Uni Project. Help and ideas needed please!!!!!!

[TomSudlow]

My name is tom and im a second year Product Design student at Sheffield Hallam University. Im currently in a project designing a drill for people who wouldn't have necessarily used a drill before, who would like to but the current drills are too 'butch', heavy or complicated to use.

ive chosen to design a cordless combi as it can complete all the average home DIY jobs. For example putting up shelves, light masonry drilling, wood drilling, screwing furniture.

If anyone has got any ideas (i mean any) as what would be cool to add/change to the standard combi drill to accommodate shall we say first time users i would very much appreciate the feedback.

So far my ideas are on the actual functions of the drill and the terminology used. For example whats hammer function, torque settings, speed settings and all the controls for these. Ive picked this route as i feel that these are most commonly the factors that discourage people from using such items. As to some people DIY talk sounds like a different language. So i thought the use of more intuitive controls with better labeling would be a good way to go.

thank you for reading and i would be very grateful for any feedback please

thanks
tom

 

[merlin50]

 

[Space cat]

Merlin50 has a point; the old-fashioned hand drill still has its place for small jobs around the house. For a start, no matter how long you've left it lying at the back of the kitchen cupboard, the battery won't be flat when you need it.

Over the forty years or so that I've been drilling holes - mostly around the house - I've found that no single drill suits every purpose. When I need a pilot hole for a wood screw, I don't reach for the 750 watt hammer drill. Likewise, there's no way I'd try to drill even a 5mm hole into a brick by hand.

And so I would say that you need at least two drills: one for the small stuff and another for the heavy work. Which brings us back to the hand drill. It needs a chuck big enough to take a 1/4" bit at least (5/16" preferred) and that side handle should be removable so that you can drill holes close to internal corners. It serves little purpose anyway. Also, don't skimp on the gears. An idler pinion at the back takes the strain off the centre bearing and the thing just feels easier to turn. While you're at it, think about enclosing the pinions on the other side so that they can't scrape anything. The hand operated chuck is fine most of the time but a chuck key gives you a better grip. The problem is that they get lost so it's a bit of a trade-off.

For the big jobs you definitely need a hammer drill with a 1/2" chuck and I would always go for a genuine two-speed gearbox. Apart from that, keep it simple. Most people will never need torque control - or should I say that they'll never know that they need it. A variable speed control is intuitive enough and very useful. Mine also has a reversing switch which I've never used and probably never will. It has a keyless chuck which I thought was great at first. Unfortunately, now that all the internal bearings have become looser, I can only get the thing to tighten properly in the low speed setting - which is a drag and a half. If you decide to fit one I suggest you provide a simple method of locking the shaft. A little push button near the chuck where stray fingers won't catch it would do nicely.

So what of your cordless combi? Well i have to say that I would never buy one. For a start, I don't care much for cordless drills. Apart from the fact that they don't seem to have enough power for big jobs, the batteries aren't cheap and I just know that I'll end up replacing them more often than I'd like. I do have a small electric screwdriver which came in handy for some self-assembly shelves that were held together with dozens of small screws but it actually gets very little use. If anything, it's been more useful for drilling pilot holes in really awkward places where even my hand drill won't fit.

 

[^woody^]

So far my ideas are on the actual functions of the drill and the terminology used. For example whats hammer function, torque settings, speed settings and all the controls for these.

That is part of the problem. Most non-diyers aren't bothered about functions and don't want to be confused with names.

You need a simple device to just pick up and use - fully automatic with just two functions ... forward and reverse, or better still in and out. With everything else being automatic with no user input required -including material to be drilled and speed

IIRC, Black and Decker has recently bought out something like this with an automatic clutch that does away with manual torque settings

For ergonomics, look at the Bosch and Makita 10.8v drills. Small, powerful and easy to hold and use. And then choose a colour that is not site oriented.

And then for power, is an external battery necessary? What about a charge lead based on USB connection - which are everywhere nowadays not just on computers. Or inductive charging.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Over the forty years or so that I've been drilling holes - mostly around the house -

You must live in a sieve.



Andy

 

[Space cat]

You must live in a sieve.

Yes, I walked into that one!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

don't forget you also need a user friendly chuck, one that you pop the bit in and it tightens itself!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Another usefull feature would be the chuck that can be turned 90 degrees so that one could drill holes in narrow places where a normal drill would not fit, you could be the first one to come up with a product like that.

Also don't forget to incorporate a progressive drive control, so when you press the trigger, it starts to move off gently, and stops screw driver bits slipping off.

 

[SammyInnit]

You'd be better off designing a magnetic hex bit that doesn't collect so much swarf lol.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

And you could also implement a sfety device such that if the drill became jammed in a material, it could result in the owner twisting his arms as the body of the drill tries to counter spin and force the user's arms to twist, so have gyro sensors fitted in the body such that should it sense that the chuck is getting excessive force and is getting jammed then the gyro sensors cuts off the power thus preventing the user from twisting his arms, or he might even end up spinning around the stuck chuck. yup make your one a high tech intelligent drill, idiot proof.

Of course whenever one has to design any idiot proof gadget, the designer has to be eccentrically minded, or even an eccentric.

there are quite a few more tips to come, one at a time, be patient, can't give you all superb ideas in a single go! don't forget any royalty payments !

 

[joe-90]

The guy is a marketeer looking for idea to sell to tool companies. Why help him?

 

[cajar]

From his post it appears he wants to design a drill for gays.

 

[1john]

I'm sure makita / bosch / dewalt / so on so forth are spending billions on this, implementing things into their own ranges and to be honest, if a DIYer wants to drill holes but doesn't like the thought of reading an instruction manual then they can just go an pick up the least complicated looking drill in b&q.

How about a cordless drill that knows what type of bit is in the chuck, be it a masonry, wood, HSS or even a screwdriver bit, and a drill that knows what material its going into too so you don't use a HSS bit on a pebble dash wall and you don't use a PZ2 bit to make a 6mm hole in plasterboard!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

I'm sure makita / bosch / dewalt / so on so forth are spending billions on this, implementing things into their own ranges and to be honest, if a DIYer wants to drill holes but doesn't like the thought of reading an instruction manual then they can just go an pick up the least complicated looking drill in b&q.

How about a cordless drill that knows what type of bit is in the chuck, be it a masonry, wood, HSS or even a screwdriver bit, and a drill that knows what material its going into too so you don't use a HSS bit on a pebble dash wall and you don't use a PZ2 bit to make a 6mm hole in plasterboard!

Good idea!

 

[Space cat]

Have you ever noticed how much time you spend making sure a drill is vertical (if drilling downwards) or level (if drilling a wall). In the distant past I think you could get a little bubble attachment to help with this but technology has moved on now and even phones have levels built into them. (Is that so that their inept users know which way up to hold them? )

What I'm thinking is that you put one of these level detectors into the drill. It works out whether you're trying to hold the thing vertical or horizontal then beeps at you until you get it right.