Week 17 - Implications and Applications

As we come into the closing weeks of the academy it is appropriate for us to write up a proposal now so that we have enough time to complete it. On this page I will describe and explain mine and answer the questions that are asked of us in this assignment.


An introduction to my proposal

I am somewhat sticking to my initial proposal I made way back at the start of the academy, but a simplified version of it. Neil advised us to aim to acheive one or two things and then anything else can be extra credit.

What will it do?

For my final project, I wish to make a piece of hardware for a bike. Its function will be to tell the user where their bike is upon request. This project is ideal for the location of the Fablab, which is in the heart of Amsterdam! It will also contribute to their bike hardware project called Cryptobike. Another advantage of taking this project is that it will incorporate a lot of the skills that the academy has taught me.

I will explain the advantages of this project in more detail.

Firstly, function of requesting the position of the bike upon request. This will help the user find their bike if they forgot where they left it. It will also assist in recovering the bike if it is stolen or impounded.

Secondly, it makes a suitable final project for the academy, it will involve a lot of the skills that we have learnt over the last weeks. All of the electronics skills I have gained will be put into use. I can also use 3D printing, molding and casting for the housing!

Who has done what before hand?

In My initial proposal (which was far more ambitious!) I looked at existing examples of bike hardware and made a comparison table. This helped me see what features are available already regarding bike hardware that helps find bikes. For this project however, I will whittle down that list and make the information more relevant.

Spybike

Spybike make products very similar to what I wish to make. They offer three types of discrete tracking device. The three types are listed below:



These are "armed" by bringing an RFID tag in close range of the device. It begins tracking when the motion sensor detects a certain amount of movement. The user then receives an SMS message with a link to the spybike website which contains all of the bikes movements from the moment it was triggered.

This device provides an excellent solution to the problem of bike theft. As you can see, however, there is a rather hefty price tag for the devices. This is something which I believe is avoidable by making my own solution in the lab.

Sobi

This is a social biking platform similar to that of London's "Boris Bike" Scheme. It can be provided for cities or campuses. The user registers online then can reserve and ride the bikes provided. The hardware on the bikes enable the user to track their activity through a phone app. This includes things like distance traveled, and CO2 emissions saved as a result. It is a great example of how phones can be linked to social biking. The product does solve the issue of bike theft but not in a way that is easy to implement for an individual. Spy bike is much better at that. But the hardware aspect of this is most interesting.

Bitlock

This product is a smart bike lock, which is unlocked when the user comes in close range. It can also be manually locked and unlocked as needed. It solves the issue of bike theft in the same way any bike lock does but it also enables a form of bike sharing. A friend with the app can be given permission by the owner of the bike to unlock it and use it. Furthermore, the lock can tell the user where the bike is through the app and tracks the user's activity. There is excellent use of technology in this product but would not necesarily solve the issue of recovering a stolen bike. As with any bike lock, if the theive really wants to break it, they will.

Bike Spike

Bike spike is a tracking device very similar to Spybike, but a bit more advanced. The device fits to where a water bottle cage would normally go. It is able to track the users activity and track the bike when it is stolen. The tracking feature can be triggered in two ways. One is though motion detection and the other is by setting a geo-fence. There is also tamper detection and crash detection. One downside of the product is that it requires a montly subscription. I do not intend to have such running costs for my prototype. The worst way the user would be required to top up a SIM card if i include one like Spybike does. Again, the initial cost of buying this product is $129 which is admittedly cheaper than spybike but then the monthly subscription costs start at $5 a month.

Helios

A manufacturer of smart handle bars, they produce different types of handle bar with the same smart technology. Their handlebars come with a lighting system that can be controlled by one's iPhone via Bluetooth. It provides illumination, indicators and a speedometer which changes the colour of some of the lights according to the speed of the user. This is great as it shows how crucial bike parts can be made "smart". It also includes GPS tracking to track the user's activity. At $279 however it is a rather expensive accessory for the vast majority of bikes.

A quick summary:

It is clear what I am aiming to do has many examples of it beig carried out, the above being a few of the most popular and relevant. But I believe that making a cheaper item that can be fitted to the majority of bikes will make a great addition to this area. Another advantage to this project shines here. That there is a lot of existing work to look at, alter and hopefully improve upon.

Based on this research, I have made a list of specification points that I would like my project to meet up to:

The device will text the user with the position of the bike when told to do so by the user:-
Given the time avaliable and the requirements of the academy, I think it will be challenging enough to get the device to send a reading from a GPS module to the user's phone via SMS. It therefore also doesn't require any external server that some of most of the existing examples use.

The device will be battery powered:-
I don't wish to make a minimum amount that my device must be able to run for at this stage. So long as it can operate with a batter, that will be sufficient.

The device will ba able to fit inside a bicycle handle bar:-
After looking at these products, I believe it that the most convenient place for my project to be housed is inside a bicycle handle bar. Like with the spybike products, I beleive it is possible to make the hardware narrow enough to do so.


What materials and components will be required?

