Electrical and Electronics Commons^™

Cal Poly Gen 2 Battlebot Electrical System, Kelvin C. Villago

Electrical Engineering

BattleBots is a popular robot combat sport where engineers from all over the world design and construct a robot with the aim to disable or impair the opposing robot. The Cal Poly Gen 2 BattleBot aims to complete a robot from scratch with hopes to compete in the official competition. This report focuses on the electronic design behind the robot, specifically the printed circuit board (PCB) and component selection. The design process of this project involved choosing specific motors and microcontrollers based on cost, efficiency, and benefits with the end goal of a complete printed circuit board (PCB). Brushed motors …

Hvac Hardware Modeling Using Programmable Automatic Controller, Panthil Ketan Patel, Lumanti Tuladhar

Electrical Engineering

The primary purpose of this project is to use the donated programmable logic controllers (PLC) from Schneider Electric to develop experiments for a future lab class at Cal Poly. Our goal as the first group working on this project is to develop an experiment where the PLC can control the HVAC system based on temperature and humidity sensors and user inputs to maintain a desired consistent temperature. The PLC will be controlled using Unity Pro XLS/Control Expert software for simulations. The overall purpose of the experiments will be to demonstrate the potential of the PLC to minimize manual intervention while …

Smartphone Control Of Rc Cars, Weston R. Fitzgerald

Electrical Engineering

The smartphone-controlled RC (remote-controlled) car is an inexpensive remote-controlled car designed to be fast and portable. Instead of manufacturing, packaging, and shipping a separate controller, the remote control is implemented in a phone application, which saves time and money in both the design process and the manufacturing process. Utilizing the user’s smartphone is more cost-effective since mobile devices are a common recurrence, and packaging fewer devices results in overall better portability of the product.

This smartphone-controlled car is speedy and intuitive to learn for typical smartphone users. The user can change the car’s speed and direction wirelessly using their phone; …

Pilltank, Lucas Chang, Hayden Tam, Aaron Teh, Krista Round

Electrical Engineering

Imagine an elderly family member, going through their daily routine of taking their pills. They find their pill box; however, they are having trouble identifying all the pills in there. Is there a name on the tablet? Can they read what it says? Do they just trust that the medication in their box is correct? How can they properly take care of themselves if they can not even confirm that what they are taking is the right medication? To combat this issue that many face, we present PillTank.

To decrease the risk of consuming the wrong medication, PillTank identifies the …

Wildfire Early Detection System (Weds), Mason Mciver, Vincent Liang, Jeanreno Racines

Electrical Engineering

With climate change causing an increase in temperature over the past several decades, wildfires have been burning hotter and moving quicker leaving a trail of destruction in their path. Detecting a wildfire early allows firefighters to respond efficiently and effectively to ensure containment. With the rise of advanced computer vision and algorithms, autonomous systems can be used to monitor and report any fire activity. Having multiple devices spread out across a large area will allow first responders to map out the fire location and track the fire. By utilizing smart technologies, property damage can be minimized and residents living in …

Dc Treasure Box, Michael A. Derrenbacher

Electrical Engineering

An all in one DC resource would enable electronics students to prototype circuits for labs and projects without the need for the lab equipment present on campus. The labs on campus can be physically far, closed, or overcrowded, preventing students from accessing the equipment. Roughly 75% of upper division electrical engineering students do not own power supplies, with even fewer students owning a source measurement unit (SMU). There is a significant need for a product capable of providing standard lab equipment functionality. The functionally this project provides are positive and negative DC power supplies, 4-Quadrant SMU, analog inputs and outputs, …

Design And Development Of Laboratory Single-Axis Pv Module Tracker, Helen A. Rice, Delaney Berger, Avishek Maitra

Electrical Engineering

Solar energy is an integral part of the renewable energy industry. Advanced solar farms actively track solar movement and update solar panel angles to maximize the system’s output power. Cal Poly boasts its own Solar Farm that features a single-axis tracking system. Single-axis tracking aims to get panels as close to perpendicular as possible given the panel arrangements and given the time of year. Single-axis tracking is a more robust measurement and tracking option. Single-axis tracking systems usually only have East-West panel arc movement, following the sun’s rotation. Dual-axis trackers have both East-West and North-South panel arc movements. Dual-axis systems …

