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The tidepool acrylic displays and call number display wheel are part of the Cosmos in the Stacks exhibit at the Cal Poly Humboldt Library. The purpose of the project is to gain attention to the resources available to students and students (8-12th grade) from the community, at the university library, specifically in the oceanography section. This project was developed and built by W.E.C.K. Engineering team, as part of the Engineering 205 course during the spring 2025 semester.
Background
The team consists of a combination of mechanical and environmental resources engineers Caden Nicholson, Kelsie Cloes, Wyatt Sapiro, and Eden Hill, who are in Engineering 205, Spring 2025. California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt’s library receives regular visits from members of the surrounding community, as well as from prospective students. The client, the dean of the library, Dean Cyril W. Oberlander, wishes to supplement and improve these visits by implementing exhibits throughout the library.
When conducting research for this project by interviewing students and members of the public who utilize the library's resources, it was found that while many students valued the resources available in the library, they found libraries to be difficult and confusing to navigate. The functionality of the exhibit needed to not only be attention-grabbing, but help visitors navigate the oceanography library section.
Problem statement
The objective of this project is to design, build, analyze, test, and install an exhibit which will draw more attention and interest to the portion of the library’s zoology section relating to tide pool marine life.
Criteria
The Criteria for the Tidepool exhibit was developed through meetings with the Dean of the Cal Poly Humboldt library, as well as practical constraints due to the location of the exhibit. The problem solution was ultimately determined with the use of the Delphi method ranking system.
Criteria
Description
Weight (1-10)
Cost
The total budget for the project is $550. This includes $250 provided by the client and $300 provided by the group. The client expects this $250 to be used.
5
Interactivity
The project must provide an interactive experience for the user.
10
Ease of Use
The project should not be particularly difficult to use, allowing the user to interact with it quickly and with ease.
7
Durability
The project must be durable enough to be interacted with by users for several years without requiring repair or replacement.
10
Minimal Upkeep Required
The project must be self-contained, requiring minimal upkeep after installation.
6
Draws Attention
The project must draw attention from library guests who pass by it, leading to further engagement by users.
8
Length of Interaction
The project must retain interest of users for several minutes during use.
7
Prototyping
The prototyping process for our project, involved the devolvement of both the display wheel, as well as the acrylic display stands. While both the display wheel and acrylic display bases required function tests for mechanical and electronic components, both products needed to be aesthetically pleasing as well.
Display Wheel Prototyping
The display wheel prototyping was primarily to test for feasibility, as well as to assess for function and desire. The first prototype for the display wheel was constructed using cardboard; the primary function test of the prototype was to assess if a display wheel was possible to accomplish given the size constraints of a standard library shelf (12 inches high by 9 inches deep). To ensure that these dimensions were taken into account, a simple design template was created in AutoCAD, to which final product dimensions were assigned.
Cardboard prototype of display wheel.AutoCAD rendering of display wheel frame and dimensions.
Acrylic Display Prototyping
The prototyping process for the acrylic block display consisted of creating several models within Fusion which were printed using PLA. The process began with the creation of a proof of concept to present to the client. This was a simple display which contained simplified ideas of the display, a slot for the blocks, a hole in place of a button, and a space for electronics. Ultimately, after confirming the design with the client, the display base went through 3 prototypes to achieve a final design.
Acrylic display stand prototype 1.Acrylic display stand prototype 2.Acrylic display stand prototype 3.Fusion 360 rendering of acrylic display base.
Final product
The final product of both the call number display wheel as well as the acrylic displays were very similar to their respective prototype designs.
Library call number display wheel.Acrylic displays final product.
The final product of the display wheel is used to view call numbers for the tidepool library section. The wheel is operated by turning the handle that is located on the back of the wheel, which rotates the center acrylic resin. The call numbers are displayed using pre-cut vinyl letters.
The final product of the acrylic displays contain the call numbers for the tidepool section, as well as name of the displayed sea-life specimen. Visitors are able to interact with the display by rotating specimen, as well as press the button to illuminate display.
Construction
The construction phase of the tidepool exhibit project was divided into the construction of the display wheel, and the construction of the acrylic displays.
Display Wheel Frame Construction
The frame for the display wheel was constructed from 1/4 pine plywood, which was recycled from project scrap wood found in the Cal Poly Makerspace. The exterior thickness of the wood frame measured 2 inches.
The resin was constructed using wood disk, which was laser cut from 1/4 inch pine plywood; this disk was used as a base for the resin cast. The sides of the disk were lined using masking tape, which acted as a dam for the resin. The interior of the disk was filled with rocks and sand in a spiral design, to simulate the rising and falling tides. 3 coats of resin were needed to achieve the desired thickness.
Resin wheel in the process of being sanded to desired thickness.
Acrylic Displays Construction
The construction of the final acrylic display product, was very similar to the prototypes. Black and blue filament was used to print the display bases, followed by the installation of the LED, switch, and battery component. The acrylic displays were secured to the base using a clear acrylic-safe adhesive, and metal bearing was implemented to secure the display to the base.
Electronics used for acrylic displays.Testing acrylic display final design.
Costs of Production
The total cost of production includes the materials costs, as well as the time cost of the project.
The materials cost of the project includes all materials that were required to construct both the acrylic display stands, as well as the display wheel. The cost sections that are designated $0 are materials that were either recycled (wood), or donated (filament, wood veneer, resin).
The time cost of the project was a total of 122 hours for the team, and was calculated by adding up all group members' recorded work hours, and categorizing work hours into four sections.
Total team hours
Operation
Maintenance
The maintenance for the acrylic display stands, consists of replacing both AA batteries once per year.
Remove batteries from display base.
Insert two replacement AA batteries.
The maintenance should be carried out by library staff.
Maintenance schedule
Yearly
Replace two AA batteries in the acrylic display bases.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting
In the event that lights are not illuminated the acrylic displays, the batteries should be tested or replaced. In the event that replacing the batteries does not remedy the problem, the wiring should be inspected on the base of the display for any wire-breaks.