Silicon or rubber for the housing (or both!)

These materials will be suitable to make a housing to protect the hardware and to ensure it sits well inside the handle bar. A softer silicon will work great as it can compress and stretch well. This will be even more effective if I manage to make the hardware a little bit flexible.

Double sided copper plate board

This will be essential as I will need to maximise the surpace area of the board when working with such tight proportions.

Microcontroller

I am undecided about which one to use jsut yet but I am leaning towards the Atmega328 used in the arduino uno. This reason for this is that the libraries that come with certain components are only compatible with that chip. This is the case for the GPS module.

Battery

I estimate that the required voltage for the hardware will be 3.3V, there are rechargeable Li-ion batteries which are able to provide this so I will have to source one of those.

Capacitors

This is required to keep a steady flow of current in the circuit and are avaliable at the lab

Resistors

Like the capacitors, these are readily avaliable at the lab.

GPS module

This item has already been purchased by the lab. They bought the Adaruit ultimate GPS module which comes housed on a board making it easier to connect up. One issue I am predicting is that the board is too big and I will have to remove the chip and solder it myself.



SMS module

The best way to communicate with the users phone from anywhere without the need to a server is thorugh SMS. ADD MORE INFO

Surface mount LEDs

These will be necesary to indicate certain things that the board is doing. Again, these are provided at the lab.

FTDI header

This will be essential for debugging. However I may not solder it onto the board in order to save space.

GPS header

This may be needed to connect the GPS module to the micro-controller. But if I manage to resolder the parts onto my own board, this won't be necesary.

Programming header

Like the FTDI header, this could be made removable as it won't be needed when the hardware is in use.

Voltage regulator

Depending on the voltage of the battery I use, this may be necesary.

Diode

This may be necesary to protect certain components.


Where will they come from?

Thankfully a lot of the components are already avaliable at the lab but this is where they can be found:

The silicon and rubber products can be found at Smooth-on
Double sided copper plate board can be found at Amazon
Microcontrollers, capacitors, resistors, diodes, LEDs and headers are avaliable at Digi-key
Batteries are avaliable from all sorts of places. House of batteries is one example.
The GPS module I will use can be purchased at Adafruit.


How much will it cost?

This is a difficult question to answer with precision. I cannot say exactly how much of various components and materials I will use at this stage so it will definitely be an over estimate:

Housing:

This is likely to be the more expensive part of the project as I need to buy Machinable wax, liquid rubber and Silicon (or rubber perhaps).

It will cost around $80 to buy the stuff in but I am unlikely to use all of the material so it is a misleading figure.

Double sided copper plate:- $15 (150mm x 200mm)

This amount should be enough to make a board plus spare if there is an error.

Micro-controller:- $3.70

I am assuming that I will end up using the atmega328 as it will be compatible with components like the GPS module.

Battery:- $15

I am estimating that I will not have to spend more than this on a battery.

Capacitors:- $0.15

I expect I won't spend more than $1 on capacitors.

Resistors:- >$0.01

Again, I expect to spend no more than $1 on these.

GPS module:- $39.95

This is the proce of the adafruit ultimate GPS breakout board.

SMS Module:- $40

I am unsure of which one I will use but these cost arounf $40

Surface mount LEDs:- $0.30

I can imagine using 3 of these so no more than a dollar in total.

Header pins:- no more than $2

These would be used to connect the ISP, FTDI cable, GPS module and SMS module.

Voltage regulator:- $0.30

If I choose to use this I will only need one.

Diodes:- $0.20

I am unlikely to spend more than a dollar on these.



If I were to buy all these things I would be at around $200 dollars the worst way. However, this will be less in reality.


What parts and systems will be made?

The housing of the product will me made. If I wish to house the device inside the handle bars of a bike, I will probably have to make a mold.

I will have to make a circuit board which has the required features

A lot of code will also have to be written:

For the GPS tracking
For the SMS communication For the application interface

What tasks need to be completed?

This is quite a broad question but here are a few things I should do before I really dive into the project. Finalise what parts I need for the project.

See if it is possible to transfer the components from the breakout boards to my own board.

Finalise how the housing should be produced.


What questions need to be answered?

What type of coding will be most appropriate for the project given the fact I am very new to coding?

What bluetooth module would be better so use than the HC-05 module? It must be universal and ideally smaller.

How will I test the item.

How will I demonstrate how it works.


What is the schedule?

From the 20th of May it will be one month until the presentation day.

By the 20th of may:

I want to have a specification written up.
I want to know exactly what hardware I am using


By the 27th of may:

I want to have the circuit designed and milled out
I want the board to be soldered
I want to have made a start on coding the board

By the 3rd of June:

I want to have the board successfully coded and interfaced
I want to have made a start on the design of the housing

By the 10th of June:
I want a housing designed for it
I want the rubber mold poured so that it will be ready for the last week

By the 17th of June:
I want to have the board housed
I want the prototype to be successfully tested.


How will it be evaluated?

I will test the item against the specification. But I still need to decide what tests to do.