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Lab 14.1: Capstone Build

656 words

~6 hours over week 14. Build the capstone you scoped in lab 13.1. Record a demo video. Write the 2-3 page report. Ship the deliverable.

Goal: deliver a complete capstone per CAPSTONE.md spec

Estimated time: 6 hours of focused build, plus video and write-up (total ~10-12 hours over the week)

Prerequisites: lab 13.1 complete (scoped, schematic drawn, parts ready)

Suggested daily schedule

Day 1: Wire and verify subsystems (~2 hours)

  • Build the sensor input circuit. Verify with Serial debug output that it reads correctly
  • Build the output circuit. Verify with a simple test sketch that the output works
  • DO NOT combine yet. Each subsystem should work independently first
  • Photograph what you have built; save in your build journal

Day 2: Integrate and write the main sketch (~2 hours)

  • Combine the sensor and output on one breadboard
  • Write the main sketch: sensor read → decision logic → output drive
  • Use Serial debug output throughout (you should always be able to see what your Arduino is thinking)
  • Iterate until the basic behavior works

Day 3: Polish and edge cases (~1 hour)

  • Test edge cases: sensor at minimum, sensor at maximum, multiple rapid triggers, holding power on for an extended period
  • Tune thresholds based on what you observe
  • Update the sketch with cleaner code structure (extract repeated logic into functions; rename variables for clarity)

Day 4: Document and record (~1.5 hours)

  • Take 5+ photographs of your finished circuit from different angles
  • Photograph the schematic (if hand-drawn) or export from Fritzing (if digital)
  • Record a 60-90 second demo video showing:
    • The circuit
    • Booting / powering on
    • The main feature(s) working
    • At least one non-trivial behavior (calibration, threshold trigger, mode switch)
  • Re-record if needed; pick the clearest take

Day 5: Write-up (~1.5 hours)

Follow the spec in CAPSTONE.md. Five sections (~500-800 words each):

  1. What it does (200-400 words): the use case; what a friend would see
  2. What components it uses (150-300 words): list parts; explain each role
  3. What surprised you (150-300 words): a specific moment
  4. What would you change in v2 (150-300 words): forward-thinking
  5. What I learned about my own work process (100-200 words): reflective

Plain English. No graduate vocabulary. Read aloud; if a sentence is hard to say, rewrite it

Day 6: Package and submit (~30 min)

Assemble the zip:

  • circuit-photos/ (5+ photos)
  • schematic.png or schematic.pdf
  • sketch/your-capstone.ino (your Arduino source code, runnable)
  • demo-video.mp4 (60-90 sec)
  • writeup.md (or .pdf)

Zip filename: hw101-capstone-{your-name}.zip (lowercase; hyphens; no spaces)

Email to interested@virtuscyberacademy.org with subject HW-101 capstone, {your-name}

Day 7: Buffer / rest (~0)

If you ran into a snag earlier in the week, day 7 is your catch-up time. Otherwise rest. You earned it

Expected output

  • Working circuit on the breadboard
  • Recorded demo video (60-90 sec)
  • 5-section write-up
  • Complete zip submitted

Common pitfalls

  • Over-scoping during build week: do NOT add features beyond what you scoped in lab 13.1. The grade does not reward ambition; it rewards a finished artifact. Bonus features go in the "v2" section of your write-up
  • Skipping the schematic: the schematic is required. Even if it's hand-drawn on graph paper, draw it. The grader can't reproduce your wiring without it
  • Demo video that doesn't show the circuit: the video must show your physical hardware. A screen recording of code running is not the deliverable
  • Write-up that brags or hides failures: the rubric values honesty. The "what would you change" section is genuinely curious about your reflection, not a chance to claim everything is perfect

Stretch (optional)

If you finish early:

  • Add one polish feature (e.g., a calibration mode; a power-saving sleep cycle; an LED that indicates "armed" state)
  • Write a paragraph about "future work" beyond your current v2 ideas. Saving these now helps future-you pick up the project again
  • Try the same circuit on a different microcontroller (ESP32 if you have one; Raspberry Pi Pico). Document what changed; what stayed the same

Lab 14.1 v0.1. The closing lab of HW-101. Ship.