Engineering Commons^™

Autonomous Crash Avoidance System, Brian Ujiie, Gordon Woods, Joshua Miller

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Rayleigh Test Apparatus Design Report, Josef Duller, Owen Raybould, James Nicovich

Mechanical Engineering

The Rayleigh Test Apparatus is a device that will be used to test the thermodynamic properties of Nitrous Oxide to assess the feasibility of using this fluid as a coolant for a hybrid rocket aero spike. The aero spike is intended to redirect the propulsion flow as it leaves the engine to create a more efficient flow pattern at low and high altitudes. However, there are issues of overheating which leads to melting of the aero spike. For this reason, the use of nitrous oxide (N2O) as a coolant is being explored. N20 is being considered because it is already …

Boom Stability Control Final Project Report, Michael Barnes, Justin Carnahan, Daniel Fluitt, Alicia Johnstone

Mechanical Engineering

The BOOMStiC Gravity Gradient Boom and Turnstile Antenna project was developed to provide a passive attitude control system and better communications for future CubeSat satellites developed by California Polytechnic State University. The system utilizes the energy from a coilable metal spring to deploy a tip mass to a length of one meter from the side of the satellite. Calculations show the resulting gravity gradient torque causes to the satellite to settle two degrees from normal to the earth’s surface.

Bicycle-Powered Ac Generator, Andrew Austin

Electrical Engineering

The purpose of this senior project is to design, build, and be able to present a mechanism that will produce AC power using the mechanical energy produced by a person pedaling a standard bicycle. Also, I would like to be able to show the user and the audience the advantage of using compact fluorescent bulbs, and in doing so, make them more conscience of energy-saving products. To do this, I must present a stand that can support a bicycle with a rider, a way to convert the wheel’s motion to DC power, to convert that DC power to usable AC …

Portable Solar Desalination System, Genaro Sanchez, Alan Galarza, Erick Del Real

Electrical Engineering

Clean water and reliable energy can be difficult to obtain in remote locations such as desert villages, secluded islands, and other places where no fresh water can be found. The primary goal for this project is address these problems by implementing a portable desalinization plant system that is to be powered by solar energy PV system as the main energy source.

Audio-Triggered El Wire Sequencer, Benjamin (Ben) Paik

Electrical Engineering

“Development of an Audio-Triggered EL Wire Sequencer” California Polytechnic State University 2011, Ben Paik and John Oliver, Ph.D. (advisor)

The purpose of this project is to investigate and develop a method for switching electroluminescent wire (EL wire) such that it can be activated by some audio source.  EL wire is essentially a coaxial capacitor that luminesces when an alternating electric field excites the insulating phosphor layer in the wire (a 100Vp, 1kHz AC source is sufficient for this).   The system involves the EL wire, a six channel sequencer to switch the EL wire, an method for processing the audio signal, …

Terrain Classification For Autonomous Rmax Helicopter Search And Rescue, Erin West

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Sick Laser Scanner Power Supply For Use With A Yamaha Rmax Uav, Elliot Due

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Wind Power Generator Design For The Dc House Project, Evan Lim, Samson Liu

Electrical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to introduce a cost efficient alternative in converting wind into energy for third world countries.  Currently there are approximately 1.6 billion people who have limited access to electricity. As part of the DC House project, we hope to develop a solution for them as the use of electricity is becoming an essential part of life. One of the natural energy resources to provide power to the DC House is wind. The components used for the project are a DC motor and DC-DC converter to translate wind into power and produce DC voltage and current, …

Rem Sleep Alarm, Shaun Kelsey, Brendon Soltis

Electrical Engineering

This paper explores the REM Sleep Alarm project that deals with the sleep cycle of the average human, and how it affects our ability to function when waking up in the morning.

The purpose of this project is to build a device that has the ability to wake a person up when they will feel the most rested. From research done, it appears that most people feel the most rested when woken up during the REM stage of their sleep cycle. Our goal is to have the device detect when the user is in this stage of sleep, determine how …

Variable Dc Voltage Wall Outlet For The Dc House Project, Michael Detmers, Tyler J. Blauvelt

Electrical Engineering

This senior project report will focus on explaining the design and operation of a variable DC wall outlet for use in the DC house. Testing will include the use of various loads using different input DC voltages not exceeding a maximum output of 90W.

