Every year, students in EE202 (linear analog circuits) design and build an electric guitar as a final project. The idea is to use your knowledge of analog circuits and filter design to create and implement different filters for the sound of your instrument. Steve and I partnered up, and grabbed our materials – a long block of wood and an old cigar box. Inspired by our limitless gamer nerdiness as well as the design on our cigar box, we set our hearts on shaping our guitar like the master sword from the Legend of Zelda. We took marked key measurements on our wood block and then headed off to USC’s wood shop, which I didn’t even know existed until that day. It’s located near the art school – close to the engineering headquarters of RTH on the south side of campus. There we were given a brief instruction on how to use the power saws and belter and were let loose. It was one of the cooler hands-on classes I’ve had at USC – I’ve always found hands on work with tangible products to be rewarding. I think the base sword design turned out pretty well too! We’ll post pictures of the final product in a couple weeks.