11. Applications and implications¶
- This week I worked on defining my final project and answering The Following questions:
- What will it do?
- Who's done what beforehand?
- What will you design?
- What materials and components will be used?
- Where will come from?
- How much will they cost?
- What parts and systems will be made?
- What processes will be used?
- What questions need to be answered?
- How will it be evaluated?
What will it do?¶
I’m going to design an environment sensor that tells the quality of a work environment by measuring Temperature, Humidity, C02 level and light intensity of a place, then displays all these values on an LCD and also share them via Bluetooth so that they are accessible via a smartphone.This kind of device could be installed in offices, schools and other Workplaces to assess the quality of the working environment.
Who’s done what beforehand?¶
Some few people have done it before like here and this one too but these two implementations used simple processes like breadbords ,However, in my case I intend to make use of the skills acquired from the Fab lab to design something more appealing. There’s a more sophisticated design called the smart citizen it looks like something well designed beyond what I intend to achieve. The inspiration of the case for my design was inspired by this project.
What will you design?¶
I will manufacture the electronics board for the whole application, manufacturing, and programming. Then, 3D design and print a case for the electronics and finally, design a logo for the project and cut it using a vinyl cutter.
What materials and components will be used?¶
- ATMEGA 328p Microcontroller
- CCS811 sensor ( senses C02 level)
- LCD display
- HC-06 Bluetooth module
- Phototransistor
- DHT 11 temperature and humidity sensor
- Plastic for 3D printing
- Sheet for vinyl cutting to produce Logo
- I will also need several smaller components like wires, capacitors and resistors etc which will be added in the final Bill of materials as estimate.
Where will parts come from?¶
Most of the parts can be obtained from the Fab lab inventory except the CCS811 sensor which needs to be purchased Online.
How much will they cost?¶
- CCS811 sensor costs 9.25Euros here.
- ATMEGA 328p Microcontroller costs 1.67 Euros.
- LCD display costs 4.62 Euros.
- HC-06 Bluetooth module 6.12 Euros.
- Phototransistor 0.13 Dollars
- DHT 11 3.01 Euros
- estimate of other components is around 3 Euros which brings the total cost to 27.8 Euros
What parts and systems will be made?¶
- I’m going to design a PCB board where I interface C02 sensor, Light intensity sensor, Temperature, and humidity sensor to the ATmega328p so that I can gather information from these sensors and print them on an LCD. Additionally, I need to interface a Bluetooth module in order to communicate the sensor values to a smartphone in order to add flexibility to the design. Finally, The whole PCB will be put into a Box which I will design by 3D printing.
What processes will be used?¶
- PCB design and Manufacturing
- 3D design and printing
- Computer-controlled cutting using a Vinyl cutter
- Embedded programming and I/O interface
What questions need to be answered?¶
- what additional sensors do I need?
- what UI to be used to display the values on a smartphone?
How will it be evaluated?¶
- It will display correct Temperature, Humidity, CO2, and light intensity values and if variations happen (like light intensity) then it should reflect on the value. Additionally, the product should be small and it should display the readings on the LCD, with an added flexibility to share the results to a smartphone via Bluetooth. The measured values should be compared against stable C02, Humidity and temperature sensors and expect a minimal difference between the two.