The most important aspects of the outlet are to have a highly-efficient converter efficiency as well as system isolation from the main DC bus on the input. This report will outline the purpose and way of achieving isolation through use of a Flyback DC-DC converter. The user interface is the second significant aspect and details of …

60 Watt Embedded Solar Cell Umbrella, Matthew Devoss

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Digital Modulations Using The Universal Software Radio Peripheral, Daniel Keith Artis

Electrical Engineering

Software defined radios (SDRs) are versatile systems that integrate hardware and software to create a reprogrammable wireless system.  Due to the versatility and hardware requirements of a SDR, they are typically expensive and not always affordable for educational institutions.  GNU Radio is a free software package that allows users to do signal processing on any computer using python and C++.  Using the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) board in conjunction with a standard personal computer (PC), a RF daughterboard, and the GNU Radio software, we can create a software defined radio that can transmit, receive, and process signals.  Because the …

Wirelessly Operated Pa Loudspeaker System For Rmax Search-And-Rescue Uav: A Preliminary Design, Travis Luke, Nolan Uchizono

Electrical Engineering

This paper discusses the approach used to implement a wireless PA loudspeaker system on a search-and-rescue RMAX UAV.

The purpose of this project is to allow the continuation of communication between search-and-rescue workers as well as potential rescuees in an environment that won't always allow it. Since rugged terrain tends to cause interference between two radio communications, there needs to be a way to bypass this problem. In addition, people in need of rescue are unlikely to be using a radio on an emergency frequency, so there needs to be a way to efficiently issue orders or evacuation notices without …

Photovoltaic System Design For Dc House, Luis B. Perez, Hao Ming Mai

Electrical Engineering

The objective of this project is to research and design a practical 200W photovoltaic system at the lowest cost and highest efficiency in order to support the DC House Project. The impetus for this project stems from the necessity of delivering energy to people in developing countries who otherwise lack the benefits of electricity. The Photovoltaic System Design is divided into two main parts, the buck DC-DC converter and the optimized photovoltaic panel. The converter consists of schematics, efficiency calculations, load/line regulation calculations, component comparisons, data plots from simulations and testing. The optimized photovoltaic panel section includes component comparisons, complete …

Solar Instrumentation Lab, Rene Canedo Iii, Rong Gui Chen

Electrical Engineering

This project is a mobile platform that will allow experiments on different solar panels to be done easily while keeping the cost of the lab to a minimum. California Polytechnic State University’s motto is ‘learn by doing’ and this lab structure will allow students to get practical experience with photovoltaic cells and the instruments that are required to take measurements. The solar instrumentation lab is a potential hardware lab for the electrical engineering department’s Sustainable Electric Energy Conversion class EE 420 and Solar-Photovoltaic Systems Design EE 520. This group took the current solar structure as a base for the lab’s …

Air Scratch: An Innovative Touch-Free Dj Controller, Nixon Vandel

Electrical Engineering

This project explores the design and development of a touchless DJ interface. It requires fundamental knowledge of the operation of DJ software and hardware. Two theremins and two microcontrollers are integrated into the design and encompass the analog/digital aspect of the project. The design was created after researching hands free and touchless electronic controllers. The features incorporated into Air Scratch are very common and useful for DJs. The principle of a touchless DJ controller was first tested using software, and then later developed into hardware; primarily for copyright issues. The DJ software used by Air Scratch is found online for …

Cal Poly Power System Design & Analysis, Minesh D. Patel

Electrical Engineering

The scope of this project encompasses the design and analysis of the Cal Poly Power System at the distribution level using the SKM software environment. The purpose is to accurately model the power system in software so theoretical calculations and analysis can be executed. This requires sufficient preliminary research to obtain data for the main buildings on campus, sound interpretation of one line diagrams, designing the system within the software using realistic values and then performing analysis to model real world situations.  The data collected is under maximum load conditions for a specified time period using medium voltage parameters. The …

Laser Cursor, Michael Liman

Electrical Engineering

A user controls a cursor on a computer screen using a laser pointer.  A camera picks up the laser pointer’s position and sends the data to the computer to move the cursor in the correct position.

Exercise Bicycle Dc-Dc Converter For The Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines Project, Ryan Rickard, Logan Stowe

Electrical Engineering

Project is a continuation of previous projects that seek an efficient DC to DC converter for the existing exercise bicycle system created by Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students. This DC-DC converter is to integrate with the wide range of DC voltages produced by the bicycle in order to produce a constant optimal voltage for charging a car battery. This converter will boost voltages when the bicycle outputs below the optimal voltage and buck voltages when above. The converter will take EHFEM one step closer to its overall and final goal of harvesting energy from the exercise machines in Cal Poly’s …

Brushless Dc Motor Design And Build, Justin Damele

Electrical Engineering

Complete Design and Build of a Brushless DC Motor. Everything was manufactured using various Lathes and End Mills. Everything built from scratch.

