ME 491 Assignment 01 due on 3 October 2017

1. Complete the CATME start-up survey by 11:00 PM on Friday, 29 September 2017. Go to https://catme.org, create an account, and complete the survey
2. Before class on Tuesday, 3 Oct 2017, complete the Team-member preparation worksheet from the CATME web site:
   • Go to https://info.catme.org
   • Click on the MEETING SUPPORT menu item and either select OVERVIEW to get a page with information about CATME tools for meetings, or select CATME TEAM MEMBER PREPARATION. There is a link to the Team-member preparation document on the Overview page.

   Upload a copy of your completed Team-member preparation form to the D2L dropbox and bring 6 printed copies of the document to class.

3. Buy a compact and inexpensive notebook and bring it to the class meeting on October 3. Suggestions for suitable notebooks were discussed in Lecture 01. Your notebook will be used in the design exercises during the class and for recording your contributions to your team during the term. Bring your design notebook to each class meeting. On occasion, you will be asked to show its contents to the instructor or the Teaching Assistant. The quality and quantity of information in the notebook will be part of your course grade. Your design notebook is not meant to be used as a typical notebook for recording course notes.

   • On the first blank page of the notebook list your contact information and instructions on how to return the notebook to you if found. At the least, this contact information should include your first and last name and your PSU email address. Mobile phone numbers and other information is optional. Do not include your home address. You can include comments about the contents being personal and confidential. Do not use this page for anything other than your contact information.

   • Take a photo (a mobile phone photo is sufficient) of your cover page information. Make sure the contact information is legible in the photo. Change the name of the photo to "Lastname_Firstname_notebook_coverpage.jpg" and upload the photo to the D2L dropbox for Assignment 1. The name of the file is important to help us keep track of all the submissions.

     This link shows a photo of the contact page for one of my notebooks.

   • Buy a 3-inch pad of Post-It(TM) style notes. Peel off 10-15 notes and stick them to the inside cover of your notebook. Keep a small supply of these notes in your notebook all term long.

4. Starting on a new front-facing page in your design notebook, make at least 3 conceptual sketches of a lego rescue device that you and your team will use in your first design project for the course. Each sketch should have a short label that identifies the key concept illustrated by the sketch. Add any descriptive annotations that may help convey the design concept.

   The purpose of this assignment is to create ideas to share with your team. Try to make your ideas useful, whether or not you feel comfortable sketching. There is no need to limit your ideas to three concept sketches.

   These sketches are hand drawings in your notebook. Solid models, CAD drawings or other computer generated "sketches" are not acceptable. The goal is to develop the habit of making quick concept sketches to capture and explain ideas. CAD tools are extremely important for engineering design, but those tools are too slow and cumbersome, and they require a computer, electricity, etc.

   Here is an example of sketches of conceptual designs for a wall-mounted cup holder. Note that these drawings took less than 15 minutes to make. Most of that time was spent thinking up design ideas.