The purpose of the Take Apart Lab was to gain experience writing on the course blog as well practice the documentation process. My partner and I disassembled what looked like some sort of video recorder or projector.  Upon further examination, Google told us our machine was a video conferencing device  called  the “Polycom ViewStation”.

We began the disassembly by the plastic shell surrounding the machine. This proved to be more difficult then we had guessed.

Some screws would not unscrew, and we ended breaking a large portion of it off. This leads us to believe it was not designed to be readily opened and closed.

 

 

 

Once we freed the machine from its outer shell we split the part into two, smaller top and the larger bottom. In the bottom part of the device we discovered a gigantic circuit board, microphones, and other metal and plastic supports.

Upon seeing the giant circuit board, we researched the circuit board manufacturing process. We found that the process is long and complex, involving multiple layers of substrate and epoxy. The process can further be customized through additive or subtractive methods.

 

While the microphones and other smaller supports could have easily been off-the-shelf, the larger circuit board and specifically sized supports were probably made uniquely for this device.

 

 

The top of the device was even more extreme. We found a number of other, smaller circuit boards, a camera, numerous flexible, flat cables, and an assortment of connective parts like screws and nuts.

We continued down until we reached the part of the machine that connects the top of the machine to the bottom through a rotating platform.When this was opened, we found a strong metallic support, more circuit boards, and a system of gears and threaded belts which allowed the camera to rotate.

 

This part was disassembled further with ample unscrewing and prying into its constituent parts.

 

 

 

 

We also continued until the camera was almost completely isolated where we found, once again, even more little circuit boards.

Overall, the complexity of the parts within the shell of the machine combined with the difficult disassembly process made us conclude that this machine was not designed to be taken apart and fixed. Rather, when broken it was designed to be replaced. While most parts of this machine were recyclable, this feature was probably not a priority to the manufacturers since isolating individual parts for recycling required significant determination.

 

In this lab, we learned that while some machines are meant to be taken apart, fixed, and recycled, others are not.