With the Prototype Inspection Day presentation on Tuesday, this was a huge week for the SimpliciTea team. The team met over the weekend and Monday to finalize the first iteration prototype. Unfortunately, we were unable to boil water without minor leakage from the steaming chamber base, so the only automated function that was presented was the automation of the stirring process (the most important in our opinion). The water leakage from the steaming chamber base was the result of a poor seal between the steaming chamber heating element and the steaming chamber base and will be easily fixed in the next iteration. During the presentation, several videos of both heating elements successfully boiling water were shown. Our goal moving forward is to have these working consistently with no leakage while secured within the housing.

Our feedback from the PID presentation was great. The judges were very impressed with our progress and overall design to date. They also provided feedback with some very helpful suggestions for us moving forward. As stated previously, we would like to conceal automation of the stirring process within the housing. The judges suggested that we try a magnetic rotation or friction contact rotation, both of which would eliminate several external gear components and still accomplish our goal. They also asked that we generate a much more detailed testing plan. A well-defined testing plan will definitely help us to make faster progress and ensure that components are tested against relevant criteria. The weeks to come will be very busy as we work to implement these suggestions.