Programmable Solid State 12ax7 Triode Gain Stage, Ian Campbell

Electrical Engineering

This project demonstrates the viability of vacuum tube replacements made from solid state technology and programmable logic. A collection of operational amplifiers, digital converters and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) achieve this goal. The project emulates a 12AX7 vacuum tube triode as it would operate in a Fender Champ guitar amplifier. While the prototype works specifically with the Fender Champ, minor modifications could provide the versatility for operation in different amplifiers, including high end vintage hi-fi equipment. The addition of a micro controller into these amplifiers allows for the use of digital filtering and effects while not requiring modifications …

One-Pin 32 Khz Low-Power Crystal Oscillator, Aaron Plata-Ruiz

Electrical Engineering

This design is a one-pin, 32 kHz, low-power, crystal oscillator suitable for battery-operated systems. The design is based on a design published by Ali E Zadeh, “A Micropower, Battery-Operated, One-Pin Crystal Oscillator”, but redesigned for standard positive power supply configuration, which is suitable for typical n-well CMOS process.

Dc House Modeling And System Design, Jessica E. Chaidez

Electrical Engineering

This project entails the study and design of DC power distribution for the DC House Project. Wire size, common high efficient loads, maximum power input, and different distribution system implementation (ring or radial) play a major role when designing an efficient, low-voltage distribution system. Efficiency is determined based on which main bus voltage powers all the loads with minimal power loss. Power efficiency is heavily dependent in DC-DC converter efficiencies due to the power loss in converting the voltage from high to low, or vice versa. Selection of the wire size plays a major role in power losses. There are …

Solar Powered Backpack, Saagar Sabharwal, Tom Poonsopin

Electrical Engineering

One popular motto in electrical engineering today is “going green.” This project will convert the sun’s energy into reusable energy. The purpose of this senior project is to develop a solar powered backpack that can charge certain portable USB devices for students. Many students walk around campus with an iPod or cell phone, which has surely died or ran low on batteries at least once when needed most. This backpack will allow students to charge their devices “on the go.” When students walk or bike around campus, the solar panels attached to the backpack will allow recharging of their portable …

Controller Board Prototype Development For The Cal Poly Super Project, Clifford Susa

Electrical Engineering

Now in phase two of development, the Cal Poly Sustainable Power for Electrical Reources (SuPER) project will provide power to families for an estimated lifespan of 20 years at a cost of $500. Phase two of the SuPER project looks at implementing microcontrollers to monitor the health and status of the system. This senior project looks specifically at the performances of the SuPER Controller which communicates with the SuPER Digitizer to gather data such as voltage, current, temperature, and power. An SD memory card will store this data, and to view this data, then download to a PC.

Rfid Techniques For Passive Electronics, Ryan Behr, David Cobos

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Android Application Controlled Surge Protector, Lok An

Electrical Engineering

A significant amount of consumer electronics cannot be switched off completely without being unplugged. Standby power, also known as phantom power, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances when they are switched off. There are some devices that need constant power; items like alarm clocks and security systems need constant power to function correctly. Some devices, such as video game consoles and televisions, consume power without offering any features. Electricity lost from standby power has been increasing with the amount of consumer electronics increasing in households.

This project’s goal is to create a low power remote that can …

Smooth Ternary Signaling For Deep-Submicron(Dsm) Buses, Robert Endicott Hanson, Ryan Ian Fullerton

Electrical Engineering

This project demonstrates the error mitigating effects of using a three-level “smooth ternary” signal on a Deep-Submicron(DSM) bus with large inter-wire capacitance. An RC circuit used to simulate and exaggerate (for easier testing) the charging and discharging of the DSM bus. An encoder stage translates binary input data into a three-level signal before sending it to the bus. A decoder stage then translates the three-level signal back to binary that is ideally identical to the original signal. Our results show that the three-level signal has much cleaner transitions than a traditional binary signal. A few glitches that appeared when decoding …

Design And Simulation Of V2g Bidirectional Inverter And Dc-Dc Converter, Allan Agatep, Mason Ung

Electrical Engineering

As plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) become more popular, the utility companies are forced to feed the grid more electricity. However, these PHEVs are capable of providing power to the grid when they are parked serving as ancillary systems for grid regulation (V2G). Using a system based on photovoltaic (PV) technology, a design for a bidirectional inverter with LCL filter, and a bidirectional dc-dc with a constant current controller, was constructed using LTspice. Various papers were researched and analyzed to determine applicable designs for components. Simulations show the designs are capable of bidirectional power transfer. ETAP simulations show that delivering …