Designing a covering for internet beaming radios to prevent ice, snow, and water build up on critical faces.
Role: Junior Design Engineer | Timeline: Sep 2020 - Feb 2021
Introduction
A Quick Glossary
RF science kind of seems like magic, so to simplify it, here are some words you will see throughout this case study.
Lens: Like with glasses, a lens is directs the RF waves. The lens is the most important part of the Starry system.
Solar Shield: A solar shield is a covering for the radio so components don’t get too hot or damaged by the sun.
RF (Radio frequency): How Starry provides internet to a city. In this situation, snow, ice, and water can distort the frequency disrupting internet services.
Before
The Problem
Starry's internet infrastructure radios were being compromised due to snow, water, and ice clinging to the critical surfaces, causing internet to be degraded. The CEO requested a new covering for the radios to prevent ice or snow from adhering to the radios.
Background Information
The Original Design
In the original design, the solar shield had a “bulge” so water and ice could slide around the inset lens. But when I started, there were some design changes, including the shape of the lens: from circle to rectangle.
Foundational Research
Research
To start the design process, I looked into how other people have solved the same problem, as there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Examples I found were traffic lights and roofs. As a lover of plants, I also looked into greenhouses, since I knew that snow accumulation could hinder plant growth due to blocked sunlight.
Foundational Research
Defining Key Variables
After researching, I determined there were 5 key design variables that would affect the icing process.
I created and shared sketches for the ideas I had that I could later build in the 3D modeling software the company used, SOLIDWORKS. Together, my supervisor and I selected four or five that we felt would have the best chance of success.
Testing
Designing a Test
After the selection of visor styles, I designed the parts in SOLIDWORKS so that we could 3D print them and test them with water. Since ice generally starts as water, I made the assumption that the path water took as it interacted with the visor would represent how the ice would form. Considering Starry's resource constraints as a startup, I aimed to optimize our testing approach before investing in off-site facilities.
To test this hypothesis, I used the company shower to video the visors under heavy water spray in slow motion and analyzed the results to identify the most promising designs.
Following this initial testing stage, I selected the best-performing products for further evaluation at an off-site facility,NTS. There, we could subject the solar shields to a thermal icing chamber, replicating the full-scale icing process
The Results
The Baseball Visor
Water and ice slide down the sides of the visor, bypassing critical surfaces. The large icicle in the center was not ideal but would not cause failure.
Deemed acceptable and a potential solution.
The Results
The Flat Roof
As expected, the water slid forward, completely obscuring main surfaces.
Deemed complete failure.
The Results
The Gothic Greenhouse Arch
Water and ice slid off the edge and rounded corners. The peak diverted the stream from going forward.
We decided to move forward with this design.
Collaboration
Finalizing the Design
After the engineering design team decided that the Gothic arch was the way to go, we brought in our industrial design (ID) team. We worked together to ensure that the spirit of the arch was intact while allowing the part to look aesthetically pleasing and in line with the Starry brand. ID and the engineers decided that having a Gothic arch on the top and bottom would look most similar to the current Starry brand. I worked with ID to CAD the part and then sent it to a vendor China for being cast in plastic.
The Cover in the Wild
Snow Prevention Shield
A visor design that can be universally applied onto all of Starry’s radios that are in environments that encounter snow and ice. Shaped like a Gothic arch, the simple and effective design allows ice and snow to be shed without collecting ice or water on the surface.
This is Starry’s most recent radio, called Comet for single family homes. Comet was being designed while I was at Starry and the arch design was borrowed from the radio that I had worked on.
Conclusion
Takeaways and Impact
This project was an exercise in research, design, patience, and collaboration. I learned so much about the design process and enjoyed seeing it from start to finish. While this was a physical design, I was able to really tackle the project through design thinking. This project felt like a great introduction to how to solve a problem through the produce design cycle, and this experience helped me as I worked on my digital UX designs.
I never thought that I’d look at Starry’s LinkedIn and see the arch design that I made on its newest radio and in promotional images.