Chapter 8:The fine print
“Bunty, dear boy, isn’t it a bit early for work? I still haven’t had my morning tea, and you know it’s the secret behind my genius!”
“I know” said Bunty, showing a bag with a flask and a box. “I told my mom to pack some of the breakfast and your favorite masala tea! Now you can’t give more excuses!”
“Come on in, give me that tea! You know I love that thing,You know you are very wise for your age, Bunty.”
“Let me freshen up, then breakfast, then the work! How does that sound? This old man needs energy, don’t you think?” said the professor.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting in the lab,” said Bunty, and he ran into the lab.
After finishing breakfast, there was nothing stopping Bunty. “Professor, what about your friend who makes the boards?”
“Yeah, before we call him, we need to decide on some things, such as what materials we will be using, what should be the exact shape and size, and the space for the switches, etc.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same. The sketch on the board seems too big to be an actual switchboard, and the one in my grandma’s home is way smaller than this!”
“Yes, of course. When we plan, the size is not that important, but before we build the actual thing, every small detail should be considered,” said the professor.
“How do we do that?” asked Bunty.
“Okay, let’s see. First, we need to fix the size of the board ,the space between switches and their exact placement on the board, the material, decide on the labels, etc.”
“Don’t give up now! We are almost done. All the heavy lifting is already done; now it’s all about the fine-tuning!” reassured the professor, sensing Bunty’s disappointment.
Even though the professor made it sound simple, both knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. However, with the energy from the tea, they decided to push through.
“Now, let’s decide the size and shape. You were right; the current size is too big. We need the right measurements. How can we do that?” asked the professor.
“How do we find that out?” Bunty inquired.
“Let me ask you something. How are rice, lentils, and tea powder stored in the kitchen?” the professor queried.
“Professor, what does that have to do with our situation?” Bunty was puzzled. This question seemed out of his syllabus for now.
“Hey, someone’s in a rush! Just tell me” laughed the professor, amused by Bunty’s eagerness.
“Okay, okay, but we gotta be fast!” Bunty replied, bouncing with excitement.
“Sure, but you still haven’t given me an answer!” the professor teased.
“Okay, okay! We keep rice in a big container, lentils in a smaller one, and tea in an even tinier jar because we don’t need as much,” Bunty explained.
“Now, tell me, how big should the switchboard be?” the professor asked.
Bunty caught on. “Just enough for all the switches we have!” he answered confidently. “You could’ve just asked without all the drama,” he replied.
“Sorry, Mr. Smarty Pants!”. “First, let’s figure out how big the switches are and how much space they need, like organizing groceries!”
“Got it!” Bunty dashed to measure the switch on the wall. “I know the size of a switch now,” he declared proudly. “Then we need to figure out how many switches and where they go based on the floor plan.”
Bunty suggested using his grandma’s house as inspiration since the problem started there. The professor agreed.
They listed all the devices in grandma’s house: five different type of lights, two fans, one TV and two sockets for phone chargers in the living room and a fan and a light in the dining area . They carefully planned where each should go on the switchboard, making sure there was space for Bunty’s special stickers.
But then Bunty realized they forgot about the sockets! “Uh-oh!” he exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” the professor reassured him, already having an idea.
After finalizing everything, they tackled the sockets. The professor drew a small wire connecting the socket with its plug and designed a cover for it. Since sockets weren’t related to the room layout, they put them outside the floor plan at the end.
“Professor, you’re awesome!” Bunty cheered, impressed with the clever solution.
“Can we call your engineer friend now?”
“He’s coming this afternoon. Until then, you can make your labels look cool, and don’t forget to have lunch!” the professor replied with a grin.
It looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the guest, but today some significant progress was made towards the end goal.With all the finer details ironed out, the focus now shifts to turning the plan into reality and getting our hands on the actual board. Will it happen effortlessly for Bunty, or is there more waiting to be done? To find out, keep reading and stay tuned!
In the meantime, take a moment to appreciate the finer things around you. You might be surprised by the amount of planning and thought that goes into even the simplest product and it’s featurers we use every day.
