Project Development
Final project: hello Aldis
What questions need to be resolved?
- How would I transmit light to register on the sensor one meter away in the dark? In room in the daylight? (Using more powerful LED? Using more sensitive phototransistor? Using a reflector? Using lens?)
- Should I make one transceiver node or should I split it in two: sensor and light node? How would I configure them? (One above the other?).
- What kind of communication would happen between transceiver node and actuator node to make the latter change the direction of the first on the turn-table?
- How would I pass sensor data from a stand-alone cluster to the host? To the Internet? (With Morse code? SLIP over Morse code?)
- How and where would I place the data from the sensors on Internet?
What tasks need to be completed?
- Make mold for (plano-concave) lens using marbles, and cast clear plastic on the mold.
- Make a modular hello light for testing phototransistors and modify the hello RGB (and make a modular version of it) for testing LEDs.
- Modify hello bus node to incorporate phototransistor and LED (either both or separately). A modular design is preferable so I can change phototransistor and LED easily.
- Modify hello bus node (can I use hello APA IO circuit?) to incorporate stepper motor driver.
- Modify hello bus node to incorporate a sensor (temperature?)
- Design the turn-table (along with the gear and shaft).
- Modify the hello RGB code for receiving data from sensor node and sending it with Morse code to host or relay station.
- Modify the hello light code for receiving sensor data in Morse code, and passing it to the transmitter node (or to the LED) on the other side, or passing it to the host via FTDI.
- Design a communication procotol within a stand-alone sensor cluster between transceiver node (phototransistor node?) and actuator node for optimal reception.
- Design a communication procotol for passing sensor data from stand-alone sensor station to host (or from a sensor station to relay station).
- Modify hello.light.py or hello.temp.45.py to receive data from various sensor stations and passing it to Internet.
What has worked? What hasn't?
- The phototransistor can register change from hello RGB (approximately 1000 millicandella) placed 10-20 cm away. It can register change from a white LED (a bicycle lamp) from 2 m away. A plano-concave lens can focus the light from hello RGB to register change from 1 m away. All tests are done in the dark.
What will happen when?
Wednesday, 25 May 2011:
- Make mold for plastic lenses with various marbles (f = 1 cm to 4 cm) [See thin lens equation in air. Refraction index of plastics is approximately 1.5].
- A modular design of hello light and hello RGB for testing phototransistor and LED should be ready, milled and stuffed. Along with the design of the phototransistor and LED boards (jumper and resistor on one side, and the phototransistor/LED on the other side). When the ordered phototransistor and LED arrive they would be stuffed on the board.
- The new phototransistor and LED (assuming they arrive on time) should be tested.
Thursday, 26 May 2011:
- Design a modular transceiver node (or separate transmitter, receiver nodes) to make easy changing phototransistor and LED and actuator node.
- Design a sensor node (temperature?).
Friday, 27 May 2011:
- Cast the plastic lenses.
- Mill, stuff the transceiver, actuator node, and sensor nodes (for a host station, relay station and sensor station, the last two stations stand-alone and powered with batteries).
Saturday, 28 May 2011:
- Test the phototransistor and LED with plastic lenses.
- Write the code to send and receive sensor code with transceiver node and test it.
- Design communication procotol between transceiver node and actuator node, code it and test it (simulate it by moving the transceiver node with hands because the turn-table is not ready yet).
- Design communication procotol to transfer sensor data from sensor station to host (or relay station). Write the code and test it.
- Modify the Python script to show data from various sensors and place it on Internet.
Sunday, 29 May 2011:
- Design the turn-table.
Monday, 30 May 2011:
- Laser cut the turn-table.
- Put all components together and test it in daylight and in the evening in the dark.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011:
- Make a video of all stations communicating with each other in the dark and annotate it.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011:
- Present the final project.
Last modified: Wed May 25 00:46:46 CEST 2011