Lindsay Meiners kept a detailed product work log of building a fully functional computer tower over several months. With guidance from her project facilitator, she researched and ordered all necessary parts, including the case, motherboard, disk drive, processor and more. Assembly required carefully connecting parts like the motherboard, disk drive and processor while ensuring all cables could reach their connections. It was a time-consuming but educational process for Lindsay, with some challenges around instruction clarity and her inexperience. In the end, her facilitator helped complete the final assembly steps.

1. Product Work Log
Name_________Lindsay Meiners________________ Date _(Due) 11 April, 2012_______________
Product ___Fully-Functoinal Computer tower/CPU _____________________________
Date/Time: Activity: Comment/Suggestions:
First meeting with project facilitator
November 19, 2011 Don Dozier. Discussed and comprised N/A
11:15am a list of required individual parts and
1 hour, 20 minutes costs. We also did research on the best
possible yet cost-efficient part to
examine cost and functionality.
Commentary:
This part of the project was easy and
not time consuming. My facilitator and
I got a chance to talk during the
process and learn to work well
together.

2. Date/Time: Activity: Commentary/Suggestion:
Searched on various online venues
November 29, 2011 (Amazon, Overstock, eBay, Newegg,
5:22pm etc.) for the designated case (Cooler
1 hour 12 minutes Master HAF X Full Tower with Super
Speed USB 3.0) and decided on
ordering it from Amazon.com. I
searched various venues for pricing
reasons and Amazon was the most
reasonable one found.
Commentary:
This part of the project was a bit
painstaking for me. I am used to going
to the most familiar web site or store
and just picking what I want from
there, but I learned it was a bit more
responsible concerning cost because
the prices varied greatly from place to
place I looked.
Cost: $179.00

3. Date/Time: Activity: Comments/Suggestions:
December 2, 2011 The case for the computer arrives. My
4:23pm dad helped me carry it down to the
1 hour 50 minutes basement where I brought down my
own laptop and loaded the instruction
manual and diagram for the
construction of the case and
explanation of the ports and slots in the
case. I laid out the parts for the
computer and proceeded to follow the
guidelines and instructions and build
up the case.
Commentary:
This process was a little tricky because
I chose to only have periodic
instruction from my facilitator, slightly
prolonging the process. I've never
assembled a case before and reading
some of the instructions and the key
was difficult at times because the
quality of the manual was making it
difficult to read.

4. Date/Time: Activity: Comments/Suggestions:
January 6, 2012 Once again went through the process
6:18 pm of searching and comparing parts, this
50 minutes time for the motherboard (ASUS LGA
1155 SATA 6Gbps USB 3.0). Decided
once again to order from Amazon.com
and placed the order after a double-
check comparison and placed the
order.
Commentary:
I got a bit confused during this process
differentiating between the different
types of motherboards under the ASUS
brand because they were all quite
similar in name and my familiarity to
them was minimal, so it warranted a
call to my facilitator who ultimately
helped me decide which one I picked
and why.
Cost: $219.99

5. Date/Time: Activity:
January 15, 2012 My facilitator came over and guided
1:15pm me through assembling the
1 hour 40 minutes motherboard from his own knowledge.
Following that, he instructed me on
installing the motherboard into the
case by using the diagram of the case
itself and the general instructions that
were included with the case.
Commentary:
This was a smooth process up until
actually putting the motherboard in
the case. It required a multitude of
very small, short screws in obscure
places behind around other delicate
parts. The angle of bending my arm
around the end of the case also made
the process more difficult. My
inexperience with a screwdriver also
caused it to slip and nearly damage a
piece of the motherboard. It also made
some of the screws crooked, but with a
little guidance from my facilitator,
everything ended well.

6. Date/Time Activity:
February 2, 2012 Searched online for the disk drive. This
5:08pm was difficult due to the wide range of
56 minutes options under a particular brand and
varying ranges of prices, so I had to do
my research on what lasts and what
doesn't. That being said, the majority of
the time of this process was spent
comparing different makes and models
of disk drives until I settled on one
(ASUS 24xDVD+RW Serial ATA
Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST) and
ordered it.
Commentary:
As time consuming as it was, I enjoyed
this step. I found it interesting to
compare all the different personal
reviews I found from different sources
online. Honestly, it was also enjoyable
because it was the cheapest step.
Cost: $21.99

7. Date/Time: Activity:
February 25, 2012 Met up with my project facilitator at
10:18am my house to assemble more of the
2 hours 25 minutes parts to the computer. We went
through the process of finding which
front place-holder to take out and
replace with the disk drive. This was
an important decision because the
power cord on the CD drive has to be
able to reach the motherboard for
power. We went through a few
different positions before finding one
that allowed the power cord to reach
the motherboard but also allow the
option of installing a second disc drive
under it. We then had to examine the
instructions for the motherboard to see
where to hook the power cable from
the disk drive. Then we had to connect
the motherboard to the central power
supply in the case.
Commentary:
This task was a long one. We had to go
back to the hard-to-read diagram for
the case in order to hook the
motherboard up to its power supply in
the case. The hook ups are very specific
and intricate to connect.

8. Date/Time: Activity:
March 5, 2012 Searched and decided on which Intel
5:08pm Core Processor to put into the machine.
1 hour It was eventually decided on an Intel
Core i3 processor due to pricing of the
processors and functionality. Our
highest option was in Intel Core i7, but
the i3 was the most cost efficient
choice.
Commentary:
My source of funds and I went back
and forth on the issue of which
processor to pick, but we eventually
decided on the i3 due to its cost.
Cost: $124.99

9. Date/Time: Activity:
March 10, 2012 The processor arrives and I assemble it
7:35pm on its own myself. Due to it being a
1 hour new part, a few of the hooks and
screws were stuck or stiff, making it
hard to put the processor into its metal
casing that holds it into the
motherboard.
Commentary:
Once again, my inexperience in the
area and insisting on doing things
myself caused a drawing out of time
due to confusion and general mess ups.

10. Date/Time: Activity:
March 11, 2012 My facilitator came over to my house
11:45am to work on the final touches of the
2 hours machine. He helped me install the
processor and CPU and hook their
power and the power of the
motherboard up to the main power
supply in the case. The processor
required a series of small screws to
secure it to the motherboard along
with a stubborn spring clip to keep the
CPU in its metal casing which holds
itself into the motherboard.
Commentary:
The main trouble with this process was
the screws. They were small and kept
slipping out of the holes and down into
the pieces and prongs on the
motherboard. It was also a slightly
messy process due to the thermal
grease on the external metal piece of
the processor.

11. Date/Time: Activity:
March 14, 2012 On my own, I went through the
8:02pm process of loading the Microsoft
55 minutes Windows Operating System and
installing all the necessary drivers
(Ethernet, Audio Drivers, etc.), thereby
completing the project.
Commentary:
This was probably the easiest step for
me because it is among the most in-
depth experience I've had with the
subject area. Reloading/Loading
Operating Systems is a common
occurrence in my house with our PCs
and laptops. I've been through this
process and am very familiar with it.