Wildland Fire Location Management System (Wflms), Robert G. Goldie, Jack A. Gallegos

Electrical Engineering

Wildland firefighters work in complex, dangerous environments where effective communication is key to developing situational awareness. Currently, the only communication firefighters have is with Very High Frequency (VHF) 160 MHz band analog radios. While digital radio protocols could potentially allow location data and commands to be sent to field crews, the technology is primarily for voice communication. This project presents a new system that frees up voice channels and uses LoRa transceivers for robust communication. The system allows for emergency and location reports to be sent to a dispatcher via an airborne repeater. The entire system is software-defined, so it …

Polyone Smartphone, Joshua Zalmanowitz, Chi Nguyen, Gerome Cacho, Chris Lim

Electrical Engineering

The Poly One Smartphone is a student designed smartphone built to explore the implementation of 5G, provide a hardware solution to ensure personal information security and privacy, and provide longer battery life. The key features of this smartphone include but are not limited to a main cpu, some form of network connectivity in the form of Wi-fi or Cellular Data, calling functionality, a rechargeable battery that works with common power connection protocols, and compatibility with popular applications.

Electric Upgrades - Supercapacitor Electric Bicycle, John Chen, Wilson Fletcher, Spencer Esparza

Electrical Engineering

Supercapacitors provide high current capabilities compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries, allowing for fast charging and discharging of electrical energy. This project seeks to test the benefits of supercapacitors in an electric bicycle unit in order to gain higher regenerative energy. The main components of the bicycle are its regenerative motor, supercapacitor array, and motor controller. Developing the project will provide data on the feasibility of using alternative battery storage and charging.

Wireless Window Blinds, Cooper Laone, Niraj Morar, Zachary Malig, Jake Phillips

Electrical Engineering

The Internet of Things asserts that there exists a global need for all objects to connect easily and accessibly. Today, smartphones, tablets, laptops and smart watches makeup just a few of the interconnected devices by the greater population. As a result a growing need for wireless connection between personal devices like phones, and computers to everyday appliances exists. This idea extends directly to households, businesses and buildings, where a growing need for smart home or smart-business appliances has taken root. Many companies like Nest, ADT and Apple make products for automated home security and in home media control. The Wireless …

Cal Poly Supermileage Electronic Fuel Injection, Alexander Pink

Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly Supermileage is a student-run engineering club that builds prototype gasoline vehicles optimized maximum fuel-efficiency. To power their vehicles, the Supermileage team makes use of single-cylinder, 4-stroke, electronically fuel-injected (EFI) gasoline engines. This report details the development, iterative design & test cycles, and integration of an EFI system for the Supermileage club. This project develops an EFI system that interfaces to the most common types of sensors found in the low-power Supermileage-range of engines, including throttle-position sensors, manifold absolute pressure sensors, gear-tooth hall-effect sensors, variable-reluctance position sensors, engine coolant temperature sensors, intake air temperature sensors, and exhaust oxygen sensors. …

Mohat Tool To Illustrate Diode And Transistor Modes Of Operation Using Ltspice, Getu D. Engdaw

Electrical Engineering

This project develops a tool to identify the modes of operation of diodes and transistors in a circuit. The MoHAT tool receives schematics or circuit files generated from LTspice, and it determines the state of each diode and transistor. This tool illustrates diodes, BJT and MOS regions of operations using text or graphics accordingly. The tool also suggests necessary adjustments to switch from one mode of operation to another upon users request. Furthermore, the tool specifies if a transistor functions in amplification region. The MoHAT tool compares the nodal voltages of an element and determines the mode of operation.

Smart Shot: Electronic Target With Smartphone Application, Tyler Stuart Pickett, Taylor Jacob Hutchinson

Electrical Engineering

The objective of this project is to develop an electronic system for recreational shooters that functions as a target with real-time feedback. The system provides a user-friendly alternative to paper targets and expensive competition scoring systems. One of the largest challenges presented by this project is balancing cost, durability, and sensitivity. The scope of this project includes the design and implementation of a target assembly, an electronic system, and a smartphone application.

