README.md

**Step 1. Research for ideas**
- Watched videos about how height adjustable things work
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSRXYPe2ztY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4-yOB3qFKI
- http://kevinjantzer.com/diy-adjustable-standing-desk/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohyMRATOt5U
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtBSwr603sA

**Step 2.  Scratching my ideas out on paper**
- 1st thought: Where do I start?
- 2nd thought: Maybe I should just buy an adjustable desktop
- Balancing design with functionality
- Seeing designs take shape made me realize the design errors that weren't apparent in my mind
- I'm glad I drew in pencil

<img src="Pictures/20180329_154258.jpg" width=800px>
<img src="Pictures/20180329_145632.jpg" width=800px>
    


**Step 3. Learning the design software "Autodesk Fusion 360"**
- Observations
    - Steep learning curve for someone without a CAD or Design background
    - Not self explanatory
    - Millions of mistakes ('control + z' and I are now best friends)
    - After the initial frusteration it became fun and addicting
    - After the two hours it took me to design 5 relatively simple parts I felt like I could navigate Fusion 360 relatively well on this simple level
    
<img src="Pictures/Fusion_360.jpg" width=800px>

**Step 4. Prototyping
- Attempt 1
    - What process would I use?
        - 3d printing
        - Laser Cutting- I later decided on this one after Sam and Will's recommendation
        - Waterjet
        - Shop Bot
    - What material would I use?
        - John suggested wood and trying the waterjet as a cool process
        - Will suggest 2.5mm thick Delrin with the laser cutter which I eventually settled on
    - Using Corel Draw
        - Uploaded my files
        - Chose 1:2 as the scale
        - Verified hairline and other settings
    - Using the Epilog Legend 36EXT
        - Got some additional training from Tom since I had only done Raster on Glass mugs before
        - Tom wasn't 100% on the Power and Speed settings so he started with Speed 5 and Power 70
    - Below is the result of the first attempt

<img src="Pictures/20180329_150021.jpg" width=800px>      

- Attempt 2
    - Things to figure out before trying again
        - Why did my parts come out so small?  I designed the desktop piece at half scale so I thought that the Corel Draw 1:2 setting would be correct
            - I talked to Sam and he said that many programs don't play well together so there's some work to do to figure out the settings
            - After measuring various feature sizes on the tiny part compared to what I wanted I decided to enlarge everything by 500%.  It worked!  I still don't know why but
            it worked.  It shouldn't have worked because I doubled the size originally with the scale setting in Corel draw then multiplied it by 5 again later.  That means
            the parts we 10 times the size I designed them at by the actual size doesn't line up with the measurements of my designs in Fusion 360
        - Why did so many of my parts not come out at all?
            - I looked at the sheet of Delrin and found that most of my parts were so small that the laser just melted the material instead of cutting pieces out.  
            - I needed to adjust the Speed and Power settings on the laser.  After asking Tom he said it's a bit of guess and check.  I decided to try Speed 10 Power 40.
        - I made a second attempt and the below pictures are the result
<img src="Pictures/20180329_114937.jpg" width=800px>   
<img src="Pictures/20180329_120013.jpg" width=800px> 
<img src="Pictures/20180329_150654.mp4" width=800px>