ECE 477 Digital Systems Senior Design Project Rev 8/09 s3

ECE 477 Digital Systems Senior Design Project Rev 8/09

Homework 12: Ethical and Environmental Impact Analysis

Team Code Name: Bueller’s Lab Day Off Group No. 14

Team Member Completing This Homework: Faris Issa

E-mail Address of Team Member: fissa @ purdue.edu

Evaluation:

SCORE

DESCRIPTION

Excellent – among the best papers submitted for this assignment. Very few corrections needed for version submitted in Final Report.

Very good – all requirements aptly met. Minor additions/corrections needed for version submitted in Final Report.

Good – all requirements considered and addressed. Several noteworthy additions/corrections needed for version submitted in Final Report.

Average – all requirements basically met, but some revisions in content should be made for the version submitted in the Final Report.

Marginal – all requirements met at a nominal level. Significant revisions in content should be made for the version submitted in the Final Report.

Below the passing threshold – major revisions required to meet report requirements at a nominal level. Revise and resubmit.

* Resubmissions are due within one week of the date of return, and will be awarded a score of “6” provided all report requirements have been met at a nominal level.

Comments:

Comment from the grader will be inserted here.

Grader: Malek

Overall: This submission is average. Some key points, such as discussion of MIDI and ethical concern about accuracy of product are mentioned, as well as product lifecycle. However, things are generally vague, some sentences seem to be irrelevant (at least the way they have been worded). For example, you should strive to be as specific as possible, and illustrate relevance to your project (e.g. poisonous fumes? I think this most correlates with the fumes released during the actual manufacturing process and not improper usage).

Grade: 7.0 / 10

1.0  Introduction

The iTab is a musical transcription and recording device for assisting aspiring musicians to play the guitar. It makes use of modern electronic components to provide a small portable package that can display a tablature format of the music recorded or export the data via an SD card. It requires an AC power source for operation and is housed in a durable plastic enclosure. Its power consumption traits are important, as wasted energy is a growing concern for the environment. The iTab’s capabilities of recording and analyzing music raise ethical concerns about copyright violations.

2.0  Ethical Impact Analysis

In order to ensure that the iTab is produced and marketed in an ethical manner, a variety of issues will be considered. It is imperative that the device work as advertised and be safe to use. Any possible side effects that could result from proper, or even improper use, of the device need to be known and explained to the customer in a straightforward manner. In order to minimize defects, a safe range of operating and storage conditions would also need to be provided to the user. There are also legal and ethical concerns regarding the improper use of the iTab. These will be discussed, in addition to the proper marketing of the product.

Before being sold, the product would have to be tested under a variety of conditions. Since it is a consumer electronic normal operating conditions will be “room temperature” or approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The device could be subjected to temperature extremes during shipping, or while being transported by the user. In order to make sure that the device does not fail during or after temperature variations, it will be tested at a wide range of temperatures. Since the device will primarily be marketed in the continental United States, temperatures up to 110 (simulating direct sunlight in an unairconditioned room) and as low as 0 degrees (simulating being left inside a freezing car during winter).

Intellectual property rights are being debated worldwide as media companies seek to reduce the pirating of copyrighted material. It is technically possible for users to record music via the iTab and then distributed bootlegged copies of the MIDI file that is generated. Peer to Peer file sharing technology is widely available and the recording industry is alarmed about the loss of revenue from lost sales. Most files pirated in this manner are in the mp3 file format since it is compatible with most portable music players and are compressed for faster transfers. Due to the overwhelming popularity of mp3, it is unlikely that many users would choose to distribute MIDI formatted music, but a warning about the legality of these actions would be included in the owner’s manual.

The iTab will be tested for proper performance, however a as with all software controlled products, performing perfectly on its first release is very rare. In order to be honest with the customer any shortcomings in the software will be disclosed. For example, the note generating accuracy of the iTab will not be perfect. It is not yet possible to transcribe music with 100% accuracy and would be unethical to allow the user to think they were purchasing a device capable of doing so. The iTab is only intended for use with a guitar and as such does not handle frequencies above 1.5KHz. Currently the iTab cannot handle all chords, although this is expected to be improved in a future release.

3.0  Environmental Impact Analysis

Electronic waste and manufacturing can both have a large environmental impact. When one considers efficiency of the electricity required to power the product it becomes obvious that the iTab will have a minimal impact on the environment throughout its entire life cycle. Steps will be taken to ensure that the iTab is as environmentally friendly as possible during each stage of its life.

During the manufacturing of the iTab a fair amount of machining will take place. Since the packaging is plastic, it is undesirable for the scraps to be dumped into a land fill. Fortunately this waste can be recycled and reused. Directions for the proper disposal of the device will be included in the user manual. The manufacturing process also makes extensive use of solder. While traditionally a lead based solder is used, (and was used to develop the prototype of the device) the mass production of the iTab will use a newer, more environmentally friendly, solder. This reduces the chance of lead entering the water supply following the incorrect disposal of the iTab.

During use the iTab requires power from an AC wall unit. Like all other electronics this will add to the power bill of the customer through increasing their power consumption. Luckily most of the components in the iTab are low power, with voltage regulators being the main consumers of energy. Once fully constructed testing can be carried out to determine how much power the device consumes. Since the iTab has no direct counterpart with which to compare efficiency against it is ineligible to receive Energy Star certification.

4.0  Summary

Ethical and environmental issues regarding the iTab have been discussed. The product will be tested to find out recommended operating conditions and any possible adverse side effects that could be experienced. Ethical issues such as warning users not to violate copyright laws have been described. Environmental concerns about the efficiency, safety and correct disposal of the iTab have been analyzed.
List of References

[1]  “Engineering Education Reform: A Trilogy,” 2003. [online]. Available: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ece477/Homework/CommonRefs/enviro_refs.pdf.

[Accessed: April 13, 2010].

[1]  “How a Product Earns the ENERGY STAR Label” [Online]. Available: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_how_earn [Accessed: April 14, 2010].

[2]  “Solder,” 2010. [Online]. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder [Accessed: April 14, 2010].

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