The system is comprised of three main modules: the target, the control module, and the smartphone app. The electronic target communicates wirelessly with the smartphone via Bluetooth. Once …

Boost Battery, Samuel Rauch, Alvin Ng, Lacy Sigman

Electrical Engineering

In modern times, the problem of a depleted battery confronts us too often. Whether it appears with a smartphone or with any other electronic device, the situation frustrates all consumers. This project designs and constructs a compact portable battery charger that charges through kinetic energy. Thus, one can perform everyday activities, such as walking or running, and charge up a backup battery with no extra effort or time. Additionally, an attachable band harvests thermal energy to maximize the amount of clean power generated. Energy harvesting from kinetic motion and thermal differences provide users with power when no actual power suppliers …

Microprocessor Management Of Energy Harvesting Buck Boost Converters, Timothy O'Sullivan

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analog Violin Audio Synthesizer, Brandon E. Davis

Electrical Engineering

Abstract In the past decade, music electronics have almost completely shifted from analog to digital technology. Digital keyboards and effects provide more sound capabilities than their analog predecessors, while also reducing size and cost. However, many musicians still prefer analog instruments due to the perception that they produce superior sound quality. Many musicians spend extra money and accommodate the extra space required for analog technologies instead of digital.

Furthermore, audio synthesizers are commonly controlled with the standard piano keyboard interface. Many musicians can perform sufficiently on a keyboard, but requiring a specific skill set limits the size of the market …

Music Driven Graphical Visualization System, Glenn Bruner

Electrical Engineering

In today’s society, we are able to enjoy listening to music on an assortment of high-tech devices such as home computers, or multimedia players, or personal audio players. A common characteristic of typical audio media players is that they lack the ability to provide visual stimulation in addition to the provided audio stimulus. Large public events, such as concerts, could be enhanced if they included visual effects in addition to audio stimulation. The goal of this project is to provide a graphical visualization that is automatically synchronized to an audio signal with a goal of enhancing the overall musical experience. …

Lyfi, Kianoosh Salami, Justin Cotton, Elush Shirazpour

Electrical Engineering

This paper will cover the steps necessary to design, build, and manage networkable smart light switches over WiFi via a mobile application. It contains a microcontroller running a real time operating system, a WiFi module, a Java server with SQLite databasing, and a mobile phone application.

LyFi is designed to turn on/off and dim household lights while only requiring the same installation procedure as a less capable dimmer switch. Once installed and connected to a network, LyFi will self-discover and configure. The server automatically propogates a database of nodes where any mobile device running an application can receive an updated …

Wireless Sensor Network For Energy And Environmental Monitoring: Helping Old Buildings Go Green, Jacob Power

Electrical Engineering

Today, the rising cost of energy and social trend of “going green” has put increasing pressure on commercial property owners to improve the efficiency of their investments. There is good reason for this, too. In the State of California, office buildings represent the single largest user of energy in the commercial sector. This project consisted of the design, implementation, construction, testing, and deployment of a wireless sensor network for energy and environmental monitoring in retrofit commercial office installations. The analyzed data generated by this system can be used by building management and owners to identify areas of inefficiency within the …

Discrete Alarm Clock, Travis Moore, Collin Barth

Electrical Engineering

The standard alarm clock, as used daily by millions worldwide, has clear room for modification and improvement. This paper documents an implementation that rectifies many of these flaws. Improvements include adjustable snooze length, an IR remote for ease of use, and an RF headset for discrete alarm use or potential incorporation into a device much like a hearing aid. The processes involved in creating a digital alarm clock, as well as the obstacles met in the implementation of the enhanced design, are detailed within.

Automated Basketball Return System, Victor Mendoza, Chris Chamberlain

Electrical Engineering

The project is meant to assist a basketball player in their practicing. The project hangs directly on the basketball rim and automatically rotates to find the player on the court. Once the player is detected, the automated basketball return system (ABRS) stays focused in the direction of the player so that any baskets successfully made will be funneled back to the player. When the player moves from center, IR motion detectors find which direction you moved to and rotates accordingly, until the player is focused in front of the funnel again. If at any time the player is absent from …

Wireless Pedometer, Jeffrey Lease

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.