Devlog 5: Finished 3d Model!
Today was one of the biggest days of progress I’ve had on my PromptPen project so far. After a lot of hard work, I finally finished the 3D model of the pen in Fusion 360. Getting to this point was definitely not easy. I spent a lot of time experimenting with different designs, making changes, and fixing mistakes. There was a huge amount of trial and error throughout the process, but each mistake taught me something new. At the beginning, many of the tools and features in Fusion 360 felt confusing, but after spending so much time working on the project, I learned a lot about how the software works and became much more comfortable using it. Looking back, I can see how much my CAD skills improved from when I first started.
One major design change I made was switching from two separate flaps to one larger flap on the top of the pen. After testing different ideas, I realized that a single flap would be simpler, cleaner, and more practical for accessing the electronics inside. I also customized the flap by cutting out openings for important components. I created a window for the OLED display so information can be seen even when the flap is closed, and I added a hole for the push button so it can still be pressed easily. These changes made the design feel much more realistic and functional.
As I continued researching the electronics, I also learned that I did not actually need a separate USB-C charging module. Instead, I discovered that the ESP32-S3 development board already includes charging and USB functionality that will work for my project. This simplified the design and reduced the number of components I need to fit inside the pen. Learning this helped me better understand the electronics side of the project and showed me the importance of researching components before building.
By the end of the day, I had completed the entire 3D model and gained a much deeper understanding of both engineering design and Fusion 360. I made plenty of mistakes, but I kept trying different solutions until things worked. Every failed attempt taught me something useful, and every challenge helped me improve my skills. I am especially proud that I didn’t give up when things became frustrating. Instead, I kept making adjustments, learning from my errors, and improving the design. My next step will likely be creating the wiring layout in Tinkercad so I can begin planning how all of the electronics will connect together. Overall, today was an incredibly productive day, and I’m proud not only of the finished model but also of everything I learned throughout the process.