Random Number generator
Project Description
In this project we had to put together a random number generator that, when used, could take the place of a die in a board game. We were given the required parts, and had to solder the components o the board in order to complete the project. This project was a way to familiarize ourselves with soldering, while also learning about how to construct circuit boards the right way ( i.e. don't solder the chip directly into the board).
Beginning
During
Finished Product
Testing table
Conclusion questions
- The numbers from 2 to 6 were quite evenly distributed ranging from 12 to 14% occurrence rate. However, a 1 was "rolled" 33 times out of the 100 total rolls, which was a gigantic outlier considering the other percents. Seeing this discrepancy would lead me to the conclusion that my random number generator was not fair at all, as for it to be fair, all of the numbers would have to have the same or at least be close in their occurrence rates.
- The term debug is said to be coined by Admiral Grace Hopper in the 1940s. She was attempting to fix a computer at Harvard, and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. She later found a moth stuck in one of the relays, and deemed that she had debugged the system. Although the term bug used in a technical sense can be dated all the way back to Thomas Edison, and the term debugging is thought to have been used in aeronautics before being used in computer fields.
Reflection
I found soldering to be a lot easier than I thought it would be, although I did have some troubles, as I don’t have the steadiest of hands, which resulted in me sometimes missing the target area of the soldering. Sometimes I got solder onto the leads of the components instead of the little holes, and I regularly got solder onto the soldering iron. Other than those problems I found the soldering to be relatively easy. The hardest part was trying to keep the components flush with the board as I was soldering them from the bottom. I had to melt the solder on some of the LEDs in order to push them through the holes until they were flush with the board. Once I had moved onto the chip holders, I found it easier to tape down the chips until I got two of the leads soldered to keep the holders in place when I continued with the rest of the leads. I was very glad after I had finished that I didn’t find a way to burn myself, although there were many times where I was close to grabbing the soldering iron instead of the handle, and once I was dangerously close to my finger hitting the soldering iron when I was readjusting the board. For the experience as a whole, I enjoyed the soldering and found it relaxing, and I look forward to soldering again in the future for another project.