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ECE 477: Digital Systems Senior Design
Last Modified: 08-02-2017
Ethical and Environmental Analysis
Year: 2017 Semester: Spring Team: 15
Creation Date: March 30, 2017
2017
Author: Sid Parida
Project: Guitamatic
Last Modified: August 2,
Email: [email protected]
1.0 Environmental Impact Analysis
The Guitamatic is a self-playing guitar machine designed to accompany musician during live
performances when they cannot afford to pay for a live session musician. Although relatively
safe to use, the Guitamatic does have environmental consequences in all 3 stages of its life
cycle, which are manufacture, normal use and disposal. We will start by looking at each of
these life cycles and what impact the product has on the environment.
A. Manufacture
Each component of the product has a different impact on the environment. The product is
made out of a variety of materials and the resulting impacts are described below.
1. Wooden guitar base:
We use a wooden base to hold the guitar in place. The major environmental impact
from this arises in the wood procuring processes. Deforestation is a major
environmental concern of modern times. According to the Environmental Defense
Fund (EDF), a leading green group, 32 million acres of tropical rainforest were cut
down each year between 2000 and 2009—and the pace of deforestation is only
increasing [1]. This in turn is increasing greenhouse emissions which further the
damage caused.
2. Aluminum Support Structure, Printed Circuit Boards, Power Supply &
Solenoids:
All the other materials used in our project have one thing in common. They are made
out of metals. The mining industry is a major source of pollution. The amount of
energy needed to make aluminum is 211 GJ per tonne, compared with 22.7 GJ per
tonne for steel [2]. Therefore, we will have to consider other materials to build the
structure and maintain the structural integrity necessary to support the machine.
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Further the extraction of rare earth metals has its own concerns. During the
processing of fabricating circuit patterns, copper etching and circuit soldering, the ink
is used to cover and protect part of the copper foil. It is drained away which brings
about a lot of organic matter with high concentration. Some COD is up to 10 ~ 20g /
L. The wastewater accounts for about 5% of the total amount of water [3]. This can
be minimized in turn by reducing the size of the PCBs.
Finally, the copper needed to build the wires and solenoids come at an expense. The
copper mining industry is also a source of pollution. In places like the Montana town,
however, the practice of copper mining has disastrously polluted waters, severely
degrading water quality and killing aquatic life [4]. Further, the sulfur used in the
froth floatation process to extract copper is a major pollutant of water bodies all
around the world [5].
B. Normal Use
In day-to-day use, the Guitamatic’s biggest source of environmental impact comes from
its dependence on power supply. We do not use batteries as the power supply needed to
drive the solenoids needs to have a higher output voltage. Therefore, the power supply we
use is based off of a wall outlet and reduces the impact produced by turnover of dead
batteries. However, we do need to take into account the environmental impact of the
generation of electricity itself.
In today’s world, about 66 % of the energy in the world’s energy is derived from the
burning of coal and natural gas [6]. Both of these sources are nonrenewable and pose
significant environmental issues. Pollution is caused by two major factors: the emission
of harmful greenhouse gases during fossil fuel extraction and during the actual burning of
the fossil fuel. According to an estimate by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions,
the burning of coal alone produced 24.5% of the greenhouse emissions in the United
States [7].
Although not implemented in the current model, we will consider removing dependency
on a wall outlet and instead suing a renewable source of energy to power the Guitamatic.
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The primary alternative would be to use a solar power supply, but given the energy needs
of the system as of now, further optimization in terms of power usage is needed before
we can substitute the wall power supply with a cleaner source.
C. Disposal
During disposal, the same concerns arise as during the manufacturing. The materials used
in the Guitamatic affect how environmental friendly the disposal/possible recycling of the
materials is. A breakdown of the possibilities follows:
1. Wooden guitar base
Wood waste is the second largest component of construction and demolition (C&D)
debris after concrete. According to an article on thebalance.com, wood waste
accounts for 20 to 20 percent of construction based landfill waste [8]. However, the
wood recycling percentage is not as high as other materials like metals and concrete.
In our use case, the wood structure is extremely reusable as it can be directly chopped
of other sue or recycled to create new ply wood.
2. Aluminum Support Structure
The aluminum association points out that aluminum is the most valuable in terms of
recyclability. In fact, a billion dollar per year, can recycling industry exists in the US
alone. Recycling a can of aluminum saves enough energy to power an iPod for an
hour [9]. As we use pure aluminum support structures and as it does not rust, during
disposal the aluminum can be recycled completely and effectively.
3. Printed Circuit Boards
The printed circuit boards use precious metals that can be recycled. Open electronics
states there are two main recycling methods for PCBs [10]. Shredding involves the
destruction of the PCB using force to extract the precious metals used in the making
of the PCB. In the case of our PCBs we can shred it to extract back the silicon. This
does come at the expense of the use of significant energy, which is a concern as
energy production does lead to pollution. However, the advantages definitely
outweigh the disadvantages in this case. The 2nd method involves the physical
dismantling of the PCB to reuse the electrical components on the PCB. In our PCBs
we can reuse the ICs, transistors, capacitors, resistors and much more. The ideal
recycling would involve physical dismantling followed by shredding which will lead
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to maximum reuse of materials at a cost of energy use utilized in the shredding
process.
