explaining the concepts to the participants in testing and
will be likely to do the same with clients, the design can always be improved and optimized. The circuit
design with the parts provided already is optimal to effectively explain the concepts but the video and
audio are areas that will require much more work to be optimal for a perfect lesson plan. The speaker in
the audio portion could have a much more natural pacing and a clearer voice. In addition, the instructions
and pacing for the assembly of the circuit could be written in a clearer manor. Also, the surfaces in which
the video was filmed on could also be improved with a white wall with the all of the materials mounted
on it rather than a white bed sheet on a table. There is plenty of room for improvement in regards to
everything but the final design was up to expectations and accomplished the task at hand effectively.