4. Power Supply & Solenoids
The power supplies and the solenoids have multiple copper coils which can be easily
recycled. Copper is an essential trace element needed for the healthy development of
most plants, animals and human beings. In general, moderate excess quantities of
copper are not known to cause problems. Every care is taken to avoid wasting copper
and it is recycled where possible [11]. Excess copper is not allowed to escape into the
atmosphere as fume, nor into discharged process cooling water, all of which are
generally treated to keep the amount of copper within agreed limits. Other metals
associated with copper alloys are generally not in a form that is dangerous. However,
when fume is generated, for example by melting or welding, it may be necessary to
use fume extraction equipment.
In addition the solenoids are made out of aluminum and the possible environmental
impact of aluminum has been discussed above already.
2.0 Ethical Challenges
The Guitamatic when used according to specified guidelines is safe for day-to-day use.
However, the involvement of moving parts, a high voltage power supply and small
components pose some ethical issues that need to be addressed. We will take a variety of
measures. The following is an analysis of the major concerns:
A. The high voltage power supply
1. Issue: The high voltage power supply necessary to drive the solenoids is a potential
threat and possible source of injury for the users of the Guitamatic. The major
problem here is not from the voltage but from the current. As the total current is on
the order of Amps, which is sufficient to kill a human being [12], measures need to
be taken to ensure the human operator does not come in contact with naked wires.
2. Measures: The best and most efficient way to prevent such injuries is to make sure
the power supply used is of high quality. We will also use thick insulated copper
wires to make sure that the product can withstand. Proper casing to meet the ISO
1413 standard for shock resistance can be insured by using a special case to enclose
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the power supply to minimize fatality and interference from the electromagnetic field
created by the wires. Besides we will also include a warning on the user manual to
avoid the presence of a high voltage power supply and advise precaution against
naked wires and humid conditions.
B. Moving Parts
1. Issue: The Guitamatic has solenoids, which move and pose two types of damage
possibilities. First, we have to consider that the user’s actual guitar can be damaged
or even worse rendered useless by strong solenoids which damaged the frets and
pickups. Second, there is a small possibility of fingers and being actually damaged
by the solenoids if used improperly.
2. Measures: To address the issue of guitar damage, the tips of the solenoids can be
padded so that even in the case of accidental movement the frets are not damaged.
Further, during the manufacturing process testing can be performed to ensure that the
solenoids used do not exceed to tensile strength of the wood used on frets, so that
they never break or are damaged. Secondly the user can be advised to never
manually handle the machine while the machine is in operation. The power should
always be powered down before dismantling the machine and storing the guitar
away. This will ensure that the moving parts never hurt the user.
C. Small Parts
1. Issue: The Guitamatic has multiple small components especially the solenoids and the
PCBs. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a small part is any
object that fits completely into a specially designed test cylinder 2.25 inches long by
1.25 inches wide that approximates the size of the fully expanded throat of a child
under three years old [13]. The Guitamatic has these parts in abundance, which pose a
serious choking hazard especially for younger users.
2. Measures: This issue can be resolved by advising caution on the part of the user.
First, we will put CPSC compliant choking hazard warnings on the product
documentation and then in the user manual advise that while using the product care
be taken that the small parts should not be consumed. Secondly, the entire system can
properly encased so that easy access to the parts is not possible, reducing the risk of a
hazard.
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3.0 Sources Cited
[1] “Deforestation and Its Extreme Effect on Global Warming,” Scientific American, 12-Nov2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deforestation-andglobal-warming/. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[2] “Aluminium production & environmental impact,” Greenspec. [Online]. Available:
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/aluminium-production-environmental-impact/.
[Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[3] “The Pollution of PCB Boards,” Gold Phoenix. [Online]. Available:
http://www.goldphoenixpcb.com/html/Support_Resource/others/arc_142.html. [Accessed:
31-Mar-2017].
[4] I. O. Publications, “Copper Mining in Montana: The Environmental Impacts - Nature and
Environment,” Mother Earth News, 05-Nov-2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/sustainable-communities/coppermining-ze0z1411zcalt. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[5] “Copper production & environmental impact,” Greenspec. [Online]. Available:
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/copper-production-environmental-impact/.
[Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[6] “U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis,” What
is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information
Administration
(EIA).
[Online].
Available:
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
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[7] “Coal,” Coal | Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. [Online]. Available:
https://www.c2es.org/energy/source/coal. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[8] R. LeBlanc, “The importance of wood recycling for C&D,” The Balance. [Online].
Available: https://www.thebalance.com/wood-recycling-construction-2877760. [Accessed:
31-Mar-2017].
[9] “Recycling,” Recycling | The Aluminum Association, 24-Sep-2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.aluminum.org/industries/production/recycling. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[10] “PCB Recycling: The Core of Your Electronics Is More Valuable Than You Think,” Open
Electronics. [Online]. Available: https://www.open-electronics.org/pcb-recycling-the-coreof-your-electronics-is-more-valuable-than-you-think/. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[11] N., “Copper | SA Recycling,” www.sarecycling.com. [Online]. Available:
http://www.sarecycling.com/items-we-accept/copper/. [Accessed: 31-Mar-2017].
[12] “The Fatal Current,” Electrical Safety: The Fatal Current. [Online]. Available:
https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/safety/electrical/TheFatalCurrent.html. [Accessed: 31Mar-2017].
[13] “Small Parts for Toys and Children's Products Business Guidance,” CPSC.gov, 14-Oct2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/BusinessEducation/Business-Guidance/Small-Parts-for-Toys-and-Childrens-Products. [Accessed: 31Mar-2017].
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